Alexei in 1912

“Science” journal published results of a study which found that some of Queen Victoria’s male descendants suffered from a severe form of blood clotting disorder Haemophilia B, also known as the Christmas Disease. Although it has already been known that the British Queen’s descendants were affected by Haemophilia, this is the first time the exact form of the disease was identified.

The scientists examined DNA samples extracted from the remains of the Romanovs and found that Tsarevich Alexei suffered from Haemophilia B, while one of his sisters, Anastasia, was a carrier. Alexei and Anastasia were the children of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, and female-line descendants of Queen Victoria: they inherited the mutation from their mother, who was Queen Victoria’s granddaughter.

Haemophilia lowers the level of the chemicals that cause blood to clot after injury. Haemophilia A, resulting from a lack of clotting factor VIII, is the most common form, affecting one in 5,000–10,000 males. Haemophilia B is caused by a deficiency of factor IX and affects one in 20,000–35,000 males. Because the disorder is linked to the X chromosome, only males suffer from the disease. This is because males have only one X chromosome, so if that single chromosome is affected, than the male in question will be a victim of the disease. Females only carry it because their second X chromosome is extremely unlikely to have the same mutation. Through Queen Victoria, Royal Houses of Russia, Spain and Germany were plagued with the “Royal Disease”.

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Exactly 105 years ago, in 1904, the only son of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra was born.

The Emperor wrote in his diary: “An unforgettable great day for us, during which we were clearly visited by the grace of God. At 1.15 during the day Alix gave birth to a son, whom in prayer we have named Alexei”. The great joy he brought into the lives of his family members was marred by the discovery of incurable illness, haemophilia, which meant that any bump or bruise could have fatal consequences for the young Tsarevich. As Grand Duchess Olga put: “You might well say that the birth of a son, which should have been the happiest in the event of the lives of Nicky and Alicky, became their heaviest cross”.

Tsarevich Alexei in 1912

His tutor, Pierre Gilliard, would later write: “Alexei was the centre of this united family, the focus of all its hopes and affection. His sisters worshipped him, he was his parents’ pride and joy. When he was well, the palace was transformed. Everyone and everything in it seemed bathed in sunshine”.

Because of his condition, there were a number of simple activities, like riding a bicycle, Alexei never had a chance to enjoy. When his condition would allow, however, he was a very active and often mischievous boy. There are stories of pranks he would play on guests during state receptions, the most famous of them was ducking under the table during the dinner and removing the shoe of a female guest: when forced to ‘put it back’, he obeyed but not before placing a large strawberry into the toe of the shoe. He also enjoyed playing outdoors: a movie about the life of the Imperial Family survives, which shows Alexei playing with children of his age. His friends appear to be completely unaware of Alexei’s ‘status’ and just enjoy mischief and fun, as usual kids would do. In a poignant scene from the movie, the kids jump into an ice-cold river, while Alexei is left standing alone on the shore (his condition would not let him join in the fun).

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Members of the Romanov Family Association announced that they don’t think the time is right for the reburial of the remains of Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria.

The representative of the Association, Ivan Artzishevski, made the statement during the official press conference on July 28, 2009. Said Artzishevski: “Today is perhaps not the time when money can be spared for a fitting reburial ceremony. Russia has more pressing and important issues to face and there are more appropriate ways of spending the money today. The question of the reburial is currently discussed within the Family and with the Russian Government”.

Picture in Public Domain

He also confirmed that the Romanov Family Association has no doubts about the results of the identification of the remains that were found in 2007 in Yekaterinburg.

Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria, along with their siblings and parents, were murdered by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg. The remains of most of the family members were found years ago, however the remains Alexei and Maria were found only in 2007 in a separate grave. Several independent DNA expertises confirmed their identities.

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