Prince Philip

THE late Duke of Edinburgh was the key to solving the mystery of what happened to the famous Romanov Russian royal family. Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and their five children were executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918 and their bodies left in two unmarked graves. When the remains were discovered in 1991, there was no conclusive proof who they were until Prince Philip offered up a sample of his blood for testing – he was related to the Romanovs through his maternal line.

Scientists compared the Prince’s DNA with the remains found in the Russian grave and it was established that the bodies were those of the royals.

The Duke was very much aware of his family history, once saying: “I would like to go to Russia very much, although the bastards murdered half my family.”