Bloomberg News reports DNA Tests show remains those of Alexei and Maria.

[NAOTMAA Fan]

I'd doubt it, they're still testing to make sure of the hemophilia gene in the male skeleton's bone fragments.

[Imperial_Grounds]

I have been hoping for some news on a Funeral for  Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria, or Anastasia, but if there would be one, we would've known already. It's good that they're all accounted for, and will rest all together someday, after being parted for so long.

[ImperialxTwilight]

I hope they have a funeral for Alexei and Maria,
Seeing as this site says now that the past funeral was claimed to
Be a "politcal show", no doubt because they now have more real bodies.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080627/112438372.html

[Naslednik]

Does anyone know if these DNA results show a positive identification of the hemophilia gene?  This would be conclusive evidence that no sane person could doubt.

[Peterhof]

Scientists may have confirmed the remains belong to Alexei but the tests continue, and one of them is to find the presence of hemophilia in the remains.  Let's hope they are successful in their findings.

[Naslednik]

Thanks, Peterhof.  I imagine that the test for hemophilia is going to be difficult with such old and damaged bone fragments.  Of course, biotechnology is getting more and more sophisticated every day -- it will be interesting how this whole sad story plays out over the next few decades.  Hopefully the labs have preserved some samples for future investigations so that the remains at St. P+P don't have to be touched again.  If they don't identify hemophilia now, scientists may be able to in the future.  Or, if they do find the hemophilia gene, they may be able at a future date to discover why Alexei had a relatively manageable case of the disease.  (Still horrible, of course, but RK Massie mentioned how many more bleeding episodes his son had, and how much more severe they were.)  For me, it is odd to think that Alexei's remains are right here in the US pretty close to where I live...

[Peterhof]

You are welcome.

The DNA results show that the probabilities of the bones belonging to Alexei are million times in favor than against it.  The matches are so good that there is no doubt they belong to Alexei, still, finding traces of hemophilia would raise the probabilities so high it may force the church to change its position and convince, once and for all, those who still believe he survived that they were wrong all along.

How I wish the bones could be exhibited somehow, but I’d settle if I could learn a great deal of the test performed.  I really hope, also, that the burial ceremony will be televised and aired live in America.

[Naslednik]

Yes, I also look forward to seeing the interment of Alexei and Maria.  In fact, I would love to fly to St. P but it probably would be chaotic and costly.  Do you remember how little TV coverage the US had of the funerals 10 years ago?  This really showed me how most of the world has 'moved on' even tho' this is a big historical moment.  We can see pretty good coverage on YouTube of the funerals, and although the murder part of their lives doesn't interest me much, I was quite moved by the dignity of the ceremony, especially when the IF's small coffins were snugged in side by side in layers with Botkin, Demidova, Trupp.  What was nearly comical was seeing the youngest living Romanovs trying to genuflect -- they almost looked new at it!

[Imperial_Grounds]

  Do you remember how little TV coverage the US had of the funerals 10 years ago? 

I do, and not only in the US but also in the rest of the world there was little coverage of it. Sad, but that is the reason why i bought Agonya, just for the extras(it had 10 minutes footage of the funeral), but then again i am glad that they showed attention here to The Dowager Empress' reburial in Russia, where here remains belong.

[Peterhof]

Imperial Grounds please tell me what's Agonya

[Imperial_Grounds]

Imperial Grounds please tell me what's Agonya

It's a russian movie made during the Soviet Regime about Rasputin and the last years of the Russian Empire. It starts in 1916 and ends the same year with Rasputin's death. I don't really like the portrayal of the Imperial Family, but it is a Soviet movie so that was to be exected. Seen as a movie it is really great, the effects, music and the way the story plays out are great. And as i said, i bought it for the extra's because it has footage of the funeral(i was mistaken, it are 3 minutes) and a newsreel of 1913 that cover's the main events of the 300 years of the Romanov Monarchy(from reanacted scenes starting with Michael I to real footage of the celebrations in 1913)

And back on-topic, as i said I hope there'll be a funeral for the Tsarevich and his sister, so the family will be together at last but i am afraid that itmight take a while before that happens,

[Peterhof]

Thank you Imperial Grounds.  Does anybody know if this film has been posted somewhere.  Thanks.

[Imperial_Grounds]

I'll PM you about that so we can get back o-topic before causing trouble

[nena]

Agonya is Russian word for English agony...
In magazine I bought, there is pic. of Aleksei's shirt(you can see that remains of blue-white stupes of salior suit) he wore on July 17th 1918-(Remember they didn't unwore him), also, they mentioned 44 bone fragments, I wonder in that 44 bones , did they include skulls of Aleksei and Maria? Because they didn't publish it..

[Imperial_Grounds]

Agonya is Russian word for English agony...
In magazine I bought, there is pic. of Aleksei's shirt(you can see that remains of blue-white stupes of salior suit) he wore on July 17th 1918-(Remember they didn't unwore him), also, they mentioned 44 bone fragments, I wonder in that 44 bones , did they include skulls of Aleksei and Maria? Because they didn't publish it..

Isn't that a horrifying sight? The shirt i mean, i would love to see it, but i would feel horrible afterwards because i would look into someone's final monents, i would feel like that. And the shirt also gives proof without DNA-testing that it was Alexei, because there wouldn't be much boys with sailor shirts buried. It sounds so strange, but we all know it's true.