The Final Days of Anastasia Romanov

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

History Hit

Myths, Folklore, Mystery, History, Ghosts, Society & Culture, Murder, Ufos, True Crime, Paranormal, Supernatural, Serial Killers

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 3 July 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the aftermath of the bloody Russian revolution, the Romanovs went from being a glittering royal family, to vulnerable everyday citizens who were soon murdered.

In the wake of their deaths, the that one family member survived, began to gain traction.

How do the claims of Princess Anastasia's survival begin? Why did people want her to survive? And why do humans need to believe in myths?

Joining Anthony and Maddy today is author and historian Leonid Trofimov.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. It was produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everyone, it's us, your hosts Maddie Pelling and Anthony Delaney.
0:04.0	But before we begin the show, we want to ask for a few seconds of your time.
0:08.0	If you're enjoying After Dark and we love you, if you are, we would love you just a little bit more.
0:13.0	If you could vote for us in the Listeners' Choice category at the British Podcast Awards.
0:18.0	So go to the show notes now, click the link and just then search for After
0:22.8	Dark. Fill in your name and your email and don't forget to confirm. They will send you an email.
0:27.2	You need to confirm. The whole process probably takes about 30 seconds. If you've already
0:31.2	voted, we are so, so grateful. If you haven't, stop what you are doing right now. Vote for us
0:36.0	before you enjoy this show.
0:38.2	Hello and welcome to After Dark. I'm Anthony. And I'm Maddie. And without any further ado,
0:44.5	I'm just going to hand over to Maddie because today we are exploring the final days of
0:49.3	Anastasia Romanov. Once there was an empire of snow-draped palaces, gilded ballrooms and clockwork ceremony, where
1:05.0	faberje eggs glittered and the Tsar's daughters laughed behind lace curtains.
1:11.6	Anastasia Romanov, the youngest child of Russia's last imperial family, belonged to that vanishing world,
1:19.6	born into a realm teetering on the edge of fire.
1:23.6	On the night of 17th of July 1918, that world ended abruptly, in a basement in Ekaterinburg.
1:32.0	Under the dull light of a single bulb, Anastasia stood beside her family, unaware that the
1:37.9	dream of old Russia was about to die with them.
1:42.3	The gunfire was swift, yet the killings were clumsy. When all was
1:47.5	finally over, the bodies were carted into the forest, where their killers tried to erase
1:53.8	them altogether, burning the remains before burying them in shallow graves.
2:00.3	The earth, though, made for an unreliable chronicler. When,
	...

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