St. Petersburg commemorates Emperor Nicholas II

On Wednesday St. Petersburg commemorates Emperor Nicholas II, his family and servants.

Traditionally, a service to the saint royal martyrs was held at the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. Dimitry Romanovich Romanov and other members of the Romanov family, and representative of the Romanov House in Russia Ivan Artsishevsky, the head of the protocol service of the St. Petersburg administration attended the service.

All Russian monarchs, from Peter I to Nicholas II's family, were buried at the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. The last Russian emperor, his wife, children, retinues and servants were buried at St. Catherine's side-chapel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral on July 17th, 1998.

Since 1999, Dimitry Romanov has always spent July 17th in St. Petersburg. Dimitry and his brother Nikolai, the head of the Romanov House, are the only Russian-speaking descendants of the royal family. Dimitry Romanov, 74, is a descendant of the last Russian Emperor, Nicholas II. He lives near Copenhagen and is a citizen of Denmark. His wife Dorrit recently adopted Orthodoxy and accompanies her husband in his trips to Russia. Dimitry Romanovich is heading "The Romanovs for Russia" charitable foundation, which has already sponsored several assistance programmes for children.