The true story behind the execution of the Romanov family shown in 'The Crown,' including what the show left out

Eve CrosbieNov 25, 2022, 19:02 IST

The Romanov family's execution is depicted in episode six of "The Crown" season five.Netflix/Getty Images

Season five of "The Crown" depicts in horrifying detail the deaths of the Russian royal family.
The Romanovs were executed in 1918 after Bolshevik revolutionaries toppled the monarchy.

Episode six of the latest season of "The Crown" opens with a different royal family than the one viewers have grown accustomed to seeing over the past five seasons.

In a flashback to the early 20th century, we see King George V's (Richard Dillane) cozy breakfast with his wife, Mary of Teck (Candida Benson), and son, the future King Edward VIII (Adam Buchanan), interrupted by a rather urgent matter.

The king's aide hands him a letter from Downing Street informing him that the government wants to send a ship to rescue Tsar Nicholas II and his family, who were being held prisoner in their own country. However, they will only do so with the king's permission, given that the tsar is his cousin.

While viewers don't see the response from the British monarch and his wife, the next scene shows in horrifying detail the repercussions of King George's decision as the tsar, his wife, and five children are brutally murdered by Bolshevik revolutionaries.

Here's how the events of the episode compare with what really happened to the Romanov dynasty.

The Romanovs, descendants of Peter the Great, were the last imperial dynasty to rule over Russia.

Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia and their children, 1907. The Russian royal family on their yacht, the Polar Star in 1907.Print Collector/Getty Images

The Romanovs were held captive in the crumbling Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia, for 78 days before their execution.

The Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg in 1919, after the execution of the Romanovs.Heritage Images/Getty Images

George V and Nicholas II really were cousins and bore a strong resemblance to one another.

Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, and George V, King of Great Britain and Ireland in 1913.Library of Congress/Getty Images

The two rulers shared a close friendship, used the nicknames "Georgie" and "Nicky" for each other, and even vacationed together.

The Windsor and Romanov families pose together for a portrait during a holiday on the Isle of Wight in 1909.Print Collector/Getty Images

Yet, despite their close relationship, George V denied his cousin and his family asylum in the United Kingdom. His decision was made over several weeks. rather than over breakfast as the show suggests.

Richard Dillane as King George V in "The Crown."Netflix

Yet, despite their close relationship, George V denied his cousin and his family asylum in the United Kingdom. His decision was made over several weeks. rather than over breakfast as the show suggests.

In the early hours of July 17, 1918, the family and their servants were awoken and told to dress and gather their belongings. They believed they were being rescued.

A scene depicting the massacre of the Romanov family in "The Crown."Netflix

Once in the basement, they were told: "Nikolai Alexandrovich, in view of the fact that your relatives are continuing their attack on Soviet Russia, the Ural Executive Committee has decided to execute you."

Cellar of Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, after the execution of the Romanov family on the night on 16-17 July 1918,Heritage Images/Getty Images

Once in the basement, they were told: "Nikolai Alexandrovich, in view of the fact that your relatives are continuing their attack on Soviet Russia, the Ural Executive Committee has decided to execute you."

Their remains were eventually discovered and identified, but much earlier than the show suggests.

Royalist supporters stand in the street with portraits of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra during the burial ceremony of the tsar's family remains in 1998.AFP/Getty Images

Prince Philip's involvement in identifying the bodies, meanwhile, came much later than "The Crown" claims.

Prince Philip in 2017.Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images

There is no evidence that the final decision on whether to save the Romanovs was made by Mary, as "The Crown" suggests.

Mary of Teck (1867 - 1953), queen-consort to George V circa 1912.Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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The true story behind the execution of the Romanov family shown in 'The Crown,' including what the show left out

The Romanovs, descendants of Peter the Great, were the last imperial dynasty to rule over Russia.

The Romanovs were held captive in the crumbling Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia, for 78 days before their execution.

George V and Nicholas II really were cousins and bore a strong resemblance to one another.

The two rulers shared a close friendship, used the nicknames "Georgie" and "Nicky" for each other, and even vacationed together.

Yet, despite their close relationship, George V denied his cousin and his family asylum in the United Kingdom. His decision was made over several weeks. rather than over breakfast as the show suggests.

In the early hours of July 17, 1918, the family and their servants were awoken and told to dress and gather their belongings. They believed they were being rescued.

Once in the basement, they were told: "Nikolai Alexandrovich, in view of the fact that your relatives are continuing their attack on Soviet Russia, the Ural Executive Committee has decided to execute you."

Their remains were eventually discovered and identified, but much earlier than the show suggests.

Prince Philip's involvement in identifying the bodies, meanwhile, came much later than "The Crown" claims.

There is no evidence that the final decision on whether to save the Romanovs was made by Mary, as "The Crown" suggests.