By Dr Maria Harwood This year the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society’s Garden Party took place on Saturday 12th July and coincided with the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The memory of the Royal martyrs and Passion-bearers was celebrated just few days before the day of their martyrdom and the church feast. The Chief Apostles, who died as Holy Martyrs, met in our prayers with the last anointed Tsar-Martyr of Russia and his family, all of them executed by ungodly rulers: the Apostles - by the barbaric Emperor Nero, the Royal Martyrs and eleven other members of the Romanov family, together with their servants and attendants - by Lenin and his crew. The first tyrant was not afraid to announce his actions, the second did everything possible to hide the crime, to deceive the Russian people and the whole world by publishing false news about escapes of the members of the family, killing them in secret, hiding the bodies… Some of them, such as Grand Duke Michael and his English secretary Johnson, still are not found, nor are the bodies of the Romanovs executed in the St Peter and Paul fortress in St Petersburg. This is another link between the Romanovs and the Apostles. After our morning Orthodox Liturgy in the church of the All-Merciful Saviour, Father Aleksandr invited the parishioners and members of the Society into his residence, a remarkable Victorian house authentically decorated in style of 1880s.The main part of the programme for this day was a historical play about the last days of the Romanov Family at Ekaterinburg, presented by its author (one of four co-authors) Natalia Rubtsova. Natalia has had a most incredible career. She started her education and working life as a lawyer, while being attracted by theatre from her childhood. In the 90s she entered an acting school in Moscow (Shchukin Theatrical College), later she began her career as a playwright. Now she is finishing her Masters dissertation at UCL entitled “The Female Question in Female Drama of the Silver Age”. Two of her plays, dedicated to the last Imperial family, were accepted by professional theatres. One of them was successfully staged in Moscow Tsaritsino theatre, for young audiences, and presents the four Tsar’s daughters on the day before their execution. Another one shows the Imperial family during their lifetime and explores the theme of an ideal family. Natalia presented the first play in the interior of a Victorian house, a natural and most suitable stage setting. She chose this setting consciously because it reminded her of the palatial environment of Romanov dwellings of the past. It resembled the Ipatiev house, as well, as both houses were built in the 1880s. This resemblance was made use of by Natalia in the direction of her own performance.  But how was it possible to channel the imagination of the audience from the beautiful rooms filled with icons and other antiques towards the reality of the empty and abandoned family house of the engineer…

When I drove 3 hours from London towards the event, I knew this Saturday’s garden party would be profoundly special. Upon arriving, Natalia Rubtsova had already begun her introduction to the play where she was a co-author about the Romanov family’s final days. She started with her research and historic pictures and presentation, transporting us back to those dark, mysterious moments. We stepped directly into the Romanovs’ world - a heartbreak history that lingered long after .We sat in a  beautiful Victorian house. In front of us, stark black-and-white family portraits made Tsar Nicholas II and his children feel present among us, silent witnesses to the room and the unfolding historical reel… As Natalia gracefully lit a candle, recited poetry, gently played the piano, and performed in Russian, she carried us back to that Ipatiev mansion on the last day of their royal  lives.Natalia’s performance as Tatiana - one of the Tsar’s Nicholas II daughters began with Pushkin’s poem ‘I Loved You’ at the piano — so gentle, so romantic, yet achingly poignant, touching our souls.  She then shared Tatiana’s tender memories of her sisters, brother, mother and father... making the impending horror feel crueler still. She revealed Tatiana’s faith, love, and strength - all stolen along with her young life at just 21 years old.  This part of intensive history has always gripped me personally. When I wrote about Kenneth MacMillan and his psychological ballet ‘Anastasia’, I explored how he first portrayed that ‘dark, expressionist nightmare’ moment on Royal ballet stage; MacMillan didn’t seek to solve the mystery, he laid bare the agony of being lost, an ‘Outsider’ haunted by cellar visions and a past she could neither grasp nor escape.Natalia’s play felt like the other side of that coin. Where MacMillan delved into psychological torment, Natalia brought us face-to-face with the real people in their final hours — with such tenderness, grace, and humanity (that last glimpse of the family children s favorite puppets left with the guard, no trace of the children remaining…).  No more myths, just the heartbreaking reality of that family.  All those left us thirsting for deeper truth, deeper understanding. The entire afternoon was thoughtfully set in Father Aleksandr’s beautiful 1880s Victorian home, the headquarters of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society.  His collections enriched the history surrounding us. Dr Maria Harwood, the Chairman of the Society, thanked Natalia and added more insights into the historical background of the family and the play.   Thanks for the tea and cakes, freshly made by Natalia and Father Aleksandr, after the play. It gently shifted us back to reality: a sunny, joyful July day in England, a peaceful ‘garden moment’ in our lives!   Wei Wei Tian, London based Business Psychologist/Author (specialising in ballet, cultural narratives, career etc)  contact : tianvv@gmail.com