Quarterly Magazine of GDERS REQUESTED donation from non-members £3,INCLUDES 1st Issue Dedicated to the 5th anniversary of GDERS UK Cover of the 2nd Issue The Society was established in December 2015 as an educational charity focused on the history of the Romanov Dynasty, Grand Duchess Elizabeth among them, and British-Russian connections in the 19th & 20th centuries. The new society attracted a substantial number of members, friends and experts during the five years of its existence and has realized many interesting and useful projects. You can read the inaugural speech of the founder and chairman of the society Maria Harwood at Eastwell Manor and see a gallery of pictures. Contents Page A number of articles in this issue are dedicated to our heavenly patroness Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov, starting with the NATIVITY EPISTLE of Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, who refers to important dates commemorating her in the coming year 2021. You will find here a major analytical article about the circumstances of the execution of Saint Elizabeth and five other members of the Romanov family in Alapaevsk (In the Urals): “THE MARTYRDOM OF THE GRAND DUCHESS ELIZABETH: Life of a Saint and Biographical Research”, by Dr Maria Harwood. We are also publishing THE LAST INTERVIEW of the Grand Duchess given to an American Journalist a few months before her arrest, a very vivid portrait of the Foundress of SS Martha and Mary Convent in Moscow, with a comment from John Harwood. You can follow the steps of David Gilchrist to SS MARTHA AND MARY CONVENT in the 1980s and after 2000. His impressions as a visitor from Britain are most interesting. THE ISLE OF WIGHT REPORT of David Hill presents thoughts and reminiscences of the local inhabitants and politicians about the Romanov Monument and its place in the life of the community of East Cowes. A not so well known member of the Imperial House, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, the possible successor of Tsar Nicholas II, his younger brother, is the focus of John Harwood’s review of the latest book by D.Crawford “THE LAST TSAR: EMPEROR MICHAEL ll”. In this issue we are launching a series of articles under the title: PARALLEL HISTORY: RUSSIA AND BRITAIN. Historian Anna Scriven tells us entertaining stories about Prince Rurik and King Alfred, both famous rulers of Russia and Britain at the same period. A reminder follows about the sale of our new digital version of the book “The Last Romanovs: Archival and Museum Discoveries in Britain and Russia”, Pindar Press, 2017. The issue is professionally produced and richly illustrated. A DONATION of £3 will help to continue the professional production of the Magazine and its printed version. The account for donations - Sort Code: 309986, A/C 83843968. Please include your surname and “Mag” in the reference field. Also please write to Maria Harwood (nd2315@googlemail.com) so that we can email the magazine to you.

“The Last Romanovs: Archival and Museum Discoveries in Great Britain and Russia”, London, Pindar Press, 2018, 120 pages £15 (payable to GDERS, contact our Treasurer anna.scriven@yahoo.com for details) This book was produced by the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Romanov Society, UK in the end of 2018  and presented the proceedings of the international symposium under same title which took place at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park in June 2017. The book was sold off quickly without being properly advertised. Responding to the demand from the readers we are offering an electronic version of this book (in Kindle and ePub formats). The Symposium was a first attempt to bring together British and Russian historians, royal biographers, museum and archival specialists united by their deep knowledge of the Romanov – Windsor relationship and the period of the Nicholas II Reign – end of 19th and beginning of 20th  centuries. The wider historic context was presented as well.  The conference was carefully planned to feed the interest of wider audiences in personal stories of the last Tsar and his family and Grand Duchess Elizabeth, canonised as Martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church and closely related to the British queens and kings – Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII and King George V.  The articles will interest equally a researcher, because they are full of rare facts and documents,  and an ordinary reader with their extraordinary human stories of heroism, charity, tragedy and glory. The book contains over hundred of colour illustrations and it was designed as an album which can be given to anybody as a valued present. The contributors to this volume are well known royal biographers Coryne Hall and Charlotte Zeepvat and Russian writer and art historian Dr Dmitry Grishin; the leading curators of museums in Russia and UK: Stephan Patterson (Royal Collection Trust), Michael Hunter (Osborne House), Dr Inessa Slunkova  (former Moscow Kremlin Museum specialist, presently attached to the Russian Academy of Arts), Nikolai Misko and Marina Falaleeva (The State Historical Museum); archival specialist Dr Olga Kopylova (The State Archives of the Russian Federation), university lecturers Dr Andrey Posternak, Dr Elena Kozlovtseva, Olga Trofimova and Archpriest Stephen Platt (The Institute of Orthodox Studies, Cambridge).