Russian President Putin 'wants' to restore Russia's royal family

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...Second-Romanov

Vladimir Putin 'wants' to reinstate Russia's imperial family and bring back the Tsars

VLADIMIR PUTIN 'wants' to reinstate the Russian imperial family and move them into an ancient palace once occupied by the last Tsar Nicholas II.

The Winter Palace in St Petersburg, former home of the Russian Imperial Family

The Romanov family's extraordinary return would not threaten the rule of the Kremlin strongman but would aim to give them a role in unifying Russia. The move proposed by Vladimir Petrov, a law maker from Putin's party, has prompted speculation that it has the Russian leader's direct approval.

Petrov also plans to introduce a law, which would be implemented by the centenary of the end of Imperial rule, which would "give the Royal family members a special status" and "stimulate their return to Russia". The legislator has written letters to the heirs of the Romanov dynasty, which ruled the country for two centuries before the abdication of last Tsar Nicholas II ahead of two revolutions in 1917. The following year the Romanov family - Nicholas and his wife Tsarina Alexandra and their five children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei - were executed by Bolsheviks led by Yakov Yurovsky under the orders of the Ural Soviet.

Russian President Putin pictured infront of a photograph of the last monarch of Russia, Tsar Nicholas II

Petrov has written to Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and Prince Dimitri Romanovich urging them to return to Russia to become symbols of national culture in order to "revive the spiritual power of Russian people". The leaked letter read: "Throughout the history of its reign, the Imperial dynasty of the Romanovs was one of the pillars of Russia's sovereignty." The country now "goes through a difficult process of restoring the country's greatness and returning its global influence" and "members of the Romanov House cannot stay aloof from the processes taking place in Russia now at such an important historical moment". It states: "I am sure that a return of the descendants of the last Russian ruler to the historic homeland will contribute towards smoothing of political contradictions left since the October Revolution, and will become a symbol of the revival of the spiritual power of Russian people. "The Royal family descendants might play an important symbolic role in Russian society. "Like in many European countries, Romanovs might become a symbol of preserving traditions and national culture."

The royals would be returned to one of the great Romanov palaces including Ropshinsky or Pavlovsky, near St Petersburg, or the grand Livadia Palace in Crimea, annexed by Putin from Ukraine last year. The letter continued: "Until now, many of Tsar family's palaces stay empty or are used for a wrong purpose. "I think that it would only benefit everyone if one of such palaces in Leningrad region will be used as an official residence." Alexander Zakharov, director of Romanov Imperial House in Russia, hinted that some representatives of the dynasty were ready to return to Russia.

He said: "The Imperial House has repeatedly said that it is ready to come back to Russia for permanent residence, and our representatives spend increasingly more time in Russia and feel eager to move. "Duchess Maria Vladimirovna could have returned any moment as a private citizen, but since she heads the Imperial House and bears responsibility to the ancestors, her return must be decent."

The blood-soaked and gun sprayed cellar in which the Imperial Family were shot on Lenin's orders in 1917

Mr Zakharov said that she was not seeking a lavish palace, adding: "She claims neither real estate rights, nor political powers and privileges, but she wants the Imperial House to be a historical institution and part of the country's historical heritage."

But he stressed that the deposed royal family should not be dragged into political games in modern Russia.

"The Imperial House does not take part in any political fights," he added, warning that there were groups seeking to "exploit the royals."

But Sergey Markov, head of the Institute of Political Studies, argued that a return of the Romanovs would have little influence on a modern Russia.
He added: "Most of the countries pay no respect to Imperial Houses, except for Great Britain and the Netherlands. "People in Russia treat the Romanovs either as victims because they were shot by the Bolsheviks, or as traitors who behaved irresponsibly during the critical years of the monarchy. "Many believe that it was Nicholas II's abdication that provoked civil war."

Interesting. Russia along with the European nations of Greece, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria are most likely of all at the moment to restore their royal families to the thrones. In the case of Russia, the anniversary of 100 years in 2017 would make the ideal time to make any moves towards restoration and would put a line under the last hundred years, most of which saw Russia ruled by the communists - in much the same way that Cambodia restored it's monarchy in the 1990s after the communists were thrown out.

I have read before that Putin is keen on restoring the monarchy as for Putin, and rightly so, his prime concern has always been the stability of the post-Soviet state. Anyone who knows Russian history knows the country relies on a strongman, and obviously Putin's time in office won't last forever... what better way to preserve the stability of the Russian state but to restore a politically neutral constitutional monarchy?

I hope he does it. If so, it would be the first restoration of a royal house in Europe since the 1980s when Spain restored it's monarchy. The return of the House of Romanov though, an imperial royal family - like Japan - would be the mother of all royal restorations. Especially given it's interesting history.

Thoughts?