Friends,
In the realm of historical mysteries, few tales are as captivating as that of Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov, the youngest daughter of Russia’s last Tsar, Nicholas II. This story is a wild ride through tragedy, deception, and a hint of Hollywood magic!
A Royal Tragedy
In 1918, the Romanov family met a gruesome fate in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. The Tsar, his wife Alexandra, and their five children were executed, leaving behind a legacy shrouded in mystery and sorrow. Among the victims was the spirited 17-year-old Anastasia, known for her playful nature and rebellious spirit. But as the years passed, rumors began to swirl that Anastasia had survived.
Why? Because the lack of details surrounding the Romanov family’s final moments gave rise to widespread conjecture about what truly befell the imperial household. Amid the execution’s tumult, several eyewitnesses reported glimpsing a young woman who bore a striking likeness to Anastasia fleeing the scene. Such testimonies fueled theories of her possible survival.
Enter Anna Anderson
In 1920, a woman was found attempting suicide in Berlin, claiming to be none other than the lost Grand Duchess.1 Known as Anna Anderson, she caught the world’s attention with her story, which was as enchanting as it was improbable. Her physical resemblance to the Romanov’s, coupled with her knowledge of their lives, fueled the belief that she might indeed be Anastasia.
Anna recounted intimate details of Romanov family life that, according to her, only Anastasia herself could know. Her narratives included precise descriptions of the family’s beloved animals, confidential matters never made public, and private moments that resonated with those acquainted with the imperial household.
Speaking fluent Russian, Anna insisted it was her mother tongue, frequently performing verses and melodies from Anastasia’s repertoire. Her familiarity with the protocols and mannerisms of nobility, she maintained, reflected her royal upbringing. According to Anna, several Romanov relatives identified her as Anastasia, particularly Prince Andrew of Greece, who she said championed her cause and affirmed her true identity.
When confronted with inconsistencies in her story, Anna would delicately touch her temple and speak of “the shadows” in her mind—places where memories should be but weren’t. “The doctors tell me this is what happens,” she would explain in her accented English, “when a child witnesses her family’s murder and barely escapes with her life.”2
The Great Debate
Despite her claims, Anna’s story faced scrutiny. DNA tests conducted decades later would reveal that she was, in fact, Franziska Schanzkowska, a Polish factory worker with no royal lineage. Yet, for nearly 60 years, Anna maintained her claim, captivating believers and skeptics alike. She became a figure of intrigue, leading to a lengthy court battle over her inheritance from the Romanov estate.3
Anna’s life was filled with colorful characters, including those who supported her and those who sought to debunk her story. She found a champion in Prince Andrew of Greece, who believed in her legitimacy. Meanwhile, skeptics pointed to inconsistencies in her stories, leading to a tug-of-war between belief and doubt.
Her supporters rallied around texts like Harriet von Rathlef’s Anastasia: A Woman’s Fate as Mirror of the World Catastrophe, which first captivated German readers as a newspaper serial before appearing in bookstores across Germany and Switzerland in 1928. Her detractors responded with equal literary force—Pierre Gilliard and Constantin Savitch published their rebuttal, The False Anastasia, published by Payot of Paris just one year later.
Side Note:
I could only find a copy of Anastasia: A Woman’s Fate as Mirror of the World Catastrophe for purchase on eBay. Click here if you would like to see.
The False Anastasia is available on Amazon if you would like a copy. Click here to view.
The Family’s Rejection
The Romanov family, who had suffered immense loss, could hardly accept the idea of Anna Anderson as their long-lost princess. They rejected her claims, further complicating her quest for acceptance. Yet Anna continued her charade, living in various countries while always holding onto her identity as Anastasia.
Prince Felix Yusupov, husband of Anastasia’s paternal cousin Princess Irina Alexandrovna of Russia wrote:
I claim categorically that she is not Anastasia Nicolaievna, but just an adventuress, a sick hysteric and a frightful playactress. I simply cannot understand how anyone can be in doubt of this. If you had seen her, I am convinced that you would recoil in horror at the thought that this frightful creature could be a daughter of our Tsar. 4
Following the Dowager Empress Marie’s death in October 1928, a dozen of the Tsar’s closest relatives gathered at her funeral. There, they put their signatures on what would later be called the Copenhagen Statement—a formal declaration branding Anderson a fraud. The document stated:
Our sense of duty compels us to state that the story is only a fairy tale. The memory of our dear departed would be tarnished if we allowed this fantastic story to spread and gain any credence.
Side Note:
The so-called “Copenhagen Statement” never existed as a single document. Instead, various Danish royals and Copenhagen-connected figures expressed doubts about Anna Anderson through separate interactions. They noted her inability to speak Russian, her contradictory accounts, and physical discrepancies when compared to the real Anastasia. These scattered Danish assessments collectively strengthened the growing suspicion that Anderson had fabricated her royal identity.
Hollywood Comes Knocking
Anna’s story was too good to resist, and it eventually caught the attention of filmmakers. In 1956, the film Anastasia was released, bringing her tale to a broader audience. The film, although a romanticized version of events, reignited interest in the Romanovs and the mystique surrounding Anna Anderson.
The plot? A band of con artists concocts a scheme to extract funds from the Russian exile community by perpetuating the myth that Grand Duchess Anastasia survived execution. They discover a woman with amnesia— Anna—and coach her to assume the royal identity. Throughout the performance, Anna’s mysterious background and occasional flashes of insight cast doubt on whether she might indeed be the genuine Anastasia, her memories buried beneath trauma. The audience must ultimately determine for themselves if this woman is truly the lost duchess or merely an extraordinary impostor.
The Final Curtain
The truth about Anna’s identity was sealed in DNA evidence5…
In 1979, surgeons at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia, removed a portion of Anderson’s intestine. The hospital preserved this tissue sample. Years later, scientists extracted Anderson’s mitochondrial DNA from this preserved tissue and compared it to DNA from the Romanov family and their relatives. The tests revealed no match with either the Duke of Edinburgh or the recovered bones, proving Anderson had no biological connection to the Romanovs.
Instead, her DNA matched a sample from Karl Maucher, whose grandmother Gertrude Ellerik was Franziska Schanzkowska’s sister. This genetic evidence confirmed that Anderson and Maucher shared maternal ancestry— and that Anderson was, in fact, Schanzkowska.
Anna Anderson passed away in 1984, still holding onto her claim. Her life is a reminder of how history can blur the lines between reality and fiction, and how one woman’s quest for identity can captivate the world. The story of Anna Anderson, the woman who might have been Anastasia, continues to resonate, proving that sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction.
Final Thoughts
Anna Anderson’s journey is a fascinating blend of history, mystery, and imagination. It teaches us about the lengths people will go to in order to grasp onto identity and legacy, and how stories can evolve, leaving an indelible mark on culture. So, next time you watch a film about Anastasia, remember the enigmatic Anna Anderson—an unforgettable figure in the tapestry of history!
To read Diaries and Letters – Letters from Anastasia in Exile in English and Russian
compiled by Sarah Miller, click here.
Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.
Keri Russel
Until next time, Keep Reading and Stay Caffeinated.
For those hungry to explore more, click below to find additional readings:
The Romanovs: the Final Chapter. In July 1991, nine skeletons were exhumed from a shallow mass grave near Ekaterinburg, Siberia. But were these the bones of the Romanovs? And if these were, where were the bones of the two younger Romanovs supposedly murdered with the rest of the family? Was Anna Anderson, celebrated for more than sixty years in newspapers, books, and film, really Grand Duchess Anastasia?
Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson. Recounts the lengthy efforts of Anna Anderson to prove that she was really Anastasia, the sole surviving daughter of the Czar, and heir to the Romanov throne.
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If you’re looking for your next favorite read, I invite you to check out my book, The Raven Society. This spellbinding historical fantasy series takes us on a heart-pounding journey through forgotten legends and distorted history. Uncover the chilling secrets of mythology and confront the horrifying truths that transformed myths into monstrous realities. How far will you go to learn the truth?
The Writer and The Librarian (Book 1):
Signed copies at:
https://rlgeerrobbins.com/product/the-writer-and-the-librarian-the-raven-society-book-1/
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Footnotes:
- Anastasia: Grand Duchess or Grand Hoax? The last act in the drama of Anna Anderson, who claims to be the late Czar’s daughter, is unfolding in a German court. Here are the key points in a baffling royal mystery. Grand Duchess or Grand Hoax? – The New York Times ↩︎
- ANNA ANDERSON: Anastasia Romanov Mystery Solved – The Romanov Family ↩︎
- The Case Of Anastasia Romanov And Anna Anderson • Julia Bracewell ↩︎
- Letter from Prince Felix Yusupov to Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia, 19 September 1927, quoted in Kurth, Anastasia, p. 186 ↩︎
- Mystery Solved: The Identification of the Two Missing Romanov Children Using DNA Analysis | PLOS One ↩︎
Additional Sources:
Anna Anderson Anastasia The Romanovs True Story