DNA from a mass grave finally ended decades of rumours a Romanov daughter survived

After the Russian royal family was executed in 1918, rumours persisted for decades that Grand Duchess Anastasia had escaped, fuelled by imposters like Anna Anderson claiming to be her. Remains from a mass grave near Yekaterinburg, found in 1991, were matched by mitochondrial DNA to Prince Philip, a maternal-line relative of the Romanovs. A second grave found in 2007 yielded the two remaining children, confirming all five siblings died together and ending the survival myth.

— Forensic DNA analyses, multiple international laboratories, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia — Remains identified 1991–2008