Only this dog managed to escape the execution of the royal family. It is the only one that survived. Royal Joy’s life came to an end when he was became the pet of Edward VIII’s riding teacher.

When the Romanov family arrived at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, they brought three black dogs with them. Grand Duchess Tatiana owned a French bulldog named Ortipo. Grand Duchess Anastasia owned a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Jemmie, and Tsarevich Alexei owned a cocker spaniel named Royal Joy.

The Execution and the Fate of the Tsar’s Dogs

I fired my revolver at the condemned, one individual said. I was unable to determine the outcomes of my rounds since I had to instantly run to the machine gun. It was located in the attic. Upon entering the attic, I noticed that the light was on at the Mining Institute. This is located on the opposite side of the street.

During an interview in 1965, Alexei Kabanov, who was a participant in the execution of the royal family. He stated that it was possible to hear shots clearly and the strong scream of the tsar’s dogs. Despite Kabanov having already passed away by the time he returned from the attic, the executor recalled, “They did not touch the dog Jack, as he was the one not producing howls.”owever, the executor had previously misidentified the dog’s name.

How did Royal Joy manage to stay alive?

Tsarevich Alexei does not know who gave him this dog or when he received it. The name bestowed upon it by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, who was Queen Victoria’s favorite grandchild and also had a deep affection for canines.

While traveling from Tsarskoye Selo to Tobolsk and then on to Yekaterinburg, all three canines accompanied their owners throughout the entire journey. In the basement, Jemmie and the rest of the tsar’s family murdered, while Ortipo, who had remained inside the home, murdered later for howling loudly inside the house. Nevertheless, Royal Joy was able to survive since he did not speak.

Despite the fact that the door leading from the hallway to the apartments where the royal family resided remained still closed, there was no one present in the said chambers. At that location, there was not a single sound that could be heard. In the past, when the royal family first resided there, it was always possible to hear life in their apartments, including conversations and footsteps.

The Tragic Loyalty of Royal Joy

On the other hand, there was no sign of life there at this time. Throughout the entire time, their small dog remained in the hallway, next to the entrance, waiting to be allowed to enter the room. On the occasion of the interrogation that took place in 1919, Anatoly Yakimov, the guard of Ipatiev House, stated, “I remember very well, and I also thought at the time: you wait in vain.

Mikhail Letyomin, one of the guards, was the one who stole the dog. As he was also responsible for stealing some of the royal family’s belongings. During the inquiry conducted by the White Army. Which was occupying Yekaterinburg at the time. Royal Joy emerged as the primary piece of evidence that led to the discovery of the marauder. An additional seventy-nine articles taken away from Letyomin.

While conquering Yekaterinburg, the Czechs, members of the Czechoslovak Corps in the Russian Army. They found a miserable, half-starved small animal running around the yard of the Ipatiev House.
In her book titled.

The Discovery and Heartache of Royal Joy

The Life and Tragedy of Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of Russia,” Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden. She was a lady-in-waiting to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. She wrote that the dog appeared to be searching for his master all the time. His absence made him so sad and depressed. He hardly touched his food, even when others cared for him affectionately.
“I proceeded to visit Royal Joy. Moreover, he grew clearly enthusiastic, as if he were acting in his canine naivety and believing that his masters were about to show up with me. I had never before witnessed a dog that was that enthusiastic. Royal Joy did not cling to me with his front paws but instead paced on his hind legs like a circus dog when I called for him.

He immediately leaped out of the carriage and came across the platform to me. He bounced and made broad circles around me at the same time. General Dieterikhs informed me that he had never before greeted someone in such a manner.

I believed that the smell of my clothes, the same ones I had worn in Tobolsk and still familiar to him, kept him comforted, even though I didn’t especially caress him. When I left, Royal Joy remained by the door through which I had left for the entirety of the day. As a result of his refusal to consume food, he reverted to his typical condition of despondency.

The estate of the British king is not where Royal Joy is laid to rest

During the investigation into the killing of the tsar’s family, General Mikhail Dieterikhs. He was in charge of the “white” probe, took the spaniel belonging to the heir. After that,Royal Joy found herself in a relationship with Colonel Pavel Rodzianko. A Russian who had joined the British military expedition led by General Sir Alfred Knox in Russia.

Rodzianko was also a well-known athlete and riding teacher. Following the coup that took place in October 1917, Rodzianko embarked on a journey to Great Britain and enlisted in the British army.

Rodzianko established a riding school in England that catered to British nobles. Richard, who would later become King Edward VIII of Britain, was one of his classmates. Basil Rodzianko, a bishop of the Orthodox Church in America, who was Paul Rodzianko’s nephew, stated that Royal Joy became the property of King George V.

Rodzianko informed King George V of the passing of his cousin Nicholas II and his family. Basil Rodzianko was born in 1915 and passed away in 1999. It is said that Joy resided with the King of England. She was laid to rest in the Royal Dog Cemetery located in Windsor. But this is nothing more than a myth.

A Symbol of the Romanovs’ Tragic End

In his autobiography titled “Tattered Banners,” published in London in 1938, Pavel Rodzianko writes about his encounter with George V. He says, I have described the cold empty rooms and bloody cellar of the Ipatiev House, my fruitless search in the cemetery, and the grim journey through the Siberian forest to find a handful of ashes.

I told him about Joy, who runs through my garden.” Even though he appears to be in a good mood, when I look into those light brown eyes, I often find myself wondering what he remembers.

Although Royal Joy passed away in Windsor, she did not pass away at the royal court; rather, she passed away at Colonel Rodzianko’s tiny estate of Sefton Lawn, whose park was adjacent to the royal park.

As I stroll through my garden at Windsor, I can’t help but think of the grave of the tiny puppy that was hidden in the bushes and adorned with the sardonic inscription, “Here rests Royal Joy.” In his piece titled “Tattered Banners,” Pavel Rodzianko expressed his sentiments by stating, “This little stone marks the end of the empire and the way of life.”