What was England's reaction to the Tsar's killing?

Answer 1

World War I was well into it's third year by the time the Russian Revolution toppled the Romanov Dynasty in March 1917. The Romanov Tsar, Nicholas II had been forced to abdicate and he, along with his wife, their four daughters and the Tsarevitch Alexei were sent into exile in Siberia. Following the March revolution Russia was precariously managed under a "provisional government" overseen by Alexander Kerensky whose duty was [presumably] to negotiate the safe transfer of the Imperial family to either Denmark or England. King George V was Nicholas' first cousin and Empress Alexandra was also related to the English Royal family.

Anti-German sentiment had reached fervor pitch across Allied Europe by 1918. Meanwhile the Russian Imperial Family were still held under arrest by the Provisional Government which was rapidly losing power and would soon succumb to the Bolsheviks. Negotiations between the Provisional Government and King George V's government had all but reached a stalemate when the British Prime Minister, Sir George Buchanan famously told Alexander Kerensky "His Majesty does not insist" [Nicholas and his family be allowed safe passage to England] When Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918 giving surrender to Germany under such appalling terms, several generals faithful to the monarchy shot themselves on the spot. With Russia now under complete control of Vladimir Lenin, the fate of the Imperial Family was sealed.

On a sweltering summer night in July 1918 Nicholas II, Tsaritsa Alexandra, the four Grand Duchesses; Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and the Tsarevitch Alexei were shot to death in the cellar of the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg. The order to kill the family had come expressly from Lenin that same day.

History can only sumise how the regicide was seen by the rest of the world and countless works, both fact and fiction continue to be published to this day on the subject. King George V, Queen Elizabeths grandfather is said to have remarked privately after the war and until the end of his life in 1936: if only he had done more to "save dear Nicky".