hɪz fˈɑːðɚ, ɡɹˈænd dˈuːk dəmˈiːtɹi, æz ɐ dᵻɹˈɛkt kˈɑːnsɪkwəns ʌv hɪz ɪnvˈɑːlvmənt ɪnðə mˈɜːdɚɹ ʌv ɡɹɪɡˈɔːɹi ɹˈæspjuːtˌɪn ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪkstiːn, hɐdbɪn sˈɛnt tə ðə pˈɜːʒən fɹˈʌnt, wˌɪtʃ ˈʌltᵻmətli sˈeɪvd hɪz lˈaɪf, æz mˈɛnɪəv hɪz ɪmpˈɪɹiəl ɹˈɛlətˌɪvz wɜːɹ ˈɛksᵻkjˌuːɾᵻd baɪ ðə bˈɑːlʃɪvˌɪks dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðɪ ɑːktˈoʊbɚ ɹˌɛvəlˈuːʃən.
His father, Grand Duke Dmitri, as a direct consequence of his involvement in the murder of Grigori Rasputin in 1916, had been sent to the Persian front, which ultimately saved his life, as many of his Imperial relatives were executed by the Bolsheviks during the October Revolution.