The heir to the last Russian emperor, who was executed together with his family by the Bolsheviks in 1918, got married today in St. Petersburg in the presence of several crowned heads, reports Agence France-Presse.
Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich Romanov married his Italian bride Rebecca Betarini in St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg, in the heart of the former imperial capital of Russia in a complex religious ceremony in the presence of numerous foreign guests. 1,500 people were invited to the event, including Queen Mother Sophia of Spain, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and his wife Margarita, as well as other members of the European royal family.
Georgy Mikhailovich Romanov was born in Madrid, Spain. He is the son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, who proclaimed herself heiress to the Russian imperial throne, and her husband, Grand Duke of Russia Mikhail Pavlovich.
The wedding of HIH Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and HSH Princess Victoria Romanovna Romanoff (born Rebecca Bettarini) at Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
This is the first imperial wedding in Russia since the fall of the monarchy in 1917. pic.twitter.com/4722ESufUw
— RoyalArjan (@RoyalArjan) October 1, 2021
He lived in France and Spain most of his life. His great-grandfather, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, a cousin of Nicholas II, managed to avoid Bolshevik violence during the 1917 revolution in Finland. He and his family later moved to Western Europe.
Georgy Romanov first visited Russia in 1992. He has lived in Moscow for three years, where he participates in a number of charitable projects.
The Grand Duke met his fiancée Rebecca Betarini in Brussels, where they worked in European institutions. Having accepted the Russian Orthodox faith, 39-year-old Betarini, the diplomat’s daughter, changed her name to Victoria Romanovna.
Eurohistory: The Imperial Wedding in Saint Petersburg
The first imperial wedding in Russia in over a century saw Grand Duke George Mikhailovich marry Princess Victoria Romanovna Romanoff at Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg!https://t.co/SbyzFXfzJz pic.twitter.com/M1OU56nDPd
— Seth B. Leonard (@sethbleonard) October 1, 2021
In an interview with the Russian website Fontanka, published on Wednesday, Georgy Romanov said that he married in St. Petersburg “for many reasons.” According to him, this city is “the history of Russia, the history of the Romanov dynasty.”
The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for 300 years before Nicholas II abdicated in 1917, putting Russia on the path of the Bolshevik Revolution, the Civil War, and 70 years of communist rule.
In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Nicholas II, who was portrayed by the Soviet authorities as a weak leader.