Russia holds first royal wedding in over a century; 104 years after Tsar's assassination

Russia celebrated its first royal wedding on October 1 in more than a century, at least 104 years after the assassination of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. The Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov married Victoria Romanovna Bettarini on Friday at St. Isaac’s cathedral in St Petersburg in a lavish ceremony. The Grand Duke’s great-grandfather, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, was one of the Romanov family members who fled to Finland in 1917 to escape the Russian Revolution. 

The Romanov dynasty reportedly ruled Russia for over three centuries before Tsar Nicholas II was abdicated in 1917. Mikhailovich’s great-grandfather was a cousin of Russia’s last Tsar who was killed by a revolutionary firing squad with his wife and five children in 1918. The Romanov dynasty’s rule end in 1917 was followed by the Bolshevik revolution and 70 years of Communist rule, as per a BBC report. The first Russian royal wedding in more than 100 years was conducted by the country’s Orthodox clergy. 

The Guestlist of 1,500 people had prominent names

As per the BBC report, the guest list of 1,500 people for the royal wedding had prominent names including a monarchist and billionaire with close ties to the Russian government; Konstantin Malofeev and Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. As per a Firstpost report, hundreds of foreign guests travelled to Russia’s second city for the Orthodox Christian ceremony including the former King and Queen of Bulgaria, Prince Rudolph and Princess Tilsim of Liechtenstein.

The 40-year-old Grand Duke studied in Oxford but has reportedly spent most of his life in France. Mikhailovich has previously worked at the European Parliament and Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel. The couple moved to Russia only three years ago and Bettarini converted to the Orthodox faith in 2020. As per BBC, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson told the reporters that the Kremlin wishes the newlyweds well and added that “This marriage does not belong on our agenda anyway.”

Additionally, Firstpost stated that Bettarini’s wedding dress train featured the coat of arms of the Russian empire which was embroidered in gold. Reportedly, she wore a diamond-studded tiara made by the high-end jewellers Chaumet. Apart from the 1,500 guests for the Russian royal wedding, over 500 guests were invited to attend the wedding dinner to be held at the city’s Museum of Ethnography later on Friday. The last wedding in Russia was of an heir to the Romanovs; that of Nicholas II and Alexandra, over a century ago.

Image: Instagram/@grand_duke_george_of_russia