ST PETERSBURG, Russia, Oct 1 (Reuters) – A descendant of Russia’s former imperial household married his Italian bride on Friday within the first royal marriage ceremony to happen on Russian soil since tsarist instances greater than a century in the past.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov tied the knot with Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, an Italian, at St. Isaac’s Cathedral in Russia’s former imperial capital St Petersburg.
Russian Orthodox clergy carried out the flowery ceremony, watched by a whole lot of friends who included the groom’s mom, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia – the self-proclaimed inheritor to Russia’s imperial throne – and greater than a dozen minor European royals.
George Mikhailovich’s great-grandfather, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, fled Russia through the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, escaping first to Finland and later relocating along with his household to Western Europe.
Russia’s final tsar, Nicholas II, his spouse and 5 kids had been murdered by a revolutionary firing squad in July, 1918, within the cellar of a product owner’s home in Yekaterinburg, a metropolis 1,450 km (900 miles) east of Moscow.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini kiss as they depart St. Isaac’s Cathedral after their marriage ceremony ceremony in Saint Petersburg, Russia October 1, 2021. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov
Learn Extra
George Mikhailovich, 40, was born in Madrid and has lived most of his life in Spain and France.
Bettarini, 39, who transformed to the Russian Orthodox religion final 12 months and took the title Victoria Romanovna, was led to the altar by her father, Roberto Bettarini, who has served within the Italian diplomatic service.
George Mikhailovich visited Russia for the primary time in 1992 and moved to Moscow in 2019, the place he works on a variety of charity tasks.
The Romanov dynasty dominated Russia for over 300 years earlier than Nicholas II abdicated in early 1917, setting the nation on the right track for the Bolshevik Revolution in November of that 12 months, civil battle and 70 years of Communist rule.
Russia’s Orthodox Church in 2000 canonised Nicholas II, who had been portrayed as a weak chief by Soviet authorities.
Reporting by Maria Vasilyeva
Writing by Alexander Marrow
Modifying by Gareth Jones
: