Russian Grand Duke George Romanov set to marry long term girlfriend Italian writer Rebecca Bettarini

Russia’s first ‘royal wedding’ since the revolution: Grand Duke George Romanov marries his Italian girlfriend Rebecca Bettarini in lavish ceremony

Grand Duke George Romanov, 40, has tied the knot with his girlfriend, 39, in Saint Petersburg today  Proposed to Italian lobbyist and writer Rebecca Bettarini with ruby and diamond engagement ring Hundreds of foreign guests have travelled to  Saint Petersburg for the ceremony

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Russia today held its first royal wedding since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution toppled the Romanov monarchy, with royals from across Europe attending the lavish ceremony. 

The Russian Grand Duke George Romanov, 40, announced his engagement to his long term Italian girlfriend Rebecca Bettarini, 39, after a Christmas proposal. 

And today, the couple said their vows at the Saint Isaac’s cathedral in the former imperial capital Saint Petersburg in the presence of dozens of royals. 

The bride donned a stunning white satin gown which featured a high neck, long sleeves and a billowing skirt, as well as a glittering diamond tiara, which was designed by Chaumet, official jeweller to Empress Joséphine and Napoléon. 

A tribute to the St Petersburg naval base, the piece was created to evoke the volume of a sail blown by the wind.

Hundreds of foreign guests travelled to the second city for the religious ceremony, including Queen Sofia of Spain, Prince Rudolph and Princess Tilsim of Liechtenstein, and the former king and queen of Bulgaria. 

Grand Duke George Romanov, 40, has tied the knot with his long term Italian girlfriend Rebecca Bettarini, 39, in Saint Petersburg today

The bride donned a stunning white satin gown which featured a high neck, long sleeves and a billowing skirt, as well as a glittering diamond tiara

Glowing with pride! Mother-of-the-groom Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia cut a resplendent figure in a blue jacet and headpiece with fur trim 

Romanov said that the couple chose the city as the venue for tying the knot because it was the first place in the country where the family returned in the early 1990s

Hundreds of foreign guests travelled to the second city for the religious ceremony, including Queen Sofia of Spain , Prince Rudolph and Princess Tilsim of Liechtenstein, and the former king and queen of Bulgaria

Couple said their vows at the Saint Isaac’s cathedral in the former imperial capital Saint Petersburg in the presence of dozens of royals

Tense moment: The groom couldn’t completely hide his nerves as he stood with clenched fists at the top of the aisle, awaiting his bride (left). Glowing with pride: The groom’s mother Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (right) beamied with happiness as she arrived for the ceremony in a fur-trimmed ensemble 

Meanwhile bridesmaids at the event opted for a velvet green dress with medieval style puff sleeves (pictured together) 

Meanwhile bridesmaids at the event opted for a velvet green dress with medieval style puff sleeves.  

Romanov said that the couple chose the city as the venue for tying the knot because it was the first place in the country where the family returned in the early 1990s.

‘It is very, very close to our family,’ he told the Saint Petersburg-based news website Fontanka ahead of the wedding.

Saint Petersburg is ‘the history of Russia,’ he added, ‘the history of the House of Romanov.’ 

The Metropolitan Varsonofy of St Petersburg and Ladoga during the wedding of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia

Family ties: The father-of-the bride (left) took his place near the groom’s mother Grand Duchess Maria after walking his daughter down the aisle 

After the ceremony, the couple shared an intimate moment in their wedding car as the Duke kissed Rebecca’s hand (left and right) 

The Grand Duke could be seen waving to the crowds as he held hands with his new bride and drove away from the wedding venue 

The couple were greeted by a crowd and media who snapped pictures of the newlyweds moments after they tied the knot 

The newlyweds shared a kiss as they walked down the steps of St Isaac’s Cathedral in the city after the ceremony today 

Rebecca beamed widely as she waved to crowds waiting outside the cathedral shortly after the wedding with Grand Duke George 

Rebecca and Grand Duke George Romanov beamed as they walked out of the cathedral arm-in-arm after tying the knot 

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, mother of Grand Duke George congratulated Rebecca moments after the pair married 

Romanov said that the couple chose the city as the venue for tying the knot because it was the first place in the country where the family returned in the early 1990s

Helping hand! Guests fixed the bride’s elaborate train while she posed for photos with her new husband after the wedding ceremony

A modern revisiting of the form of the traditional Russian kokoshnik, the Lacis tiara 

The Lacis tiara, recently created by Chaumet, rises to evoke the volume of a sail blown by the wind. 

It was designed as a tribute to the St Petersburg naval base, where Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, Romanov heir, serves.

This High Jewellery creation is set with two diamonds of exceptional clarity: an oval diamond of 5.02 carats  and a pear-shaped diamond of 2.21 carats, enhanced by 438 pavé diamonds (totalling 27.03 carats). 

The visual effect is one of lightness, the result of the white gold mesh mounting made using the fil couteau technique, a virtuosity emblematic of the Maison, which appears to make the metal vanish in order to let the stones shine. 

It was crafted by Chaumet, the official jeweller to Empress Joséphine and Napoléon.

The brand has distinguished itself in the art of the tiara, a sovereign jewel par excellence, and counted several members of the House of Romanov among its historical clientele. 

Grand Duchess Vladimir, great-great-grandmother of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, was a loyal Chaumet client. 

Her spectacular waterfall tiara from 1911 is a standout, as is the sunburst tiara created in 1914 for the wedding of Princess Irina Yusupova, niece of Tsar Nicholas II. 

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Their wedding will likely be a star-studded affair, with George related to royal families from across the world. 

Born in Madrid, Romanov is the son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, the self-proclaimed heir to Russia’s imperial throne.

She is the granddaughter of Grand Duke Kirill, a cousin of Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar who was executed along with his wife and five children by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

The Romanovs enjoyed a life of seemingly endless prosperity and ruled of a sixth of the surface of the Earth in the early 20th century. 

Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until he was forced to abdicate after the February Revolution of 1917. 

He and his family were imprisoned by the Bolsheviks and executed the next year.  

It was a time of social upheaval, war and brewing discontent that would ultimately lead to the fall of the 300-year-old Romanov dynasty. 

The family was canonised by the Orthodox Church in 2000 as martyrs.

His ancestors also include Emperor Alexander II of Russia, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. 

He is also distantly related to the British royal family, and is the great-great-great-great grandson of Nicholas II of Russia, who was cousins with Britain’s George V, and Alexandra Fedorovna, who was Queen Victoria’s granddaughter.  

Meanwhile he is also the godson of Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía , King Constantine of Greece, and King Simeon of Bulgaria – his christening was held in May 1981 in Madrid.

Romanov, who graduated from Oxford and spent much of his life in France, met Bettarini in Brussels, where he worked in the European Parliament.

Bettarini converted to the Orthodox faith last year and changed her name to Victoria Romanovna.

Romanov also held jobs at Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel before moving to Russia three years ago.

The couple met as youngsters, with Rebecca often accompanying her father to official receptions where they crossed paths.  

Later, they both started working in international companies and met again at a reception at the French embassy in Brussels. 

After living in Belgium for six years, the couple moved to Russia, where he works as a lawyer, and she works as a writer. 

The couple first lived in the Moscow suburbs before relocating to the city centre next to the Kremlin.

Now Romanov works on several charity projects.

Romanov said he believes European and Russian royals could help Moscow and the West mend fraying ties. 

‘I think that we can be ambassadors of goodwill.’

Rebecca, who is the daughter of Italian Ambassador Roberto Bettarini, shared the news of the couple’s engagement on her own Instagram page, writing: ‘A new chapter of our life book together is starting. As a writer I hope that the journey ahead will be full of love, suspense and adventure as the first part of our life book was.’   

Russian politician Lyudmila Narusova was among the guests at the wedding (left). Many seemed wowed by their surroundings as they waited for the ceremony to begin (right) 

Foreign royals in attendance at the event in Russia today included former Queen Margarita and Duke Duarte of Braganza (pictured left and right) 

Rebecca waved to crowds as she and her father arrived at the venue (left). Later she joined her husband at the altar for the ceremony (right) 

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini attend their wedding ceremony at the Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, on October 1

Victoria and Grand Duke George looked overjoyed after exchanging vows in the ceremony earlier today (pictured) 

The pair were surrounded by friends and family as they walked down the aisle at the wedding at Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg

The bridal party, dressed in velvet green and orange gowns, could be seen carrying the lengthy train and veil of the gown (pictured) 

Crowds gathered outside the venue to wish the bride well as she arrived at the event with her father  Roberto (pictured) 

Victoria Romanovna Bettarini arrives accompanied by her father, Roberto, or her wedding ceremony with Grand Duke George Mikhailovich

Russian lawyer and politician Pavel Astakhov and wife Svetlana were among the guests who attended the big event in the city today (left, and right, guests await the ceremony with excitement) 

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov could be seen smiling as he arrived for his wedding ceremony to Victoria Romanovna Bettarini at St. Isaac’s Cathedral

Guests opted for extravagant velvet gowns and over-the-top fascinators and headpieces as they arrived at the ceremony in the city earlier today 

The couple said their vows at the Saint Isaac’s cathedral in the former imperial capital Saint Petersburg in the presence of dozens of royals

Posting another snap alongside her beloved, Rebecca shared: ‘We are thrilled to finally share the news of our engagement with you! Thank you for your loving words.’ 

He proposed with a diamond and ruby ring, inspired by the rings formerly worn by the tsars in the colors of the Russian flag, which had been given to him by his mother at the age of 18.

In the statement from the Chancellery of the head of the Russian House of Imperia, it was explained that the future wife of the Tsarévich – title of crown prince, hereditary pretender to the throne – has converted to the Orthodox faith with the name of Victoria Romanova. 

The Russian Grand Duke George Romanov married his long term girlfriend Rebecca  in a lavish ceremony later today after a Christmas proposal

The couple met as youngsters, with Rebecca often accompanying her father to official receptions where they crossed paths.  Later, they both started working in international companies and met again at a reception at the French embassy in Brussels (pictured together)

The 39-year-old son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia proposed to Italian lobbyist and writer Rebecca in December, after asking her parents for their blessing

Rebecca shared snaps alongside the Grand Duke on her Instagram page, and said she was looking forward to a life of ‘love, suspense and adventure’ 

Dynasty of decadence: Behind the Romanov’s glittering facade lay an epic saga of depravity and unspeakable cruelty 

The Romanovs enjoyed a life of seemingly endless prosperity and ruled of a sixth of the surface of the Earth in the early 20th century.

The family fortunes soared when Anastasia Zakharyina married Ivan IV (the Terrible), the Rurikid Grand Prince of Moscow, on 3 February 1547.

Since her husband had assumed the title of tsar on 16 January 1547, she was crowned the very first tsaritsa of Russia. 

Her mysterious death in 1560 changed Ivan’s character for the worse. Suspecting the boyars of having poisoned his beloved, Tsar Ivan started a reign of terror against them. 

Among his children by Anastasia, the elder (Ivan) was murdered by the tsar in a quarrel; the younger Feodor, a pious but lethargic prince, inherited the throne upon his father’s death in 1584.

Their Romanov dynasty lasted 300 years: the lives of its tsars and emperors and empresses is a bejewelled but bloodsplattered chronicle of assassinations, adulteries, tortures, secret marriages, coups, reckless rises and brutal falls.

It is peopled by heroic, brilliant statesmen, soldiers and reformers – as well as nymphomaniacs, martinets, murderers, blunderers, monsters, megalomaniacs and lunatics. 

Under the Romanovs between 1613 and 1917, Russia was an empire of oppressed nations dominated by one family and a tiny Russian nobility.

Its system was a paranoid, hereditary autocracy which was ‘tempered by assassination’ as one commentator puts it.

In 1742, Empress Elizabeth of Russia brought Anna Petrovn’s son, her nephew Peter of Holstein-Gottorp, to St. Petersburg and proclaimed him her heir. In time, she married him off to a German princess, Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst.

In 1762, shortly after the death of Empress Elizabeth, Sophia, who had taken the Russian name Catherine upon her marriage, overthrew her unpopular husband, with the aid of her lover, Grigory Orlov. She reigned as Catherine the Great. 

Alexander II became the next Russian emperor in 1855, in the midst of the Crimean War. While Alexander considered it his charge to maintain peace in Europe and Russia, he believed only a strong Russian military could keep the peace. 

By developing the army, giving some freedom to Finland, and freeing the serfs in 1861 he gained much popular support. 

Despite his popularity, however, his family life began to unravel by the mid 1860s. In 1864, his eldest son, and heir, Tsarevich Nicholas, died suddenly. His wife, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, who suffered from tuberculosis, spent much of her time abroad

Alexander eventually turned to a mistress, Princess Catherine Dolgoruki and after the death of his wife in 1880 he contracted for them to be married.

His legitimization of their children, and rumors that he was contemplating crowning his new wife as empress, caused tension within the dynasty. 

Before Princess Catherine could be elevated in rank, however, on 13 March 1881 Alexander was assassinated by a hand-made bomb hurled by Ignacy Hryniewiecki.

Alexander II was succeeded by his son Alexander III, who died of kidney disease at age 49. His eldest son, Nicholas, became emperor, marrying Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, a favorite grandchild of Queen Victoria.

 

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