The Russian Legitimist
extends our sincere congratulations to
H.I.H. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia
and
H.S.H. Princess Victoria Romanovna Romanoff
on the occasion of their marriage at Saint Petersburg
1 October 2022
Многаа лета!
Grand Duke George and Princess Romanoff married at Petersburg.
Our very best wishes to HIH Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and his bride HSH Princess Victoria Romanovna Romanova. We will provide full coverage of the wedding events at the end of all the festivities.
Until then, congratulations to the happy couple from all of us at Russian Legitimist.
Members of Royal and Noble Houses begin to arrive in St. Petersburg.
The Rotunda of the legendary Astoria Hotel in St. Petersburg, where the many Royal guests are staying.
Royal historian Marlene Koenig noted early this morning that the wedding of HIH the Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini appears to be the largest gathering of foreign royalty in Russia since before the First World War.
Koenig notes that HIH the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia arrived in St Petersburg with her half sister Helène Bagration de Kirby, Countess Dvinskaya with a large group of Spanish guests.
Koenig also noted that although not yet officially confirmed, the Kings of Bulgaria and Egypt had already arrived in Russia, and members of the French, Italian, Greek, Yugoslav, Georgian, and Albanian royal houses were also in Russia, together with members of the princely house of Liechtenstein,
Further guests will be arriving in the next 24 hours before the wedding in St. Isaac’s cathedral. It is rumored that while more than 300 international guests are arriving, more than 1500 people will be attending the service.
For Marlene Koenig’s original article, click HERE
The Bride and Groom head to St Petersburg for October I Wedding
After celebrating their civil wedding in Moscow on the 24th, Grand Duke George, Victoria Romanovna, and members of their family headed to Russia’s “second capital” St. Petersburg.
The couple heads to St Petersburg. Photo detail from Instagram.
In St. Petersburg, the couple will meet the groom’s mother, HIH the Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, his father, HRH Prince Franz-Wilhelm of Prussia, other members of their extended families, and the wedding guests, who will be arriving in St Petersburg this week in advance of the wedding festivities, which are scheduled to begin Thursday, September 30.
HIH Grand Duke George and HSH Princess Victoria Romanoff wed in Moscow Civil Ceremony.
At 2:00pm in Moscow, HIH Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and HSH Princess Victoria Romanoff were civilly married at the Khamovniki Town Hall in Moscow.
The Grand Duke is the only child of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia and Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia. The princess is the only child of Ambassador Roberto Bettarini and his wife, the former Carla Virginia Cacciatore. Ambassador and Mrs. Bettarini attended the Civil Ceremony after meeting their children in advance before the religious wedding in St. Petersburg at St. Isaac’s Cathedral on Friday October 1st.
The dress worn by the new Princess Romanoff was created by Italian designer Chiara Boni in an ice-blue color, with Russian gold thread embroidery inspired by the traditional folkloric designs of Khokhloma. Pale blue is also the color of the Russian Imperial Order of Saint Andrew the First Called, the highest dynastic order of the House of Romanoff. The light blue ribbon of the Order served as an inspiration for the color of the dress for the civil marriage.
Grand Duke George and Princess Victoria will leave the capital shortly to celebrate their religious marriage in St. Petersburg next Friday, 1 October.
Photographs and full coverage by David Niviere available on Histoire Royales
Reader Mail: A Letter from France
Here at the Russian Legitimist we have received numerous letters over the past few weeks relating to the upcoming wedding of Grand Duke George, as well as the recent religious ceremony of Rostislav Romanoff in Paris.
Herewith, a note from a reader:
Detail from Insta @Axenoff via thedailymail.co.uk
Dear Sirs,
Thank you for your news about the wedding of young Mr. Romanoff in Paris.
Relatives say that it was a pale imitation of the Romanoff weddings of the past in Paris, when our Russians lined the streets. We all understood that these were private events, and those who participated knew that there was no dynastic significance to these weddings.
I was surprised to see the gold-embroidered napkins and to read the diadem would be sold for charity afterwards. Пошлость!**
I wish these young people well. They would be wise to stop calling themselves “Imperial” as they will lose any sympathy they might have had.
We all know the last true members of the imperial house will be in St Petersburg next week.
Sincerely,
V. N. S., [France]
** This almost untranslatable Russian word is generally translated as “vulgarity” but it implies more than that; it implies a reach for elegance which has failed badly due to a lack of taste.
Detail from Insta @Axenoff via thedailymail.co.uk
Vanitatis Interview with fiancée of Grand Duke George!
Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, Image courtesy Russian Imperial Chancellery.
A charming piece ran in Spanish society magazine “Vanitatis” containing an interview with Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, who, after her marriage to Grand Duke George of Russia will be known as HSH Princess Victoria Romanoff.
"The wedding is on October 1 in St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is very large and in which weddings have not been held for more than 100 years, because now, in addition [to being a church], it is a museum. In fact, there have been very few, the most relevant, that of Emperor Peter the Great." said Miss Bettarini in a telephone meeting.
Bettarini noted that all Covid-19 protocols will be followed to the utmost extent during the wedding and its ancillary events, and that all events have been carefully planned so that all participants, the guests and the events team, will be safe.
St. Isaac’s Cathedral, St. Petersburg
"There will be many people in the cathedral (1), but for the gala dinner the capacity will be more limited as a consequence of the current coronavirus prevention protocols. This dinner will be attended by about 400 people… The places are very large, but that does not mean that you do not have to ensure the safety of everyone. In fact, all guests, even if they are vaccinated, will have to have PCR tests. We are careful to apply all relevant restrictions so that everything goes well and there are no surprises,” Bettarini notes.
Regarding the Orthodox ceremony (which, it is rumored, will be performed by the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg himself), Miss Bettarini looks forward to the moment of the greatest symbolism:: "There is a crucial moment in the ceremony, in which there are people selected to hold the crowns over the heads of the bride and groom. There are several people to do it; they must be unmarried Orthodox men, and cannot be women. We are seeing which of our friends meet those characteristics and can fulfill that function."
For the original article in Spanish, click HERE
(1) The Cathedral of Saint Isaac’s has a capacity of 12,000. It has been published that the wedding guests at the ceremony may number as many as 2,500 keeping the event safe.
Imperial Wedding Event and Dress Information Revealed!
French website “Histoires Royales” has revealed new information concerning the various events that will be taking place in Saint Petersburg on September and October, as well as what the bride will be wearing. Though fashion is most certainly not a “Legitimist” occupation, we were interested to see the many choices which were made which incorporate heraldic tradition, or were inspired by Romanoff house customs, and so we present here, some of the information which Histories Royales has made available to the public. The original article by Nicolas Fontaine is available HERE.
”The first wedding of a Grand Duke of Russia to be held in Russia after the Revolution required three important dresses, and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini wanted to make sure that each of them paid homage to Russian traditions as well to Italian fashion. An international collaboration was therefore initiated, in order to create unique looks for each event.
The dress for the civil ceremony embroided with Khokhloma designs.
Torzhok-style embroidery. (Image Wiki)
The civil wedding is scheduled to take place a few days before the Religious ceremony. The dress for the Civil Ceremony was made by the designer Chiara Boni in an ice-blue silk, embroidered with gold thread Torzhok-style embroidery inspired by the traditional folkloric designs of Khokhloma. The blue is a reference to the ribbon of the Russian Imperial Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, the premier order of Imperial Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1698.
The Russian Imperial Order of St Andrew the First-Called. (Image Sotheby’s)
The “Welcome Cocktail” evening dress
Designer Marwan of Gattinolli Couture
The first event of the wedding weekend is a cocktail party to welcome all the guests from around the world to St. Petersburg. For this first event, the bride chose a black velvet and tulle gown with golden appliqué and embroidery by the house of Gattinolli by Marwan.
The dress is black and gold, the house colours of the Romanoff dynasty, and combines a velvet bustier with a diaphanous tulle skirt.
The Wedding Dress: Reem Acra; Elina Samarina for Sergio Marcone Moscow and Torzhok Embroideries.
Designer Reem Acra (image wiki)
For the religious ceremony at Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, the bride chose a design from the internationally renowned designer Reem Acra whose creations are a favorite red carpet selection by Hollywood stars. The dress has impeccable lines. "Reem Acra has exquisite taste and her creations are structured as if they were architecture," notes the bride. "I had only two requirements: a very refined and modern dress, made of Italian Mikado silk. A creation that recalls the classic Italian wedding dresses of the 60s. To create lightness and volume in a skirt made with such a rigid and heavy material as Mikado, it requires an expert touch, and Mrs. Acra was the right person “.
The wedding dress is sober, refined, and elegant. It has long sleeves, a crew neckline and a six metre-long train with a paneled cape created by Elina Samarina and decorated with traditional Torzhok-style embroidery.
“For me it was important that a cultural exchange took place in the field of fashion. This is why together with the talented designer Elina Samarina, founder of the Sergio Marcone brand in Moscow, we decided to create something special in order to showcase the best of Russian artistry. Elina is very good at reinterpreting Russian styles and for this reason she immediately showed me examples of Russian embroidery. In fact, there is a very long tradition and a variety of embroidery in Russia, still made by hand today, with patterns and designs that vary from region to region. They are small masterpieces! I asked Elina to think of a symbol that best represents modern Russia but also its extraordinary past and culture. Something that could serve as a bridge between past and present, a symbol in which all Russians can relate. Elina came up with this idea: to embroider a coat of arms with a double-headed eagle that symbolizes the glorious history of Russia; both modern Russia and the ancient Romanoff family. The embroidery to be done in traditional Torzhok style." The coat of arms was hand embroidered into the tulle veil, which took five weeks of intense work.
“Although it was very difficult to work on this wedding dress during the pandemic, I am extremely pleased with the results. I wanted this dress to be simple but full of symbolism. A tribute to Russian cultural tradition, the Romanov family, and Italian fashion. The idea of having two companies involved in the process on two different continents, certainly created some logistical problems, but everyone worked with enthusiasm and professionalism to create this dress as I imagined it.”
Bridesmaids' dresses: Danilov Monastery
The bridesmaids' dresses were handmade in Moscow by the nuns of the Danilov Monastery. Since 1983 it has been the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church and the official residence of the Patriarch of Moscow and all the Russias. The bridesmaids' dresses were made in traditional Russian style, in yellow velvet to compliment the interiors of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The bridesmaids are Beatrice and Veronica Scheda, daughters of the bride's cousin, Giulia Cacciatore. The girls will also wear the traditional “kokoshnik” style headdresses made in Russia.
The gala dinner dress: Reem Acra and Elina Samarina for Sergio Marcone Moscow and Torzhok embroideries.
The bride chose a hand-embroidered gown made of tulle, the fabric “dreams are made of” also by designer Reem Acra. The dress features yards of tulle, with delicate pearling, appliqué, and embroidery.
Elina Samarina added a Russian touch by creating a white cape made of silk Mikado, inspired by traditional designs with puffed sleeves.
According to fashion designer Elina Samarina “the Romanoffs have always fascinated and inspired people's imaginations through their unique interpretation of Russian traditions in fashion. They were ambassadors of Russian culture, opulence, and traditions abroad, this is why for such a special occasion we wanted to revive Russian unique manufacturing traditions and promote them abroad. It is a privilege for me to have been able to work on this extraordinary project. It doesn't often happen to have clients asking me to do historical research on Russian fashion. As a Russian, I am very happy that the bride decided to pay an homage to the traditions of our country "
Again, original article by Nicolas Fontaine is available HERE.