Grand Duke of Russia marries in first Russian royal wedding in over a century
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov married his Italian fiancée Rebecca Virginia Bettarini Saint Isaac's cathedral in the former imperial capital Saint Petersburg.
Russia on Friday held its first royal wedding since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution toppled the Romanov monarchy, with aristocrats travelling from across Europe for the lavish ceremony. The guest list of around 1 500 people included other prominent names like Konstantin Malofeyev, a monarchist and billionaire close to the Kremlin, and Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.Young bridesmaids dressed in orange carried the bride's train that featured the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, embroidered in gold. Surrounded by priests in golden robes, Romanov and Bettarini beamed as Metropolitan Varsofony of Saint-Petersburg and Ladoga performed the blessing.
"For us the monarchy is something from a past life, of course, but it's interesting," the 50-year-old told AFP. Ahead of the ceremony, Romanov said the couple chose to tie the knot in Saint Petersburg because it was the first place in the country where the family returned in the early 1990s. She is the granddaughter of Grand Duke Kirill, a cousin of Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar who was executed along with his wife Alexandra and five children by the Bolsheviks in 1918.Photo: OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia to shoot the world’s first real space movieMission aboard ISS aims to get in first before a Hollywood project involving actor Tom Cruise with NASA and SpaceX
Read more »
Russian crew blast off to film first movie in spaceThe crew are part of a 12-day mission at the ISS to film scenes for 'The Challenge'.
Read more »
Russia to shoot the world’s first real space movieMission aboard ISS aims to get in first before a Hollywood project involving actor Tom Cruise with NASA and SpaceX
Read more »
HBO Max unveils first House of the Dragon teaser | ChannelHBO has released the first teaser for its Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.
Read more »
Royal’s party could come to an end | CitypressRoyal AM could be in trouble with the PSL – again – and the Royal “party” witnessed in the grandstands during the team’s televised matches could soon be over.
Read more »