Russia hosts first ‘royal wedding’ since the 1917 revolution
Pyotr Kovalev / TASS / Scanpix / LETA Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and his Italian fiancée Victoria Romanova Bettarini tied the knot at St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg on Friday, October 1. George Romanov is the son of Russian Grand Duchess Maria Romanova and Prussian Prince Franz Wilhelm of Hohenzollern. His mother is the granddaughter of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, a first cousin of Nicholas II, Russia’s last tsar. Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich fled Russia during the 1917 revolution and proclaimed himself emperor-in-exile in 1924. Not all members of the Romanov family recognized his claim, and hence his descendents’ claim, to the throne. Victoria Bettarini is the daughter of an Italian diplomat. She converted to the Russian Orthodox faith in 2020 and took the name Victoria Romanova. George Romanov and his wife have been involved in educational and charitable projects in Russia for the past few years. Their marriage marks the first royal wedding to take place in Russia in more than 100 years.
