October 09, 2021

A Rare Royal Romanov Wedding


A Rare Royal Romanov Wedding
The last Romanov wedding in St. Petersburg before last week. Public domain Hermitage painting

Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov – yes, there are still Romanovs alive – married an Italian woman in St. Petersburg on Friday, October 1, 2021. Rebecca Virginia Bettarini was baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church last year and took on the new name Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, with the patronymic "Romanovna" strangely suggesting that her father's name is Roman.

The couple wed in St. Isaac's Cathedral in the center of St. Petersburg. It was a traditional church wedding, not a quick ZAGS affair – though they actually did register their marriage in Moscow prior to the big shindig.

There were about 1,500 guests, many of whom belong to the royal families of Europe. Romanov appears in many lines of succession: for example, he is 140th in line to the British throne. Man, a lot of people would have to die...

The royal rings were made by Fabergé. Their nuptial outfits will be donated to the Russian Museum.

The distantly-related-to-Tsar-Nicholas-II groom was born in Spain to Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova and Prussian Prince Franz Wilhelm of Hohenzollern. Maria Vladimirovna was the granddaughter of Nicholas II's first cousin, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. The groom, now 40 years old, grew up in Spain and France. Unsurprisingly, the groom only visited Russia for the first time in 1992 – after the Soviets, who assassinated the Nicholas II Romanov family, lost power in 1991.

Romanov has worked in the European Parliament and the European Commission. Bettarini is the daughter of the Italian ambassador to Belgium, and the couple met while Romanov was working in Parliament.

The couple resides in Moscow, though they probably have properties all over the place. They are now on a honeymoon to see the furthest reaches of Russia by train. We assume they are not traveling platzkart.

You Might Also Like

The Tsar with the Dragon Tattoo
  • May 04, 2021

The Tsar with the Dragon Tattoo

Something you probably did not know about the last Romanov: before he ascended the throne, he got a huge dragon tattoo in Japan.
The Emperor Has No Clothes
  • November 03, 2020

The Emperor Has No Clothes

Unexpected nude photos of Nicholas II appeared online last week, causing quite a stir, despite being more than a century old.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955