It’s been over a century since the last one, but Russia still knows how to do a royal wedding.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov, a Spanish-born, Oxford-educated 40-year-old, is the Tsesarevich, meaning “heir apparent” to the Russian Empire … if such a monarchy still existed. On Thursday, he wed Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, an Italian national who converted to the Russian Orthodox Church (hence the Romanovna middle name). It was like nothing Russia has seen in a long time.
The groom’s family, the Romanovs, first came to power in 1613, and include names you may recall from history class or Hulu such as Peter the Great, and, through marriage, Catherine the Great.
After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the family was banished and portrayed in Soviet culture as the root of all evil. (Stream Doctor Zhivago for more context and also for Omar Sharif’s sweaters.) The family still has no legal standing in Russia today, but, as the New York Times notes, the wedding represents “the pinnacle of their attempts to re-establish themselves in the country’s public life.”
The nuptials took place at St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Other royals at the two-day affair included Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Leia of Belgium, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the Emir of Qatar.
The event saw Fabergé wedding rings, a tiara created by Chaumet, and a banquet reportedly designed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a catering magnate known as “Putin’s Chef,” who also happens to be on the FBI’s wanted list for alleged election meddling.
The wedding photos are, as I’m sure you can imagine, extraordinary.
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