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Wedding of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Rebecca Virginia Bettarini

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The wedding of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Rebecca Virginia Bettarini took place on 1 October 2021 at Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. It was reported as the first royal wedding to take place in Russia since the Russian Revolution. The groom is the son and heir of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, the disputed head of the House of Romanov. The bride, who converted to the Russian Orthodox faith from Catholicism and took the name Victoria Romanovna, is the daughter of the former Italian Ambassador to Belgium, Roberto Bettarini.

Wedding of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Rebecca Virginia Bettarini
Date1 October 2021
VenueSaint Isaac's Cathedral
LocationSaint Petersburg, Russia
ParticipantsGrand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia
Rebecca Virginia Bettarini

Background and engagement

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Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia is the son and heir of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, the disputed head of the House of Romanov,[1] and Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia.[2] He is the great-grandson of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and a great-great-great-grandson of Alexander II of Russia.[2][3]

Rebecca Virginia Bettarini is the daughter of the Italian diplomat Roberto Bettarini, who served as the Italian Ambassador to Belgium, and Carla Virginia Cacciatore.[2][4]

Grand Duke George met Bettarini while working for the European Parliament in Brussels.[4][5] They moved to Russia in 2019.[6]

Bettarini's engagement ring featured a centered ruby cabochon gemstone and two diamonds.[1]

Bettarini converted from Roman Catholicism to Russian Orthodoxy for the wedding, adopting the name Victoria Romanovna.[3][4]

Celebrations and events

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The wedding occurred despite the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia.[5] The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs assisted with obtaining travel visas for guests and the Russian Ministry of Culture assisted in obtaining locations for the wedding ceremony and festivities.[5]

The couple were first married in a civil ceremony on 24 September in Moscow.[2][7]

Saint Petersburg was picked as the location for the religious wedding and following celebrations because it was the first place in Russia where the Romanov family returned following the collapse of the Soviet Union.[4]

Wedding service

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The Russian Orthodox ceremony took place on 1 October 2021 at Saint Isaac's Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.[8][9] The bride was attended by a group of young bridesmaids, who carried her twenty-three foot long train.[1] She was walked down the isle by her father.[10] Her wedding dress featured the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, embroidered in gold.[11] Her wedding dress, a white satin gown, was reportedly designed by Reem Acra.[2][4] Bettarini wore the Lacis tiara, a 27.03 carat diamond tiara by French jeweler Chaumet, and a veil with an Imperial Eagle embroidered on it.[4] The tiara featured two central diamonds of 5.02 and 2.21 carats and four hundred and thirty eight pavé diamonds.[6][2] The couple's wedding rings were designed by the House of Fabergé.[citation needed]

The couple were attended by a ceremonial honor guard.[1][12] The ceremony was blessed by Metropolitan Varsonofy Sudakov, the top official of the Russian Orthodox Church in Saint Petersburg.[3]

Bettarini, now Victoria Romanovna, was bestowed the title of princess with the style Her Serene Highness by Grand Duchess Maria, although this title is not recognized by the Russian government.[citation needed]

Reception

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The wedding ceremony lasted approximately two hours, with only a third of the guests invited for reception at the Russian Ethnographic Museum, symbolically founded by Nicholas II.[2][13]

Bettarini changed for the reception, into an embroidered white ballgown with puff-sleeeved jacket.[6] Sicilian wine and food provided by catering magnate Yevgeny Prigozhin was served at the reception.[4][7]

A wedding breakfast, served "à la Russe", followed at the Konstantinovsky Palace, attended by 700 guests.[2][6] The brunch included live performances and an auction.[7] That evening, guests attended a concert in honor of the opening of the Russian Imperial Music Society.[7]

Guests

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The wedding was attended by approximately 1,500 guests.[14] Many guests were members of Russian, Spanish and other European nobility.[15][16][17][18]

Groom's family

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Bride's family

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  • Roberto Bettarini, the bride's father[14]
  • Carla Virginia Cacciatore, the bride's mother[2]

Foreign royalty

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Reigning royalty

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Non-reigning royalty

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Politicians and government officials

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Other notable guests

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Reactions and aftermath

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The wedding was reported as the first royal wedding to take place in Russia in over a century, following the wedding of Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia to Elisabetta di Sasso Ruffo in 1918. However, the wedding of Prince Dimitri Romanov and Countess Dorrit Reventlow took place in Kostroma on July 28, 1993.[23]

Conservative political philosopher Aleksandr Dugin said the event was "a kind of imperial wedding. A remembrance of eternal Russia — of sacred czars and patriarchs and the church."[3]

Vladimir Putin did not acknowledge the wedding.[1] His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that no congratulations was sent to the couple from the Russian government.[1] Peskov stated that, "Putin doesn’t plan to congratulate the newlyweds, this wedding has nothing to do with our agenda. In Moscow and St. Petersburg and other cities across Russia, there are weddings every day. We're happy for all our newleyweds."[1][3]

Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Minister of Defence, brought officials to disciplinary liability representatives of the Western Military District for sending military personnel to the wedding ceremony[24] An official investigation was conducted, which found certain officials violated the requirements of their governing documents which state that military personnel not be involved in the honor guard company for events that are not regulated by the Ministry of Defense.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hopkins, Valerie (2021-10-01). "After 100 Years, a Royal Wedding in Russia Evokes Days of the Czars". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cope, Rebecca (2021-10-01). "The first Russian royal wedding in 100 years is taking place in St Petersburg today". Tatler. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Maynes, Charles (2021-10-02). "After a century of waiting, Russians witness a royal wedding once more". NPR.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Russia Hosts First Royal Wedding in a Century in Former Imperial Capital". The Moscow Times. 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  5. ^ a b c "Великий князь Романов венчается в Исаакиевском соборе. Что ждет Петербург (фото)". fontanka.ru - новости Санкт-Петербурга (in Russian). 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  6. ^ a b c d "See Photos From the First Russian Royal Wedding in 100 Years". Town & Country. 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  7. ^ a b c d Oliphant, Roland; Pavlova, Uliana (2021-09-30). "Russia hosts first royal wedding in more than a century in lavish two-day ceremony". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  8. ^ "Descendant of tsars becomes first royal to marry in Russia since revolution". Reuters. 2021-10-01.
  9. ^ "See Inside Russia's First Royal Wedding in More Than 100 Years as the Ramonov Family Reemerges". E! Online. 2021-10-04. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  10. ^ "A Romanov return: Royal wedding in Russia after more than 100 years". CBS News. 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  11. ^ a b "Aristocrats flock to Russia for first royal wedding in century". France 24. October 1, 2021.
  12. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/01/russia-romanov-wedding-petersburg/
  13. ^ ""Russia: the first royal wedding after the Bolshevik revolution in 1917". The European Times. FMVCS. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b c "See pictures as Billionaires, Royalty, Monarchs attend first Russia royal wedding in ova 100 years". BBC News Pidgin. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  15. ^ "Last Czar's Heir of Russia Marries 104 Years After the Revolution". Prime Time Zone.
  16. ^ "Russia Hosts First Royal Wedding in a Century in Former Imperial Capital". The Moscow Times. October 2021.
  17. ^ "Lavish Russian wedding for Tsar's descendant". BBC News. October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  18. ^ "PICTORIAL: Russia's first royal wedding since 1917". Fast Observer. October 2021.
  19. ^ "Russia hosts first royal wedding since revolution". NBC News. 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  20. ^ "Romanov Wedding Is a Royal Russian Flashback". Vanity Fair. 2021-10-02. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  21. ^ AFP (2021-10-01). "Inside Russia's first royal wedding since 1917". The National. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  22. ^ "History professor participates in recent Russian royal wedding". Westminster College. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  23. ^ Manaev, Georgy (2021-10-06). "No, Russia DID NOT have its 'first royal wedding in 100 years'!". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  24. ^ a b Новости, Р. И. А. (2021-10-06). "Шойгу наказал военных, отправивших почетный караул на венчание Романовых". РИА Новости (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-20.
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