Russia: Prince Dimitri Romanov retraces his ancestors' footsteps in Crimea

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Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov tied the knot with Italian fiancée Victoria Romanovna Bettarini at St Isaac’s Cathedral with hundreds of foreign guests in attendance. And the significance of the occasion was not lost on journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti, a regular commentator on royal affairs on Sky News as well as a frequent contributor to The Spectator.

He told Express.co.uk: “For more than 100 years it would have been almost unimaginable that this wedding could take place in St Petersburg.

“While these titles don’t mean much any more, and any claim of royal status is now very weak, as a lavish relic of old world extravagance, the two-day wedding promises to be quite a spectacle.”

Speaking in advance of the occasion, Mr Sacerdoti added: “From the exchange of Faberge wedding rings to the gathering of various descendants from several other exiled royal houses it will be like some kind of historical reenactment.

“I’ve heard that the last king of Bulgaria Simeon II, who later became its Prime Minister, will be there, as will Leka Zogu II the titular King of the Albanians, and Joachim Murat who descends from the king of Naples of the same name.”

However, he cautioned fans of royalty: “There will be a sense of old-world grandeur about it, but it’s not quite a royal wedding in any real sense.”

The occasion featured a banquet provided by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a catering tycoon sometimes referred to as “Putin’s chef”.

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Ms Bettarini wore a dress designed by Rim Acra, who has also dressed the likes of Beyoncé, Madonna, Angelina Jolie, and Melania Trump.

Russia’s last Tsar Nicholas II, who was the first cousin of George V, the Queen’s grandfather, together with his wife and five children, were killed by a revolutionary firing squad in July 1918 in the cellar of a merchant’s house in Yekaterinburg, a city 1,450 km (900 miles) east of Moscow.

Mr Mikhailovich Romanov, 40, told Russian news website Fontanka.ru of the choice of St Petersburg for the venue: “This was the first place in Russia to which we returned.

“This is very, very close to the family.”

Mr Mikhailovich Romanov was born in Spain to Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia – the self-proclaimed heir to Russia’s imperial throne – and her husband Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia.

He has lived in France and Spain for most of his life.

His great-grandfather, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, Tsar Nicholas II’s brother, managed to escape Bolshevik violence during the 1917 revolution to Finland.

He and his family later relocated to Western Europe.

Reported guests included Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the brother of the Emir of Qatar, Queen Sofia of Spain, the mother of King Philip VI, and Princess Leia of Belgium – although there are no suggestions any British Royals attended.

George Mikhailovich visited Russia for the first time in 1992, and now lives in Moscow where he works on a number of charity projects.

Ms Bettarini, 39, converted to the Russian Orthodox faith last year and took the name Victoria Romanovna.

The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for 300 years before Nicholas II abdicated in 1917, setting Russia on course for the Bolshevik Revolution, civil war and 70 years of Communist rule.

Russia’s Orthodox Church canonised Nicholas II in 2000, after being portrayed as a weak leader by Soviet authorities.

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