Hail the tsar! Georgy Romanov, great-grandson of Grand Duke Kirill, cousin to Nicholas II, the ill-fated final Emperor of Russia, is Grand Duke and Sovereign Heir to the throne — at least according to some. He has just wed Italian consultant and author Rebecca Bettarini in the first royal wedding in St Petersburg for over a century.
It was an over-the-top, three day event that brought together not only the scattered scions of Europe’s intermarried royal families, from Queen Sofia of Spain to Simeon II of Bulgaria, but also figures from the new Russian elite. The 1,500 guests included multi-millionaire Konstantin Malofeyev, owner of the nationalist TV channel Tsargrad, who is under international sanctions for his reported role in bankrolling insurgents in Crimea and the Donbas.
Even the food represented a genuflection to the new nobility; catering was provided by ‘Putin’s chef’ Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is also under sanctions for combining his catering business with a disinformation ‘troll farms’ and a mercenary army.
If anyone were to be monarch, there may be other contenders — and not just other Romanovs
On one level, the wedding was just an indulgent spectacle, a glitteringly gaudy celebration of pomposity.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in