Video: How the life of the granddaughter of Alexander III developed: a scandalous marriage, involvement in the death of Rasputin and other turns of the fate of Irina Romanova
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
When the niece of Nicholas II decided to link her life with Felix Yusupov, the wedding was almost canceled, as rumors of the outrageous antics of the future groom reached the bride's relatives. One of the most noble and wealthy young people of the Russian Empire jokingly walked the streets in a woman's dress, frightening the honorable public. Gossipers hinted that such "fun" had deeper roots. However, the marriage took place, and fifty years later, the Yusupov family celebrated their golden wedding, however, already in a foreign land. In history, the names of this couple have forever remained associated with a terrible secret - the murder of Grigory Rasputin.
Irina Alexandrovna Romanova was born on July 3, 1895 in Peterhof. The girl was the long-awaited firstborn in the family of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich. The emperor himself and his mother became the godparents of the little princess, so there was no shortage of high-ranking patrons for the baby. When the girl grew up, they began to call her one of the most beautiful noble girls. Here is how the future husband described his first impression of her:
(Felix Yusupov "Memoirs")
The granddaughter of Alexander III and at the same time the great-granddaughter of Nicholas I could count on marriage with the princes of the blood of any country, but Felix Yusupov, it seems, captured her heart. This strange and contradictory person today is often compared with modern "majors" or "golden youth": noble birth, fantastic wealth and beauty really made him the most enviable groom in the Russian Empire, so this marriage took place, despite the ugly rumors about Felix's relationship with the Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, a relative of Irina.
The magnificent wedding ceremony took place in February 1914 and became one of the last bright events in the royal family. According to the tradition of the Romanovs, it was customary to marry girls in a magnificent court dress, but Irina went down the aisle in a rather modest outfit. However, this simplicity was very expensive, because on the head of the newlywed was a tiara made of diamonds and rock crystal from the Cartier firm, and covered with her lace veil, which once belonged to Marie Antoinette.
This marriage, which turned out to be incredibly successful, dispelled all the gossip, and in history Felix Yusupov remained an outrageous young rake who is fond of theatrical art. In fact, it is possible that escapades in female guise were only honing acting skills - it is known that the young aristocrat was fond of theater and often participated in home productions. In the future, this brilliant officer took on the role of the savior of the fatherland, no matter how contradictory this issue may look today.
The terrible events that took place in December 1916 are also associated with the name of his wife. Many versions are still expressed: Rasputin was in love with Irina and idolized her; The "elder" was lured into the Yusupovs' palace on the Moika River, promising the favor of a beautiful princess; Irina Yusupova was the mistress of Grigory Rasputin … The last version became the basis for the plot of the film "Rasputin and the Empress", filmed in the 30s by the film company "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer".
The Yusupov couple were not afraid of a loud scandal and defended their honor in court. It was after this incident in Hollywood that it became customary at the beginning of films to print a notice stating that all events shown on the screen are fiction, and any resemblance to real persons is not intentional. The spouses received a large monetary compensation, which turned out to be very useful to them - at that time they had been living in exile for 15 years and got out as best they could. With the proceeds from the sale of family dragoce
The spouses named the new fashion house "IrFe" - after the first letters of their names. True, the "originality, refinement of taste and luxurious aristocratic style", which Russian emigrants of royal blood tried to make a commodity, soon lost its relevance: the laconicism and simplicity of modern times were next in line with fashion trends, so by 1930 the Yusupovs' business collapsed. However, fashion historians associate the famous "Russian style", which then revived many times on foreign catwalks, with the models created by Princess Irina Alexandrovna.
Felix Feliksovich lived to be 80 years old and died in Paris in 1967. Irina survived him by only three years. The couple are buried in the Russian cemetery in Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.
The history of the Yusupov princes can be considered happy, if we take into account the fate of many aristocratic families in Russia. It is sad to realize that the Romanovs had a hypothetical opportunity to save at least one of their daughters from death, but the engagement did not take place, and the eldest daughter of Nicholas II never got married
Recommended:
"33 cows", marriage with Vetlitskaya, life in a monastery and early departure: Sharp turns of the fate of singer Pavel Smeyan
The name of this artist is remembered today by few, but his voice is well known to millions of viewers: Pavel Smeyan sang songs "33 cows", "Bad weather", "Wind of change" in the film "Mary Poppins, goodbye", sang all the male vocals in the audio version performance "Juno and Avos", performed in the groups "Victoria", "Resurrection", "Rock-studio", "Apostle" and "Black coffee", participated in musical performances "Lenkom", sang in a duet with his first wife Natalia Vetlitskaya. In the early 1990s. he surprised
Love twists and turns in the life of Leonid Utesov: Irrepressible fans, abandoned bride and late marriage
Famous actors and singers always become the object of adoration of the opposite sex. Everyone goes through this test differently. Someone rushes "all bad", someone, on the contrary, jealously remains faithful to the lawful spouse. In the life of Leonid Utesov there was everything - loyalty, and infidelity, and his beloved wife, and crazy admirers, an abandoned bride, and even a late marriage at the end of life
10 years of life for 2 families and 5 children: The twists and turns of fate of the "last romantic" of the stage Valery Meladze
For a quarter of a century, he has been called the “last romantic” of the Russian stage for his lyrical manner of performing musical compositions. It would seem that the idol of millions of women in his personal life should have everything just as beautiful, touching and romantic. But, alas, in order to regain happiness and feel the blood boiling in his veins, the famous singer Valery Meladze had to start a new family, and then completely leave three children and a woman who devoted more than twenty years to him
"Secret" and the twists and turns of fate by Maxim Leonidov: Why did the musician leave for Israel, what he did in the cinema and how he found happiness
Music fans perceive creativity of the singer Maxim Leonidov differently. Some consider him an interesting and talented musician, while others - eccentric and incomprehensible. Indeed, Leonidov's repertoire contains weak and transient songs, but there are also bright, memorable ones, with good lyrics and melody. And Maxim not only sings them, but plays them on stage. By the way, this is the great merit of the creative group "HippoBand", with which the singer has been performing for more than two decades. And it all began
The tragic fate of Alexander Godunov: the scandalous escape from the USSR and the mysterious death of the famous dancer
23 years ago, on May 18, 1995, the ballet dancer and film actor Alexander Godunov passed away. In August 1979, a scandal erupted: during a tour, a dancer of the Bolshoi Theater asked for political asylum in the United States. He stayed abroad, while his wife returned to the USSR. The ballet dancer tried to realize himself in the profession, but did not achieve such success as at home. At the age of 45, Alexander Godunov passed away under mysterious circumstances that still raise a lot of questions