"This was the first place in Russia to which we returned," George Mikhailovich, 40, told news website Fontanka.ru about the choice of St Petersburg for his wedding. George Mikhailovich 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. His great-grandfather, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, managed to escape Bolshevik violence during the 1917 revolution to Finland. 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.

Source: bd News24 September 30, 2021 10:30 UTC