Grand Duchess Irina Romanova wore to her wedding a veil made of the 18th century precious lace. It was once the veil worn by Princess Marie Antoinette of Austria when she was married to Prince Louis of France. Then they became king and queen, but ended their lives at the guillotine when their inept rule led to the Great French Revolution. However, the marvelous beauty of the veil survived: it was resold again and again until Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich bought it as a gift for his daughter. The Russian society knew the history of this accessory, so the crowd of guests at the wedding of Irina Romanova and Felix Yusupov whispered that the veil of the executed queen would bring bad luck to the newlywed.
Their romantic relationship was at first considered something shocking and impossible: in his youth, the prince adored parties, often attended taverns and gypsy shows, thus earning a bad reputation. However, his love of entertainment did not prevent him from remaining a dedicated monarchist and even completing an officer’s course in the Page Corps. The monarchist idea, the service to the Imperial court — those were above anything else for the prince.
Irina Romanova was the firstborn in the family of Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna, the eldest daughter of Emperor Alexander III, and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, grandson of Emperor Nicholas I. The girl received an excellent education, spoke several languages and painted magnificently. Her father was going to marry her off to some foreign prince as he envisaged Irina on the throne. But she followed her mother’s example and married a Russian aristocrat, and she did it for love.
The feelings between Felix and Irina were mutual. The prince recalled in his memoirs:
Their romantic relationship was at first considered something shocking and impossible: in his youth, the prince adored parties, often attended taverns and gypsy shows, thus earning a bad reputation. However, his love of entertainment did not prevent him from remaining a dedicated monarchist and even completing an officer’s course in the Page Corps. The monarchist idea, the service to the Imperial court — those were above anything else for the prince.
Irina Romanova was the firstborn in the family of Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna, the eldest daughter of Emperor Alexander III, and Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, grandson of Emperor Nicholas I. The girl received an excellent education, spoke several languages and painted magnificently. Her father was going to marry her off to some foreign prince as he envisaged Irina on the throne. But she followed her mother’s example and married a Russian aristocrat, and she did it for love.
The feelings between Felix and Irina were mutual. The prince recalled in his memoirs:
