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Tuesday, January 26, 2021

More from Grand Duke George and Victoria Romanova Bettarini's betrothal ceremony






At the Betrothal service, the chief ceremony is the blessing and exchange of rings. The rings are blessed by the priest in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The priest then exchanges the rings, taking the bride's ring and placing it on the groom's finger and vice-versa. Then he exchanges them again, symbolizing that each spouse will constantly be complementing and enriching the other by the future union.

This is also an outward symbol that the two are joined in marriage of their own free will and consent. It is celebrated in the vestibule or the pritvor of the church building before their procession into the nave of the church. 





The Grand Duke and his fiancé chose to practice the ancient version of the custom in an ancient place very special to the House of Romanov.

"The betrothal of Tsesarevich George of Russia and his bride-to-be, Miss Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, took place at the Ipatiev Monastery in the city of Kostroma.

On January 24, 2021, at noon, the Heir of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, His Imperial Highness The Grand Duke George of Russia, and his fiancée, the hereditary noblewoman Miss Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, were betrothed in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the Ipatiev Monastery in the city of Kostroma. The betrothal service was officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Ferapont of Kostroma and Nerkhta.





Among those attending the service were government officials of the Kostroma Region.

In the morning, the Grand Duke and his fiancée attended Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Holy Epiphany-St. Anastasia in Kostroma, receiving Holy Communion and venerating the great and holy icon of the House of Romanoff—the Feodorovskaya miracle-working Icon of the Mother of God.




Then the couple proceeded to the Holy Trinity Ipatiev Monastery, where the betrothal service took place, officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Ferapont and other clergy of the Kostroma diocese.

On behalf of the Governor of the Kostroma Region, S. K. Sitnikov, the Chief of Staff the administration of the Kostroma Region, M.B. Smirnov, formally greeted Tsesarevich George and his fiancée Victoria Romanovna.




Later that same day, Grand Duke George and Victoria Romanovna, accompanied by Archpriest Dimitri Sazonov, visited the construction site of the new church at the Second City Hospital of Kostroma, and the Children’s Maritime Center.







Kostroma is about five hours by car from Moscow. 


My thanks to Victoria Romanova Bettarini for allowing me the use of the photos.



Monday, January 25, 2021

Grand Duke George's betrothal ceremony



From the Imperial Chancellery


'The betrothal of Tsesarevich George of Russia and his bride-to-be, Miss Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, took place at the Ipatiev Monastery in the city of Kostroma On January 24, 2021, at noon, the Heir of the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, His Imperial Highness The Grand Duke George of Russia, and his fiancée, the hereditary noblewoman Miss Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, were betrothed in the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the Ipatiev Monastery in the city of Kostroma. The betrothal service was officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Ferapont of Kostroma and Nerkhta. Among those attending the service were government officials of the Kostroma Region.

 In the morning, the Grand Duke and his fiancée attended Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Holy Epiphany-St. Anastasia in Kostroma, receiving Holy Communion and venerating the great and holy icon of the House of Romanoff—the Feodorovskaya miracle-working Icon of the Mother of God. Then the couple proceeded to the Holy Trinity Ipatiev Monastery, where the betrothal service took place, officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Ferapont and other clergy of the Kostroma diocese. 

 On behalf of the Governor of the Kostroma Region, S. K. Sitnikov, the Chief of Staff the administration of the Kostroma Region, M.B. Smirnov, formally greeted Tsesarevich George and his fiancée Victoria Romanovna. Later that same day, Grand Duke George and Victoria Romanovna, accompanied by Archpriest Dimitri Sazonov, visited the construction site of the new church at the Second City Hospital of Kostroma, and the Children’s Maritime Center."

This ceremony is the first of two ceremonies for a Russian Orthodox wedding.  The couple chose to have the betrothal ceremony at the monastery in Kostroma, which is where Michael I was named Emperor.  He was the first Romanov to reign in Russia. 

Grand Duke George and Victoria Romanova Bettarini will be married later this year.  The date and place of the wedding will be announced in due course.






Saturday, January 23, 2021

adding to my collection

 

Archduchess Isabella (1856-1931) was born Princess 
Isabella Hedwig Franziska Natalie of Croÿ.  She married Archduke Friedrich of Austria, Duke of Teschen in 1878.  They were the parents of eight daughters and one son.


the four eldest children of Emperor Karl and Empress Zita

the baptism of Archduchess Maria Constanza Anna Rosario Roberta of Austria (1957), the youngest child of Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria and Princess Yolande de Ligne. In 1994, she married Franz Josef, Prince of Auersperg-Trautson


Archduchess Elisabeth Amalia Eugenia Maria Theresia Karoline Luise Josepha of Austria (1878-1960) was the youngest child of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria & his third wife, Infanta Maria Teresa of Portugal  One of her older half-brothers by Karl Ludwig's second wife, was Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria.  In 1930, she married Prince Alois of Liechtenstein.  Their eldest son, Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1906-1989) was named for Elisabeth's uncle, Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, who was also the little prince's godfather.   The present Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans Adam, is Elisabeth's grandson.

Princess Marie Melita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1899-1967) married Duke Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein (1891-1965) in Februray 1916.  Their first son, Prince Hans Viktor Alexander Friedrich Ernst Gottfried August Heinrich Albert Waldemar was born on May 12, 1917.  He was killed in action in Poland on August 10, 1944.


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Wednesday, January 20, 2021

More on the Grand Duke George's bride

 



How they met (from the media kit).

"Grand Duke George and Victoria Romanovna (Rebecca) Bettarini have always had many friends in common and met several times as teenagers at European events. They met again years later at an event at the French Embassy in Brussels while both of them were working as lobbyists for foreign companies registered to the European Union.

Their personal relationship began when Grand Duke George asked Miss Bettarini to help him establish a new charitable initiative of the Russian Imperial House. Months later, their friendship developed into a long-lasting relationship. After living for six years in Brussels, the couple has decided to settle in Moscow, Russia, where they both work in the philanthropic sector."


Victoria Romanova was born in Rome on May 18, 1982.  She is the daughter of Ambassador Roberto Bettarini and Carla Virginia Cacciatore.

The couple became engaged in August during a private holiday. 



From the media kit:  "The ring is of a type traditionally exchanged by brides and grooms in the House of Romanoff.

The ring’s style of setting, in which cabochon rubies, sapphires, garnets, amethyst, diamonds or emeralds are invisibly set into a burnished gold band, became popular in the late 19th century.



In the past, these rings were given as friendship or engagement bands, and were worn both by men and women. They were quite fashionable in the late Victorian era, particularly because of the popularity of using gemstones to indicate certain values, traits, and feelings; all stones were ascribed with symbolic meanings. 

Members of the Romanoff Dynasty have always worn rings of this type, particularly in the Vladimir branch, which became the senior line of the dynasty after 1917 (see the attached photos). The rings worn by members of the Russian Imperial Family often had diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, reflecting Russia’s national colours – white, blue, and red.

When he was 18 years old, H.I.H. The Grand Duke George of Russia was given this ring by his mother, the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia. It was to be used as an engagement ring that he would one day give to his future fiancée.

The ring centers a ruby cabochon gemstone that represents love and nobility, and two diamond brilliants that represent purity and strength.

In August 2020, Grand Duke George of Russia presented the ring to Miss Rebecca Bettarini in August 2020 during a private holiday."





all photos courtesy of Grand Duke George and Victoria Romanova


Official Engagement of Grand Duke George

 

 


FROM THE CHANCELLERY
OF THE HEAD OF THE IMPERIAL HOUSE OF RUSSIA
Announcement of the Upcoming Wedding of His Imperial Highness The Heir, Tsesarevich, and Grand Duke George of Russia and Nob. Victoria Romanovna Bettarini
Her Imperial Highness The Grand Duchess of Russia, Head of the Russian Imperial House, is pleased to announce the marriage of her son and heir, His Imperial Highness The Grand Duke George of Russia, with Nob. Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, the daughter of His Excellency Ambassador Nob. Roberto Bettarini and Nob. Carla Bettarini.
Nob. Rebecca Virginia Bettarini was received into the Orthodox faith on 12 July 2020 in the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, taking the name Victoria Romanovna. (See http://imperialhouse.ru/en/allnews-en/news/2020-07-14-h-i-h-the-heir-tsesarevich-and-grand-duke-george-of-russia-visits-st-petersburg-11-13-july-2020.html.)
In 2020, H.I.H. Grand Duke George of Russia and Nob. Victoria Romanovna Bettarini received permission to marry from the Head of the Imperial House of Russia, H.I.H. The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, as well as the blessing of the bride’s father, His Excellency Ambassador Nob. Roberto Bettarini.
Asking the Lord’s blessing, We are pleased to grant Our permission to Our beloved son and heir, His Imperial Highness The Tsesarevich and Grand Duke GEORGE of Russia, to enter into marriage with his chosen bride, the hereditary noblewoman Rebecca Virginia Bettarini, who, on 29 June / 12 July 2020, the Feast of the Holy Chief Apostles Peter and Paul, in the Cathedral of Ss. Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg, was received into Holy Orthodoxy with the name VICTORIA ROMANOVNA.
The wedding is expected to take place in Autumn 2021. Further details of the date and time of the wedding will be announced in due course. WE GRAND DUCHESS MARIA OF RUSSIA BY THE GRACE OF GOD HEAD OF THE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL HOUSE make it known to all that
Announcing this event, so joyful for Our heart, and entrusting the future of our Most August son and heir, H.I.H. The Grand Duke George of Russia, and his future wife to the almighty protection of the Heavenly King, with firm faith in His mercy, We have every confidence that Our countrymen will join their prayers with Ours to Almighty God for a happy marriage, prosperity, and the blessing of children.
We deem it proper that VICTORIA ROMANOVNA should, from the moment of her marriage with Our son, have the right to use the dynastic surname of Romanoff with the title of Princess and the predicate of Serene Highness. Issued in Madrid on the 20th day of January in the year of Our Lord 2021, and in the thirtieth year since Our succession to the rights and duties of Our Most August Ancestors—the Emperors and Empresses of Russia.
MARIA
The original is signed in Her Imperial Highness’s own hand:


Sunday, January 17, 2021

Mail Call




HRH Prince Liam of Nassau. 



         


Wednesday, January 13, 2021

HSH Johannes Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch und Aichelberg

 




A handwritten note from the late Prince's brother, HSH Bartolo, Prince of Khevenhüller-Metsch und Aichelberg was included with the death announcement.



http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2020/11/two-noble-deaths-today-prince-of.html

Happy birthday to one of my favorite Princesses

 

Marlene A Eilers Koenig Collection


Today is the 88th birthday of HRH Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria. 

There was "great rejoicing" when Queen Giovanna gave birth to a daughter in Sofia on January 13, 1933.  This was the first of two children for Giovanna, the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy, and King Boris of Bulgaria.

The Italian Princess married the Bulgarian sovereign at the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, in Assisi, Italy, on October 25, 1930.   King Boris died on August 28, 1943, and was succeeded by his six-year-old son, Simeon.  

A referendum on the monarchy was held on September 15, 1947.  Soviet troops were present throughout the country reminding Bulgarians that they had little choice but to vote for the communists.   Ninety-seven percent voted for the abolition of the monarchy.  The following day,  Queen Giovanna and her two children went into exile.  

Marlene A Eilers Koenig collection

Princess Marie Louise will be celebrating her birthday at her home in New Jersey with her second husband, Bronislaw Chrobok.   No doubt there will be birthday messages from her children and grandchildren.  The Princess is the mother of four children, Prince Hermann and Prince Boris of Leiningen, the sons of her first marriage to Prince Karl of Leiningen, and Pavel and Alexandra Chrobok, who live in Toronto, New Jersey, San Francisco, and Portugal, respectively.


Have a wonderful birthday!!!!






The wedding of Archduke Imre and Archduchess Kathleen, Washington, D.C., September 8, 2012  photo by Marlene A Eilers Koenig


https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2013/12/princess-marie-louise-to-wed.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2013/01/princess-maria-luisa-baptised-in.html

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2013/03/pope-to-rebuke-boris-and-giovanna.html

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Allied diplomats may not attend Carol's wedding




January 11, 1921 

 The Associated Press is reporting that the Allied representatives in Athens are "embarrassed over the question of attending the wedding" of Crown Prince Carol to Princess Helen of Romania should King Constantine "remain unrecognized by the Allies before the wedding. 

The date of the marriage has not been fixed, although the king has said it will take place in late January or early February.

Helen is the eldest daughter of King Constantine and Queen Sophie. Her future husband, Crown Prince Carol, is the eldest son of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania.  Queen Sophie and Queen Marie are first cousins.

It is understood that the primary reason for the delay in announcing the date of the wedding is "the desire first to obtain allied recognition for Constantine."

The French minister was quoted as saying that he was waiting for special instructions from his government.  If the King is not recognized, the French minister will go to the Romanian Legation on the day of the wedding to meet Queen Marie of Romania who is expected to attend the wedding.

Monday, January 11, 2021

Marie of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Marie and her daughter

Marie was the eldest of four children.  She had one sister, Jutta, and two brothers, Adolf Friedrich, and Karl Borwin.  Court life at Neustrelitz was dull and strict.  
 The two young duchesses "were in the hands of their governesses, who formed a screen between them and their parents."   Neither the Hereditary Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich nor his wife, Elisabeth, had an active role in their children's lives.  The only door out of the palace was to marry and marry well. 

Augusta

The Duchess of York, a first cousin to Marie's father, described Marie as a "nice girl, but oh! so badly dressed, so very German which is scarcely a pretty fashion, " after meeting the young Duchess and her grandmother, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  

The Grand Duchess was the Duchess of York's maternal aunt, Augusta, born Princess Augusta of Cambridge, the second of three children of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, and his wife, Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel.

The Mecklenburg-Strelitz children were raised with what the late James Pope-Hennessey called the "inflexibility of mind." Court life was very rigid, and "the result was so much stiffness in their surroundings" that Marie and her younger sister, Jutta, were "supervised but not looked after.  In 1897,  it was "brought to the attention" of the very incredulous Hereditary Grand Duchess Elisabeth that her elder daughter was in the final months of pregnancy.  Her duties as the wife of the heir to the grand duchy obviously did not include providing moral guidance and support to her daughters.   Marie and Jutta were totally unaware of the facts of life. 

One of the very "inflexible rules" at the Grand Ducal Court allowed for footmen, and not the maids, to carry the lights into all the bedrooms, including the young Duchesses' bedrooms.  Marie was very naive and probably knew nothing about sex or intimacy.   The footman responsible for taking advantage of Marie was a married man named Hecht.   After Marie's parents learned what had happened, Hecht was dismissed without receiving a reference.  He applied for another job in the area, but when his prospective employers wrote to the Hofmarschallernt for a reference, they were told that Hecht had been dismissed for stealing. 

A furious Hecht traveled to Berlin by train, found a lawyer, who happened to be a Social-Democrat, who eagerly released the story to the "eager anti-monarchical press."  The scandal was now news throughout the courts of Europe.
Marie's parents had no choice but to give into Hecht's blackmail.  He was "pensioned off," and told he must leave Strelitz.  Instead, he remained in the small town, hoping to gain further funds from Marie's family.

 Queen Victoria wrote Grand Duchess Augusta, that she had heard about Marie's situation from Empress Friedrich.  "I believe she has done much harm in writing to all the Courts."Marie's parents showed no concern nor care for her situation, and they kicked her out of the palace.

"It is two awful  & shameful & almost sinful to send poor Baby away.  I hear fm a reliable source that the family have forbidden that poor unhappy girl's name ever being mentioned ... I think it is too wicked," Queen Victoria wrote.

Young Marie found a champion in her grandmother, Augusta, who believed Marie was innocent.  She was convinced that Hecht had terrorized Marie.  Queen Victoria thought she may have been drugged by the footman.

After the baby was born -- Augusta made arrangements for the adoption -- Marie and her grandmother traveled to France.  Marie's English relations were astonished by how Marie was treated by her own family.  The Duchess of York made a very public visit to Augusta and Marie, and every day went out driving with Marie, which was seen to be "a very noble and protective gesture."   Mary also advised her young cousin to meet with Queen Victoria, who was staying at Cimiez, where the young girl blurted out her entire story to a very sympathetic queen.

The Prince of Wales also provided emotional support to Marie.
"He has been very kind about it,"  Mary wrote to her husband, George.   She added: "At. A is so grateful to her English family."

"I certainly think the English relations have behaved better & and are more sensible about it.  The parents are the worst & ought to be ashamed of themselves," George responded.

Elisabeth


It was in France that the young, impressionable Duchess met Georges Jametel.
 According to the Marquise de Fontenoy, Count Jametel was " a good looking man but of plebeian extraction."  His father ran a pharmacy "before making a large fortune by the discovery and exploitation of some patent medicine." He managed in "some way to attach himself to the train of Infanta Eulalia," who was very much like her mother, Queen Isabel, and "has the mania for picking up and admitting to her intimacy all sorts of strange people without regard to their status and antecedents, providing they are amusing and presentable."

By all accounts, he was amusing and presentable, as he soon was welcomed by Eulalia into her bed. She also introduced the count to the young Marie, then living under an assumed name at a "seaside resort with a duenna." The Marquise de Fontenoy, always one to rather stretch the story, wrote that the unfortunate young duchess had allowed herself to be compromised "by a foolish indiscretion in which an unscrupulous domestic," who later tried to blackmail the duchess and her family. Marie found herself pregnant, and in 1898, gave birth to a daughter. Her grandmother, the Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, made arrangements for the child to be adopted.

The "scandal made an immense noise," and Marie couldn't remain in Germany.

A royal marriage was also "out of the question." Her family tried to arrange a match with her second cousin, Prince Francis of Teck, but the arrangements fell through. So when Jametel "made an offer for her hand," and managed to win Marie's affections, her family in Germany and in England, after some hesitation, was "eventually countenanced."

Infanta Eulalia was certainly aware of Marie's situation, and she "manifested a good deal of sympathy for her, and knowing the "social aspirations" of her lover and his "craze for association with everything pertaining to royalty," encouraged the marriage.

Jametel was "enchanted with the idea" of becoming the son-in-law of a reigning Grand Duke. With the scandal and the birth of her child  Marie became "exceedingly unhappy and broken-spirited, " and she knew that given the scandal "in which her name had become involved would be beyond her reach." She and her parents believed that this marriage was Marie's only option.

Marie and Jutta

On June 1, 1899, the Court Circular published: "The betrothal is announced of the Duchess Marie, elder daughter of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, to Count Charles Francey von Jametel [sic].  The marriage is expected to take place in four weeks."

The wedding of Duchess Victoria Marie Augusta Louise Caroline Leopoldine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Count Georges Jametel was "solemnized quietly" at St. Elizabeth's Roman Catholic Church in Richmond on June 22.   The Duchess and the Count then drove to the "parish church of Kew" where they were married according to the rites of the Church of England.  Duchess Marie was raised a Lutheran.  Among the guests at the latter ceremony included the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz,  Princess Jutta and Prince Karl Borwin of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of York,  Prince and Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince and Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar, Prince and Princess Adolphus of Teck, Princes Francis and Alexander George of Teck.

The wedding breakfast was given by the Duke of Cambridge at Cambridge Cottage, Kew.  Afterward, the newlyweds "left to spend their honeymoon on the Continent."   The bride "received numerous presents," including a "handsomely fitted dressing bag" from Queen Victoria and a "diamond aigrette for her hair" from the Princess of Wales.

Jametel soon managed to "offend the kind-hearted Alexandra" through "his letter published in the London Times by the present Archbishop of Westminster," saying that he had been 'forced against his will by the royal relatives' of his wife, to consent to the Anglican marriage at Kew, after having "pledged his word to the archbishop that no Protestant celebration" should follow the Roman Catholic service at Richmond.

The rector at Kew, who had officiated at the wedding declared that the Anglican wedding had been arranged beforehand, and "agreed to by the count," and the "full Anglican marriage service had taken place," with the count's consent.
Marie's English relatives, "who had consented for her sake to honor his marriage with their presence," and were angered by the Count's insinuation that they had "jockeyed him into a Protestant ceremony by deceit and against his will," decided to not "have anything more to do with him."

The Duke of Cambridge died in 1904.  Among his many bequests, he left a portrait of is his sister, Augusta, hanging in the drawing-room of his house, to his great-niece, Marie, Countess de Jametel.

After five years of marriage, Marie gave birth to a son, who was named after his father.  The married life of "Count Jametel and of his German wife has not been entirely free" from unpleasantness," according to a report by the Marquise de Fontenoy, who added that "all difficulties seem now to have been smoothed away, and the couple are living in apparent happiness" at Villa Marie at St. Germain-en-Laye, on the "outskirts of Paris.

The Marquise de Fontenoy noted that Jametel had not been received at his father-in-law's court nor at the courts on the continent or in Great Britain.
The announcement of Marie's intention to file for divorce was reported on January 31, 1908, in the New York Times and other newspapers, although the New York Times noted that there was no confirmation of the report.

The New York Times noted on February 8, 1908, that "another sensational divorce, involving a reigning German royal house, is soon to come before the courts"  when Countess Georges Jametel "will seek her freedom.
Marie and Georges had been living in "a rather humble fashion in the Faubourg St. Germain," on the interest "from the capital of about $200,000" which Marie's father had settled upon her after the wedding.
The grounds for the divorce suit against Jametel "have not been made public," the New York Times noted.


Marie was born on May 8, 1878, at Neustrelitz and died on October 14, 1948, from pneumonia in Oberkassel in Bonn.  On August 11, 1914, she married Prince Julius Ernst zur Lippe.  The couple had two children together, Princess Elisabeth Caroline, who was born in 1916, and Prince Ernst August (1917-1990.)

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