A Real Cracker of a Story!!!
Prince Felix Yusupov and his wife, Princess Irina Alexandrovna, 1913It's pretty rare that you have a first hand account of such a momentous (and usually private) event as the murder of Grigori Rasputin in 1916.
Grigori RasputinIt has always been well-known that Prince Felix Yusupov (married to Princess Irina Alexandrovna, niece of Tsar Nicholas II) and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovitch Romanov (a second cousin of the Tsar) were directly involved in the assassination.
Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovitch Romanov
Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovitch Romanov, his wife, American heiress,Audrey Emery and their son Paul
What is considerably less well-known is that both the Prince and the Grand Duke were gay ... and there is much speculation about a supposed relationship between them.
Prince Felix made no secret of being gay, speaking quite candidly for example about wearing women's clothing in his autobiography 'Lost Splendor'. But for the usual dynastic reasons of the period, he married and produced heirs.
Grand Duke Dmitri was far more circumspect about his sexuality. He was bisexual and had affairs with many women, including the famed Russian ballerina and early film actress Vera Karalli.
Vera Karalli
Vera KaralliFollowing Rasputin's death, Prince Felix was under virtual house arrest on the family estate outside St Petersburg. After WW I, he left Russia, finally settling in Paris in 1920.
To void arrest, Grand Duke Dmitri was sent to the Persian front (didn't know there was one!) and so became one of the few Romanovs survive the Russian Revolution.
The Prince and the Grand Duke met up in London in 1919, but fell out over Felix's open boasting of his part in the killing of the mad monk. And because open association with the Prince might damage the Grand Duke's claim to the throne in any restoration of the monarchy.
After working as a champagne salesman in Paris (no cab driving jobs I guess), the Grand Duke married American heiress Audrey Emery in 1927 and their son, HSH Prince Paul Romanovsky-Ilyinsky, later became Mayor of Palm Beach, Florida.
Hear of any sightings Alan?
But there's more.
In 1967, Prince Felix and his wife gave an interview to French television. It was in the promotion of a new film on the events of 16/17 December 1916 - 'J'ai tué Raspoutine' ('I Killed Rasputin') - a film which the couple say is the first true account of the events which took place.
A story with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in!
The interview is in French but a version with English subtitles can be seen on You Tube.
I learned slowly about the Romanovs until some of the jewelry was on exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum...so I went..and it's all very beautiful but I got a bit nauseous from seeing all that wealth .. then to hear it was sewn into their dresses(some of the jewels) as they were shot and the bullets ricocheted from the jewels..very sad..and even sadder that it was done within the family. I stood for a long time before a gold box ,alone in the middle of the room ,in a lucite box..it was not big.about the size of a shoe box but the amount of intricate scrolling,jewels etc amazed me..and it inspired me to go home and do a rendition by crewel with no jewels but beads & crystals..it was still unfinished when I was asked to a birthday party and to bring something that I created..so I gave my friend that unfinished sewing and put the story in back..I don't know whether they were doing the right thing politically or not but the ending of their lives was barbaric..and I saw the rows of different sized emeralds etc…sickened me to know where they came from..they do LOSE their LUSTER ,in that frame of mind
ReplyDeleteThanks Nick..
Tony(NYC)
hey tony
ReplyDeletemy uptake on the romanov's has been slow too - sometimes i tned not to engage the almost over tumulous events of history
thanks for telling about your response to seeing the jewels at the brooklyn museum - so nice to think of a way to respond to the events and put something out there to express that response
in terms of the execution of the family, i also responded to the
the people as as individuals as well as monarchic symbols - and so can sympathise with them
as always - good to hear, nick