George Mikhailovich Romanov

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Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia
Grand Duke George in 2010
Born	(1981-03-13) 13 March 1981 (age 40) Madrid, Kingdom of Spain
Partner	Rebecca Virginia Bettarini[citation needed]
Names George Mikhailovich Romanoff
House	House of Romanov
Father	Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia
Mother	Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia
Religion	Russian Orthodox

Russian imperial family
Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia Prince Andrew Romanov Inez Storer Prince Alexis Romanov Princess Olga Andreevna Romanoff Dorrit Reventlow
show Extended imperial family Prince Rostislav Romanov (born 1985)
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Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia (Russian: Георгий Михайлович Романов, romanized: Georgiy Mikhaylovich Romanov, also spelled Romanoff; German: Georg Mikhailowitsch Romanow; born 13 March 1981) is the heir apparent to Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, a claimant to the disputed Headship of the Imperial Family of Russia.^[1] He is the only child of Grand Duchess Maria and her former husband, Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia. George's mother attributes to him the title of Tsesarevich and he bears, as a title of pretence, the prefix of "Grand Duke" with the style of Imperial Highness. As the son of a cadet member of the branch of the House of Hohenzollern which formerly ruled the German Empire and Kingdom of Prussia, he is also sometimes entitled "Prince of Prussia" with the style of Royal Highness.^[2]

Early life[]

George was born in Madrid in 1981, the son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (daughter and heir of Vladimir Cyrillovich, Grand Duke of Russia.^[3][2]) and her husband Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia (titled at the time: Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich),^[4][1] (son of Prince Karl Franz of Prussia and Princess Henriette of Schönaich-Carolath).

George was baptised on 6 May 1981, in Madrid; his godfather is Constantine II of Greece. Also present at the baptism were King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain and Simeon II and Queen Margarita of Bulgaria.^[5] George was given the title Grand Duke of Russia by his maternal grandfather,^[6] prompting Prince Vasili Alexandrovich, then president of the Romanov Family Association, to respond in writing that "The Romanov Family Association hereby declares that the joyful event in the Prussian Royal House does not concern the Romanov Family Association since the newborn prince is not a member of either the Russian Imperial House or of the Romanov family".^{[citation needed]} This response was ignored by Grand Duke Vladimir (then the undisputed Head of the House of Romanov)^{[citation needed]} because the marriage between his daughter and Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia was matrilineal (the Grand Duke and his first cousin, the Head of the House of Hohenzollern, made a dynastic agreement about this issue prior the wedding), therefore George was a Romanov Dynast.^[7]

His father, who stopped using his Russian title after his separation, has said of his son, "I have his German passport right here; I always carry it with me. It says he is Prince George of Prussia".^{[citation needed]}

George spent the first years of his life in France before moving to Spain.^[8] There he and his mother lived, along with his maternal grandmother, in the home of his maternal aunt, Helen Kirby, who inherited a significant fortune from her father, Sumner Moore Kirby.^[9]

Education and career[]

George was educated at Runnymede College in Madrid, D'Overbroeck's College, Oxford and at St Benet's Hall, Oxford.^{[citation needed]}

In Brussels, he worked at the European Parliament where he was an assistant to Loyola de Palacio, former European Commissioner for Transport and Energy. Later he moved to Luxembourg where he was employed at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Atomic Energy and Security.^{[citation needed]}

On 12 December 2008, he was appointed an aide to the Director General of MMC Norilsk Nickel, a major Russian nickel-mining company.^[10]

In 2012 he was nominated chief executive of Metal Trade Overseas, the main sales hub for Norilsk Nickel in Switzerland.^[11]

In 2014 he started his own company, Romanoff & Partners, in Brussels.^[12]

Heir to his mother[]

On 21 April 1992, upon the death of his maternal grandfather Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich, George's mother claimed to have succeeded as the sovereign and Curatrix of the Throne of Russia,^[13] making him, to supporters of his mother, heir-apparent and tsesarevich. He visited Russia for the first time shortly thereafter to attend the funeral of his grandfather.^[8] His claim to the throne is contested.

In 1996, when he, his mother, and his grandmother Leonida returned to Russia after living in Madrid, one of President Boris Yeltsin's former bodyguards was assigned as tutor to the 15-year-old prince. He was also set to study at a Russian Naval college but these plans were dropped.^[14]

On 17 July 2018 he participated, along with his mother, in the liturgical commemoration of the centenary of the assassinations of Saints Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and their children conducted in Yekaterinburg by Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow.^[15]

Personal life[]

In January 2021, the family announced that the Grand Duke was engaged to marry Victoria Romanovna Bettarini (born Rebecca Virginia Bettarini), having received the permission of his mother.^[16] Victoria Bettarini is the Director of the Russian Imperial Foundation. She is the daughter of Ambassador Roberto Bettarini, an Italian diplomat.^[17]

Honours[]

• House of Romanov: Imperial Order of Saint Andrew
• House of Romanov: Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky
• House of Romanov: Imperial Order of the White Eagle
• House of Romanov: Imperial Order of Saint Anna
• House of Romanov: Imperial Order of Saint Stanislaus
• Portuguese Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa^[18]
•  Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Obedience of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, 1st Class^[19]
• Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia: Member of the Decoration of Saint Raphael of Brooklyn, 1st Class^{[20][21][notes 1]}

Ancestry[]

References[]

Further reading[]

• Massie, Robert K. (1995). The Romanovs The Final Chapter. Jonathan Cape. ISBN 0-224-04192-4.

Notes[]

External links[]

• Official Website of the Russian Imperial Family (in English)