Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, Image courtesy Russian Imperial Chancellery.
A charming piece ran in Spanish society magazine “Vanitatis” containing an interview with Victoria Romanovna Bettarini, who, after her marriage to Grand Duke George of Russia will be known as HSH Princess Victoria Romanoff.
"The wedding is on October 1 in St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is very large and in which weddings have not been held for more than 100 years, because now, in addition [to being a church], it is a museum. In fact, there have been very few, the most relevant, that of Emperor Peter the Great." said Miss Bettarini in a telephone meeting.
Bettarini noted that all Covid-19 protocols will be followed to the utmost extent during the wedding and its ancillary events, and that all events have been carefully planned so that all participants, the guests and the events team, will be safe.
St. Isaac’s Cathedral, St. Petersburg
"There will be many people in the cathedral (1), but for the gala dinner the capacity will be more limited as a consequence of the current coronavirus prevention protocols. This dinner will be attended by about 400 people… The places are very large, but that does not mean that you do not have to ensure the safety of everyone. In fact, all guests, even if they are vaccinated, will have to have PCR tests. We are careful to apply all relevant restrictions so that everything goes well and there are no surprises,” Bettarini notes.
Regarding the Orthodox ceremony (which, it is rumored, will be performed by the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg himself), Miss Bettarini looks forward to the moment of the greatest symbolism:: "There is a crucial moment in the ceremony, in which there are people selected to hold the crowns over the heads of the bride and groom. There are several people to do it; they must be unmarried Orthodox men, and cannot be women. We are seeing which of our friends meet those characteristics and can fulfill that function."
For the original article in Spanish, click HERE
(1) The Cathedral of Saint Isaac’s has a capacity of 12,000. It has been published that the wedding guests at the ceremony may number as many as 2,500 keeping the event safe.
