Rebecca Bettarini: Get To Know The Italian Fiancée Of Russia's Grand Duke

Rebecca Bettarini and George Mikhailovich have had a ten-year-long romance. She is an Italian director of a nonprofit setup and he is the descendant of royals in Russia. On the first of next month, the two will tie the knot in what will be the first royal wedding Russia has seen in a hundred years.

Their wedding was announced earlier this year in January and is expected to be a grand affair with a guest list featuring international dignitaries, as per Reuters. 

Grand Duke Mikhailovich's mother Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia has blessed the union. 39-year-old Bettarini, ahead of the wedding, converted to Mikhailovich's Russian Orthodox faith and changed her name to Victoria Romanovna.

"A new chapter of our life book together is starting. As a writer I hope that the journey ahead will be full of love, suspense and adventure as the first part of our life book was," Bettarini wrote on Instagram after news of their Christmas proposal and engagement was made public.

Mikhailovich reportedly proposed to Bettarini with a diamond-ruby ring in the Russian flag colours given to him by his mother.

Know Rebecca Bettarini, Soon-To-Be Member Of Russia's Royal Household

The daughter of Italian diplomat Roberto Bettarini, Rebecca Bettarini is a woman well-travelled across Europe. She is the director of Russian Imperial Foundation, a philanthropic venture established by her fiance Mikhailovich. Bettarini has also published multiple books, including titles La Dea Della Bellezza and Aristocrazy, under the pen name Georgina Perosch.

"The first night we met was at a ball that was very popular in Europe with members of nobility, so of course I knew it was him," Bettarini said about Mikhailovich in an interview with Insider earlier this year.

Interestingly, her parents found out about their relationship through a press photo in a magazine. The couple lived in Brussels, Belgium for a while and presently resides in Moscow.

This wedding is significant for being the first royal one since the execution of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, and his family in 1918 by the Bolsheviks.

For the big day held in the former imperial capital of Saint Petersburg October 1, Bettarini donned a white satin gown that had a high neck and full sleeves. She completed her look with a diamond-crusted tiara designed by Chaumet. The couple said their vows at Saint Isaac cathedral in the presence of international royal guests.

As per reports, royals in attendance included Queen Margarita and Duke Duarte of Braganza, Queen Sofia of Spain, and the prince and princess of Liechtenstein.

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