Buying baby equipment, getting a well-deserved rest and strolling through the streets of Rome, expectant parents treat themselves to some time in Rome! Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and his wife are in Italy, the perfect opportunity to introduce Princess Victoria’s baby bump to her Italian family. A few weeks ago, the heir to the Russian imperial family announced that his young wife was expecting their first child.
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Princess Victoria Romanovna shows off her baby bump to loved ones in Italy
We don’t yet know the expected date of delivery or the sex of the baby. With the mystery hanging out until the birth, one thing is certain: Georges and Rebecca, aged 41 and 37, are impatient for the arrival of their first child. The Hereditary Grand Duke married Rebecca Bettarini on October 1, 2021. Rebecca, writer and director of the Imperial Foundation, took the name Victoria Romanovna after her conversion to the Orthodox religion.
girl or boy ? The secret is well kept! Grand Duke Georges Mikhaïlovitch of Russia and his wife are already shopping to welcome their baby (Photo: David Nivière)
Victoria, who was given the title Princess Romanoff by her mother-in-law when she married the heir to the Imperial House of Russia, is already showing a round belly. The couple are currently vacationing in Italy, Victoria’s native country, and the mother-to-be took the opportunity to show off her baby bump to loved ones and family.
Grand Duke Georges Mikhailovich Romanov and Princess Victoria Romanovna in Rome (Photo: David Nivière)
Pregnant Princess Romanoff’s first photoshoot (Photo: David Nivière)
Buying bedding for newborns, strolling the streets of the Italian capital, George and Rebecca had a very nice first photoshoot as expectant parents. This is Rebecca’s first appearance with her pregnant belly. Of course, Zhong, the Japanese spaniel from Victoria, was there too!
Zhong was also on the trip to Rome (Photo: David Nivière)
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Georges Romanov and Victoria Romanovna fulfilled and impatient to be parents
After living in several European cities, particularly Brussels, where they met, Georges and his wife settled in Moscow. The couple works for various charities supported by their foundation, most notably the food bank Foodbank Rus, which was in high demand during the pandemic and then during this period of instability in the east of the continent.
Relaxation, walks, baby equipment, the couple takes advantage of a moment of calm in Italy (Photo: David Nivière)
Rebecca Bettarini, who knows the streets of Rome like the back of her hand, cycles through the Italian capital (Photo: David Nivière)
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In late May 2022, George and Rebecca announced the good news. George and Rebecca were married on September 24, 2021 in Moscow. On October 1, 2021, they were then married with great fanfare in Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.
Wedding of Grand Duke George and Victoria Rebecca Romanovna in Saint Petersburg in October 2021 (Photo: Royal Histories)
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Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, current head of the Russian Imperial Family, mother of Hereditary Grand Duke George, learned the news “with great joy and gratitude”. Grand Duke Georg is the only son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and her ex-husband, Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia. Rebecca Bettarini is the daughter of the Italian Ambassador Roberto Bettarini.
Looking at the beautiful photos of the couple in Rome, we can see that the Imperial House press release is telling the truth: Princess Romanoff is fine and “in the best of health.” The princess currently has no plans to “cancel or postpone her current engagements,” but she may not be accepting too many new engagements in the coming months.
Georges and Rebecca met many years ago and worked together to create the Imperial Foundation. Rebecca, who now heads the foundation, converted to the Orthodox religion in July 2020 during a liturgy led by Metropolitan Barsanuphi of St. Petersburg and Ladoga at St. Paul and Peter Cathedral and took the name Orthodox from Victoria Romanovna. Her mother-in-law bestowed upon her the title of Princess Romanoff upon her marriage, and exercised the title of Serene Highness.