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Not renounce loving. The intricacies of the life of the Romanovs. Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov Fanfiction Felix Yusupov Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov

This married couple in the history of Russia has remained as one of the most beautiful, richest and most scandalous. They talked a lot about them, they were condemned for almost every act. And meanwhile, they were proud of meeting this couple ..

Discussing the luxurious lifestyle, dazzling beauty or scandalous deeds of the Yusupov princely family, few people think that perhaps they became the catalyst for the historical breakdown that Russia experienced in 1917.

Married by fate

Irina Romanova with her father

The marriage of Grand Duchess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova with Felix Yusupov seemed impossible to all of high-society Russia. The figure of the groom was too scandalous to allow even the idea that he could intermarry with the imperial family.

The only (after the tragic and mysterious death of his elder brother Nikolai in a duel) heir to the richest Yusupov family graduated from Oxford, had a brilliant education and a subtle mind.

Felix Yusupov was so handsome that contemporaries called his face angelic: delicate features, soft puffy lips, huge dark eyes with a veil. In general, a real golden boy.

True, this "golden boy" of monarchical Russia led a far from angelic lifestyle, enjoying all its benefits. Not only that, the merciless rumor attributed to him scandalous love relationships with persons of the same sex.

So they saw him singing in a trendy St. Petersburg cafe in a women's dress from blue tulle with silver sequins and in a magnificent boa of blue ostrich feathers. And in his luxurious palace there were special chambers arranged in oriental style, where he indulged in forbidden love pleasures.

And such a person thought about marriage with the granddaughter of the dowager empress and the niece of the current emperor? What a scandal!

Felix Yusupov himself later recalled his first meeting with Irina Romanova: “From that day on, I was sure that this was my destiny. The teenager has since turned into a young girl of amazing beauty.

Timidity made her silent, which increased her charm and surrounded her with mystery. Overwhelmed by a new feeling, I understood the poverty of my past adventures. Finally, I also found that perfect harmony, which is the basis for all true love ... ".

There are a great many versions of how this marriage worked out. Yusupov himself in his memoirs claims that he fell in love with the first beauty of Russia.

Another version says that Princess Zinaida Yusupova, who adored her son, threw tantrums at him, pretended to be sick and demanded grandchildren while she was still alive.

And numerous ill-wishers of the Yusupov family slandered that the impeccable reputation of Irina Romanova was supposed to whitewash the reputation of Felix.

Whatever it is, beauty Irina could not resist the angelic beauty of her future husband and his assertive courtship. Moreover, he, apparently, repented of his sins before her, and what romantically educated young lady can resist saving such a beautiful sinner?

And so in February 1914, a magnificent wedding took place. More than a thousand guests came to the famous Anichkov Palace, which belonged to the Yusupovs.

The Sovereign Emperor and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna arrived from Tsarskoye Selo with the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatyana, Maria and Anastasia. They blessed the bride to the crown.

The Troubles of the Revolution

Felix Yusupov

A year later, the young wife gave birth to a girl who was named after her mother Irina. Felix has not exactly settled down, but at least his adventures have ceased to gossip in all secular drawing rooms.

He made acquaintances in political circles, liked to speculate about the fate of Russia. After all, not the first year there was a war with the Germans, revolutionary fermentation began in society. And then there's Rasputin...

There are probably few people who did not know that it was Felix Yusupov who was the murderer of Grigory Rasputin. Dozens of books have been written about this, many films have been made, and Felix himself wrote multi-volume memoirs. However, no one will ever know how it really happened.

In the classical version, it is believed that it was precisely the beauty of his wife Irina and the promise of her favor that Yusupov lured Rasputin to his palace. However, there are more scandalous versions.

Some of Felix's enemies gloatingly alluded to the fact that Rasputin was attracted by the angelic beauty of Yusupov himself, and he promised his favor to Gregory.

It was also rumored that the pious elder had come in order to reconcile Irina Alexandrovna with her husband, who, even after marriage, did not refuse homosexual relations. Be that as it may, Rasputin was killed, which prompted the February and then October revolutions.

The imperial couple were so angry that only complicity in the murder of Grand Duke Dmitry saved the conspirators from the death sentence.

Purishkevich was sent to the front, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich was sent to Persia, and Prince Felix Yusupov was sent to his family estate in the Kursk province. His wife, meanwhile, left gossip and rumors with her daughter for the Crimea.

Far from home

The Yusupovs

The revolution turned out to be merciful to the Yusupov princes. On April 13, 1919, the Yusupovs, along with many representatives of the Russian aristocracy and members of the imperial family, set sail from the Crimea on the battleship Marlboro.

In Russia, they abandoned 4 palaces and 6 tenement houses in St. Petersburg, a palace and 8 tenement houses in Moscow, 30 estates and estates throughout the country, the Rakityansky sugar factory, the Milyatinsky meat factory,

Dolzhansky anthracite mines, several brick factories and much more. Legends were told about the collection of Yusupov's jewelry in those days, but they managed to take with them only a small part and a few paintings.

Nevertheless, everyone was alive and was received with enthusiasm in emigre circles. From London, where the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (Irina's mother) eventually settled with her husband and younger children, the Yusupovs moved to Paris.

Paris: ups and downs

Irina Yusupova

The problem is that more than 300,000 Russian emigrants have gathered in France. Many of them fled Russia, figuratively speaking, in their underwear.

Yes, and those who were able to bring out some valuables (for example, like the Yusupovs) sold them for a pittance, because prices fell sharply due to the large supply.

As a result, representatives of aristocratic families found themselves literally on the verge of starvation. After all, they knew almost nothing.

The Yusupovs were rescued by three things. First of all, Felix's fame as the killer of Grigory Rasputin allowed him to make money on this (with the help of interviews, memoirs, films), although Irina Alexandrovna was categorically against this. She was disgusted by such dubious fame and narcissism of her husband.

Secondly, the Yusupovs had enough money to buy a house in the Bois de Boulogne and somehow get settled. Although there was a period when the princess herself darned and washed clothes.

Thirdly, the excellent taste of both Yusupovs allowed them to go into the fashion business. In the early 20s, they created their own fashion house, which they called "IrFe" by the first letters of their names.

True, Russian aristocrats had no idea about business as such. In the Yusupov fashion house, as embroiderers and models, there were entirely real countesses and princesses, but no one even thought of holding at least some minimal advertising campaign.

Felix Yusupov and Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov are two of those who participated in the murder of the favorite of the royal family on the night of December 17, 1916 - the elder Grigory Rasputin. What connected them? position in society? Certainly. Closeness to the royal family? Undoubtedly. But there was also something that made the situation somewhat piquant and, in fact, is almost never mentioned openly in historical research and documents. But the memoirs of contemporaries nevertheless, one way or another, lift the veil of "secrecy" and inform readers about the true state of affairs and the course of events.

Prince Felix Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich

Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich with Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich

"Felix used to be admitted to the palace due to his position and the feelings that he managed to inspire the Romanovs in general, and not just Nikolai and Alexandra Feodorovna. But besides the emotional attachment, which, in spite of everything, I still admit on the part of Felix in relation to the king and queen, there was something else. Felix was completely consumed by vice. This vice attracted him to the Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. Since Felix never considered it necessary to hide his inclinations, this connection became known to everyone at court. Felix's lover, Grand Duke Dmitry, was a favorite of the Tsar and Tsaritsa; he even lived in their palace and was considered a member of the family. When Nikolai and Alexandra Fedorovna found out what was happening between him and Felix, Dmitry was forbidden to see the seducer. Special agents were instructed to openly monitor Felix and thereby restrain him. For some time their efforts were crowned with success, and the young people did not meet. However, Dmitry soon rented a house in St. Petersburg, and Felix settled with him. The scandal went beyond the court and brought a lot of grief to the Romanovs. But the lovers were not at all embarrassed. Dmitry said he was happy. Felix made it clear to everyone that he was only doing a favor to the Grand Duke. And in this, it seems, he saw a special pleasure. Perhaps he loved Dmitry for some time. But, having received what he wanted, Felix could not help but torment his beloved, who had turned into a victim. And then one day, driven to despair by jealousy, Dmitry tried to commit suicide. Returning late in the evening, Felix found him lifeless on the floor. Fortunately, Dmitry was rescued...

Felix called family life with Irina Alexandrovna "diet". The experience of vicious passion never left him. (At the same time, I won’t deny that Felix loves his wife and still lives with her. Although who looked into their bedroom?) Relations with Dmitry, now renewed, now faded, did not attract Felix too much. With the complete submission of Dmitry for Felix, the sharpness, and therefore the attractiveness of the connection, disappeared."

From the book "Matryona Rasputin. Rasputin"

Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich

Prince Felix Yusupov

From Wikipedia: " After Felix Yusupov published his memoirs detailing her father's murder, Maria (Matryona) sued Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich in a Paris court for $800,000 in damages. She denounced them as murderers, stating: "any decent person is disgusted by the brutal murder of Rasputin." The claim was rejected. A French court ruled that it had no jurisdiction over a political assassination that took place in Russia."

Here is a continuation of the theme of homosexuality in the Romanov family. Just small touches to the biography of both, written by a contemporary of these people.

Quite recently, I decided to read the memoirs of Felix Yusupov, knowing full well that a fascinating digression into history awaits me, bloody and sad, but at the same time great and alluring - this happens sometimes. It was in the era of shocks, revolutions, world wars that Prince Felix Felixovich Sumarokov happened to live Elston Jr. - by his father, Yusupov - by his mother. Charming and direct, scandalous and outrageous, kind and unpredictable. For me, it symbolizes the Russia that was lost forever. A sophisticated bisexual and at the same time a courageous gentleman combined in him organically. He was never afraid to be himself and did not hide what he thought. As befits a true Russian prince, he did not take French citizenship, remaining stateless until the end of his life, keeping a Russian passport. He so wanted to return to his native Russia. It wasn't meant to be. However, it may be better that Russia remained in his memoirs as he loved her forever and which he would never have found like that. My story is about a man who to some extent predetermined the course of Russian history in the pre-revolutionary period.

Felix was born on March 24, 1887 in the St. Petersburg house of the Yusupov family on the Moika. Felix was the fourth boy, the youngest child in a family where two died in infancy. Felix and his older brother Nikolai survived to adulthood, who would later die in a duel at the age of 25. Seeing the newborn Felix, 5-year-old Nikolai blurted out: "Throw him out the window." However, later the brothers became very close to each other. From the earliest years, Felix became close to his mother, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, the last in the Yusupov family, one of the richest heirs of Russia. She really expected a girl, but Felix was born. Zinaida Nikolaevna dressed him like a girl, allowed him to play with her magnificent outfits and, in general, allowed everything that is permissible only for a girl. Felix was glad to try. He looked at his mother like a goddess. She was indeed one of the most beautiful women of her time and one of the smartest, it should be noted. Felix learned kindness from her.

Felix's father was Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston, Adjutant General. He was a man of action - devoted to the interests of the Empire. With Felix, they always had a difficult relationship. He wanted to see his continuation in him, but this did not happen and could not happen - the father and son were very different, therefore the distance was between them throughout their lives. Since 1891, the husband of Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, by imperial decree, became known as Count Sumarokov-Elston, Prince Yusupov. The same title was worn by their son - Felix. His parents were very different people. The princess was very secular, fond of nature, who adored art, played music and sang beautifully. Felix Jr. inherited all these virtues of hers. He danced beautifully and loved ballet. He was very friendly with the great ballerina Anna Pavlova. This family has always been surrounded by people of art, science, and Felix Sumarokov Elston Sr. was a man of a different stock. At times this weighed on him and he sought solitude. And yet it was a happy family.

Felix Jr. was impressed by his reputation as a rebel and a rather eccentric youth. His trips to restaurants in the form of a woman, then performances in a cabaret, where, with a soprano given to him by God, he, dressed up as a woman, amused the audience. This was his nature. To shock, to surprise - was his destiny. Of course, the father knew about the antics of his son, and the princess understood that this was the fault of her upbringing, but her son never reproached her, he idolized her. Student Yusupov did not differ in diligence and perseverance, but he was very lively and direct and quickly grasped on the fly, however, only what interested him. This quality of his - to prioritize in the future was very useful to him.

In addition to his mother and brother, in his youth and in subsequent years, Grand Duchess Eliaveta Feodorovna, the sister of Empress Alexandra of the Russian Empire, was a close friend of Felix. The Grand Duchess was a close friend of Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova. Felix considered her his second mother. She knew about all his adventures and considered him a man of a pure soul, and whether the flesh was sinful - it was not important for her - a pious and very intelligent woman who considered love and compassion for others the most important postulates of life. It was she who inspired Felix that he is responsible for his great family and how much good he can do to people. And he did. He helped with the sick in the hospital under the patronage of the Grand Duchess, cared for the wounded during the First World War. By that time, his brother Nikolai was no longer alive. In 1908, after the death of his older brother Nikolai Felix in a duel, he becomes the sole heir to the richest Yusupov family fortune. Nicholas was killed in a duel by Count Manteuffel, with whose wife, Maria Heiden, Nicholas had a relationship. This grief rallied the Yusupov family even more, but Zinaida Nikolaevna never recovered from this tragedy until the end of her days. Felix was also depressed. This was, in fact, the first tragedy in his life. At this time, the family, as always, was very supported by the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Felix considered her a Saint.

The Grand Duchess and her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, did not have children of their own. They raised Sergei Alexandrovich's native nephews - orphans: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, Jr. and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. Dmitry Pavlovich was destined to leave an indelible mark on the life and soul of Felix Feliksovich Yusupov. The scandalous reputation of Felix Dmitry did not frighten at all - on the contrary, he liked that Felix was special, artistic, sincere, very lively. And Felix was comfortable with the Grand Duke. He was an authority for Dmitry Pavlovich. Neither one nor the other ever said how close they were, but the famous writer Nina Berberova, who knew Felix closely, claimed that they were more than friendly. And she's not alone. Dmitry Pavlovich was the favorite of the royal couple, and the sovereign and the empress did not like the friendship between their favorite and the scandalous handsome Yusupov. The Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna had a different opinion - they were completely different from their sister (Empress Alexandra Feodorovna), their views on life and character were also very different. They didn't get along, frankly. Neither before nor after. Dmitry was little worried about rumors about the relationship of his uncle Sergei Alexandrovich with Felix. The General-Governor of Moscow in the Romanov family had a reputation as a "black sheep". Only now in his nephews, two orphans Dmitry and Maria, he did not look for souls. Be that as it may, together with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, they went down in history as one of the main organizers and executors of the murder of Rasputin.

From 1909 to 1912, Felix Yusupov studied at Oxford, where he founded the Russian Society of Oxford University. He fell in love with England, he liked authentic Oxford. In addition, in England he made a lot of friends, with some of whom he remained friends until the end of his days. Felix liked simplicity and cordiality in people. He did not like pomposity and hypocrisy, hypocrisy and pretense. He parted with many, was disappointed in others, but he loved people and tried to see the best in them. He liked being in England, but he missed home. And being at home, he was drawn to Oxford. Having inherited the Tatar genes of his ancestors, he often admitted that he adopted nomadism from them. He was drawn to adventures and all kinds of adventures, which, however, did not prevent him from becoming one of the most educated young people of the Russian Empire. With Dmitry Pavlovich, he did not stop communicating. Too much connected them. Over time, however, their paths diverged. There was a reason for that.

This reason was her highness, the princess of imperial blood - Irina Alexandrovna Romanova - the native niece of Nicholas II, the daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna - the sister of the last Russian emperor. Felix had known her since she was young. The crowned Romanov family was not against intermarrying with the richest family in Russia. Felix and Irina sympathized with each other. And when her father, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, came to Zinaida Nikolaevna to discuss Irina's proposed marriage with Felix, Felix was happy. Irina had a reputation as one of the most beautiful brides of the Romanovs. She was very modest and shy. Before the engagement, Felix told her everything, without hiding his relationship with men, explained what shocked him in women and why he was more attracted to male society. Far from embarrassed, Irina Aleksandrovna understood him and accepted him. Having 6 brothers and being the eldest child in the family, she, fortunately for Felix, was deprived of those feminine qualities that annoyed him. She was a very smart person. And both realized that they were looking in the same direction. But Felix did not know that Dmitry Pavlovich also wanted to marry her. True, earlier they wanted to marry him to the daughter of Emperor Nicholas II, Olga, but the all-powerful at that time, Rasputin, told the Empress about his connections with men. Dmitry held a grudge. Felix and Dmitry agreed not to interfere with Irina to decide whom she wants to marry. But Irina Alexandrovna immediately declared that she would marry only Felix and no one else. However, not everything went so smoothly. Felix was slandered in front of Irina's parents, and those whom he trusted. Shortly before the marriage, Irina's father announces a break in the engagement. Felix manages to convince the future father-in-law of the fallacy and haste of his decision. Irina showed firmness and once again emphasized - either Felix or nobody. The fate of the young was to be decided by Irina's grandmother - Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna - nee Princess Dagmar Frederica Glucksburg, daughter of the Danish King Christian - mother of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II. This was an outstanding personality. Irina was her favorite granddaughter. Felix and Irina, accompanied by Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, went to Copenhagen, where Maria Feodorovna was visiting her relatives. After a conversation with Felix, she said: "Don't be afraid, I'm with you." On February 22, 1914, the wedding of Prince Felix and the princess of imperial blood, Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, took place in St. Petersburg.

After the wedding, the young went on a trip. From the departing train, Felix noticed Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich in the distance on the platform. With whom exactly he came to say goodbye, no one knows, except for the two of them. The wedding was a turning point in their relationship, but not so much that they would be interrupted. Felix wrote: “I have always been outraged by human injustice to those who love differently. You can blame same-sex love, but not the lovers themselves. Normal relationships are contrary to their nature. Are they guilty of being created this way?” Of course, he meant himself. True, it would not be bad for today's domestic figures and representatives of the so-called leading and ruling elite to pay attention to the words of a person who, like no one else, approached this elite. Not only because he was an aristocrat, and not because he believed in God and was Orthodox, but because he was brought up by representatives of the old Russian formation, which knew how to see and accept human features. Among the representatives of his society, such judgments were enough. Maybe the revolution happened, that representatives of that ruling Russia were tolerant, for the most part, tactful and subtle people. And the representative of the most famous Yusupov family, Felix Feliksovich, whose ancestors were Tatars, is by nature nomadic and eccentric, as few people had sobriety of thinking and nobility of thought. It is bitter to realize that others no longer exist, and those are far away. Irina Alexandrovna was his adviser in everything and perfectly understood that this nature cannot be remade and re-educated - she loved him for those qualities for which many loved - the simplicity of the soul, human warmth and deceit of passions that were intertwined in him with a thin thread. On March 21, 1915, Irina and Felix became parents. They had a daughter, Princess Irina Feliksovna Yusupova, named after her mother. The young people were happy. They were not allowed to have any more children.

Felix and Irina, as well as Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, believed that Grigory Rasputin was to attack Russia. Largely because of him, the rest of the Romanovs moved away from the royal couple, with the exception of Grand Duke Konstantin and his family and Grand Duchess Milica Nikolaevna, the wife of Grand Duke Peter Nikolayevich. It was she who introduced the elder Rasputin to the imperial couple. Militsa Nikolaevna was fond of mysticism and introduced Alexandra Feodorovna to this. Rasputin could relieve attacks of hemophilia from Tsarevich Alexei, for which he was perceived by the empress as nothing more than a saint. Rasputin really had hypnotic power, but his influence on the Imperial Court began to grow exorbitantly. Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna was the first to suspect the danger. However, after her conversation with the Empress, she realized that the Empress did not want to hear anything negative about Grigory Efimovich. And she did not come to her again. Elizaveta Feodorovna also spoke to her sister. To no avail.

The empress considered everything to be slander, for saints are always slandered. Rasputin could appoint and dismiss, and then arrange those who were beneficial to him. He had the most power. The emperor silently agreed with all the orders of his wife - for Rasputin is the savior of their son, the future ruler of the Empire. Felix Feliksovich, together with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, deputy Vladimir Purishkovich and British intelligence officer Oscar Reiner, planned to kill Rasputin. But first, Felix needed to win the trust of the troublemaker of all Russia. Under the pretext of a cure for homosexuality, Felix became close to Rasputin. I will not go into the detailed course of events of that distant murder, I will only note that under the pretext of meeting Irina Alexandrovna, who, of course, was aware of this plan, but was in the Crimea at the time of the murder, Rasputin was invited to the Yusupov Palace, where on the night of December 17 1916 Rasputin was killed by conspirators. The details of this crime are not completely clear. Each of the conspirators confused the investigation with his testimony. Today there is a version that the last fatal shot was fired by Oscar Reiner, a British intelligence agent, a close friend and lover of Felix Yusupov since his studies at Oxford. The murder of Rasputin - Felix considered the deliverance of Russia from evil, which was the troublemaker Grigory Rasputin "The Tsar's friend", as he was called. The murder, no matter how blasphemous it may sound, was met with a storm of delight in all segments of the population. Of course, there were fanatical admirers of the elder, but there were few of them against the general background of cheering. Felix was sent into exile on the estate of his father Rakitino, in the Kursk province. Dmitry Pavlovich was sent to the Persian front. The link there saved him from revolutionary bullets. I must say, at the station late at night, when Dmitry left Petrograd, the head of the train made him understand that he could take the train to a siding, from where it would be easy to escape. Dmitry did not escape and survived - sometimes obviously the worst, becomes the unintended best.

Felix Feliksovich survived the revolution, but it forever separated him from his homeland and took away his loved ones from him. In Alapaevsk in 1918, the Grand Russian Princess Elizaveta Feodorovna was killed. The Kaiser of Germany would have saved her if she had not been steadfast in her decision not to leave Russia. Felix said goodbye to her shortly. Rasputin - she considered the devil for Russia and Felix made it clear that he had delivered her from the demon. Together with her, princes John, Konstantin and Igor, the sons of Grand Duke Konstantin, were thrown into the mine. Dmitry Pavlovich's half-brother, Vladimir Paley, was also a victim in Alapaevsk. Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich died with them. Felix believed that over time, Elizabeth Feodorovna should be canonized. On July 17, 1918, the royal family was shot in Yekaterinburg. Nicholas II, Alexandra Feodorovna and their children were shot in the Ipatiev House. Felix with Irina and their little daughter were in the Crimea, in their estate Ai-Todor. They remained in the Crimea until April 1919. On April 13, Felix Yusupov and his family boarded the battleship Marlboro, leaving Russia. Led by the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who lost her sons and grandchildren in the Revolution, and sobbing standing on the bow of the Marlboro. None of them were destined to see Russia again. Then they did not know this and hoped that they would definitely return. Did not happen.

Almost all of the Yusupov family jewelry and jewelry remained in Russia. Only those that Irina Alexandrovna and Zinaida Nikolaevna had with them survived. But in Paris, Felix and Irina forgot about the antique jewels that their familiar jeweler reworked. However, they were later stolen. Felix's friend. Prince Yusupov Jr. unlimitedly believed in people. Felix's car, which he bought more than 5 years ago, was waiting for him in the garage - this greatly simplified the movement of the family. In London, at the Ritz Hotel, Felix knocked. Opening the door on the threshold stood the Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. Irina was away with her father in France. Dmitry and Felix did not part until Dmitry's departure. Dmitry Pavlovich offered to move from London to him in Switzerland, but Felix could not because new refugees from Russia were arriving who needed him. He never refused anyone. I considered it my first duty. Felix's parents with little Irina were in Rome. In Rome, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova headed the central committee for helping refugees from Russia. In 1920, Felix and Irina moved to Paris. The Yusupovs spent huge sums of money to support the refugees, which they no longer had. From Russia, they were able to take out two original Rembrandts, some jewelry, and there was a house on Lake Geneva. The remaining jewels were pawned to support the refugees and themselves. With the money from the sale of Rembrandt paintings, the Yusupovs bought a small house in Boulogne-sur-Seine. This house became a haven for many Russians who sought support from people of boundless kindness, who were Felix and Irina Yusupov. In our time, there are enough wealthy people, with prosperity, opportunities, but most of them will not even think of helping someone, organizing something, trying to find someone a job. A feeling of mutual assistance and compassion was characteristic of the representatives of the glorious and so tragic Russia that had long gone.

In the mid-20s, Irina and Felix opened the Irfé fashion house, which, however, did not lead them to financial stability. They still did not know how to live within their means and, with their characteristic Russian hospitality and generosity, squandered what little they had. True, in the 30s, Felix won a lawsuit against the Hollywood film company Metro Goldwyn Mayer. A film was released at the studio - "Rasputin and the Empress" from which it followed that Irina Alexandrovna was Rasputin's mistress. What never happened. Irina never knew him. Felix managed to prove in court that this slander had nothing to do with reality. MGM paid the Yusupov family $25,000. Felix was not afraid to start this process and won the case. Irina Feliksovna was raised by Felix's parents. She was close to both parents. November 24, 1939 Zinaida Nikolaevna died. Dying, she held the hand of her son. Throughout her life, he was her support in everything. After the death of his father, she was his main concern. During the Second World War, Felix categorically refused to cooperate with the Nazis, despite the threat of losing the family rarity - the unique oval pearl of Pelegrin from the collection of the Yusupov princes. The Germans audited the safes in the bank where she was and, in return for the return of the pearl, offered Felix cooperation. Prince Yusupov replied: "Neither my wife nor I will agree to this for anything. It's better to lose Pelegrina." Three and a half years later, the pearl was returned to the Yusupovs. In 1942, the Yusupovs had a granddaughter, Ksenia. The hardest blow for Felix was the news of the death of Dmitry Pavlovich in March 1942. With him went youth, tenderness, and what was known only to the two of them. Felix's daughter, Irina, was married to Count Sheremetev and lived in Rome. They were able to see their granddaughter only after the war, in 1946.

In 1953, Felix sold Pelegrina. We needed money. For more than 20 years they lived with Irina Alexandrovna in their house on Pierre Guérin Street. They retained the youth of the soul until the end of their days. Guests were always welcome. Self-esteem, this great couple carried through their entire dramatic life, replete with sharp turns and not without tragedies. They persevered and helped others persevere. On September 27, 1967, at the age of 80, the last of the Yusupov princes, Felix Feliksovich, dies. A whimsical but genuine Russian aristocrat, both by birth and in spirit, which is not always the case, left a memory of himself, first of all, as a man who loved his Fatherland. Yes, he was an exile, but he was not a traitor. His heart remained there, among the birches and memories of the time when he was painted by Valentin Serov, adored by him. Princess of Imperial blood, Her Highness Irina Alexandrovna Yusupova, nee Romanova, died on February 26, 1970. Their alliance with Prince Yusupov was a rare example of like-minded people, patriots - forced to leave their native land and people who are not indifferent to the pain of others. She was buried in the same grave with her mother-in-law - Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova. There was no money for another place in the cemetery. Their daughter, Irina Feliksovna, died in August 1983 at the age of 68. She was buried with her parents and grandmother at the famous Parisian cemetery of Saint Genevieve de Bois, where many representatives of old Russia, who made her glory, found their last shelter. Today, the direct descendant of Felix and Irina is their granddaughter Ksenia Sfiri - nee Sheremeteva. She is married. She has a daughter and two grandchildren. Lives in Greece. She visited the homeland of her famous ancestors. And today she is also a citizen of Russia. As a young man in Paris, I met a wonderful man who was already over 90. He spoke Russian with a strong accent. He was a descendant of the noble family of the Muravyovs. One should have seen his eyes filled with tears of happiness from the fact that he was closely acquainted with Felix Feliksovich Yusupov. He was friends with their daughter Irina. Much later, I realized the full power of the charm of a brawler of Tatar blood, who knew how to love and remain forever in people's memory.

Again we are braces and again that Crimea for the Russian Empire, it was not an ordinary province, but still a huge "cottage", where the inhabitants of both Russian capitals discovered in themselves completely unexpected character traits and performed amazing deeds.
Prince Felix Yusupov Jr. (1887 — 1967 ) the most striking and scandalous figure of the early 20th century, in terms of his wealth and aristocratic position, he almost had no equal in the world. But Crimean life also left its mark on him: here he had two very big and very different loves - one with the prince, who was ready to abdicate the throne of the king of Portugal for him, the other with the princess, the niece of the emperor.

The hunting castle of the Yusupov princes in Sokolino (Kok-koz - Blue Eye), Bakhchisaray district. In Soviet and post-Soviet times, a boarding school for juvenile delinquents

In Crimea, the Yusupovs left a luxurious palace in Koreiz, romantic hunting castle in, in which thousands of recidivist thieves were brought up in Soviet times (with budget money!). Yusupov Pond at the Silver Strings waterfall, tea house on the Ai-Petri, Yusupov mosque in Sokolin. A significant part of the current Crimean Reserve is the Yusupov hunting estate. Well, from the public beauties - Arza fountain and Mermaid sculpture on Miskhor beach. In general, there is a place to talk about Prince Felix and other Yusupovs!

Felix Yusupov: Prince Youssoupoff

Felix Yusupov, heir to a huge fortune, married to the Romanovs, “golden boy”, esthete and dandy, Oxford student, creator of the Russian fashion house “Irfe”, benefactor of Russian emigrants in Paris and murderer of Rasputin, Felix Yusupov combined the incongruous… He was a kind angel and a vicious cherub. How did all this coexist in one person?
People are always interested in those who have lost too much: language, homeland, the opportunity to live a familiar life. Felix Yusupov and his wife Irina, having fled into exile, left in Russia estates in Koreiz and Arkhangelsk, palaces in St. Petersburg and Moscow, art collections that the Hermitage is full of today, sugar, meat and brick factories, anthracite mines. Only interest on Yusupov's capital amounted to 10 million rubles a year. By the beginning of the 20th century, the Yusupov princes were the richest people in Russia, much richer than the Romanovs.

They owe their wealth to the famous great-great-grandfather Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov - the classic Catherine's nobleman, collector, polyglot, a man with wild quirks and great merits. Nikolai Borisovich led the coronation of three Russian emperors - Paul I, Alexander I, Nicholas I, who then came to visit him at the Arkhangelsk estate. Catherine II crowned the prince - according to rumors, her lover - with all conceivable and unimaginable awards, and when their list ended, Nikolai Borisovich received a pearl epaulette invented especially for him, which he proudly wore on his right shoulder. He corresponded with Diderot and Beaumarchais, visited Voltaire and spent time with him not only for learned vigils - he also adopted the science of getting rich. The more money the prince had, the less desire to spend them mediocre. No worse than any antique bloodhound, he scoured Europe, buying up sculptures, paintings, books at auctions, bought two Rembrandts, a Bible of 1462 - almost the same age as book printing. Grandfather had a special love for mechanical dolls. Clockwork Jean-Jacques Rousseau was sitting at a table in Arkhangelsk near Moscow - this is how the illustrious prince ironically spoke about the French enlighteners. Because of this mannequin, his great-great-grandson Felix was afraid to look into the library - he was so terrified of a figure with a large silver key sticking out of his spine. Another clockwork toy of the nobleman is familiar to all Russian children. The Pushkins lodged in the wing of the Yusupov family palace in Kharitonevsky Lane, and the clumsy two-year-old fat man Sasha froze in the Yusupov garden in front of an oak tree with a gilded chain. The chain walked and spoke in Dutch huge mechanical cat. Yes, yes, the same one: He goes to the right - he starts the song, to the left - he tells a fairy tale ... ».
In all positions: senator, director of the Hermitage, director of the imperial theaters, manager of porcelain and glass factories in Russia, and so on. and so on. - Nikolai Borisovich could not do without innovations. Having become the director of the imperial theaters, he numbered the rows and chairs so that the audience could sit down. according to purchased tickets", and not to anyone where they please. Having received the management of the Hermitage, he asked Pope Pius VI for permission to copy Raphael's loggias and transferred the distant beauties of the Vatican to St. Petersburg. It was his principle to have the world's masterpieces within personal reach. Having retired from business, the prince recreated France in Arkhangelsk near Moscow, equipping it in the manner of Versailles. Palace, regular park with terraces, hornbeam alley, round platform with colonnade, own theater. And only in the distance on the horizon is a bluish forest haze - Russia. In the fate of his great-great-grandson, this plot, as it should be reflected, will mirror itself: living in France, Felix will remember the slender gardens of Arkhangelsky as "a Russian landscape dear to the heart." The memoirs of the skeptical great-great-grandson are full of pictures of grandfather's madness, the "drunk" life of the Russian aristocracy, who knew no restraint in anything. When asked if he had estates in a particular county, Nikolai Borisovich sent to hell - to the manager. He couldn’t stand the prose of life, and from the outside, his complete disregard for everyday life looked like either a leap or pathological miserliness - at one time in Arkhangelsk, instead of firewood, they drowned with sawdust, until part of the art collection was burned down. On his beloved estate (“Arkhangelsk is not for profit, but for fun and pleasure”), the prince forbade arable farming: they bought grain from neighbors, and the men worked in gardens, cut shrubs, watered tropical flowers, put gold earrings in the gills of fish and combed the wool of Tibetan camels. The prince everywhere dragged with him mistresses, serfs, dogs, monkeys, a library and all the other corps de ballet. What are Pushkin’s Don Juan lists, the “honorary lover of arts” did not keep lists, but simply lived like a pasha in a seraglio, and exposed the goods with his face: 300 portraits of beauties in the Arkhangelsk estate - a complete register of his male exploits . With one wave of his wand, the whole fortress theater was exposed. Ancient blood played: the Yusupov family comes from the Nogai Murzas, their ancestors, emirs and caliphs, are mentioned in the tales of the Thousand and One Nights. As ironic as Felix was about his grandfather's eccentricities, he inherited them in full measure. When in 1924 in Paris he created the Irfe fashion house, he would not so much manage the house as deal with interior and window dressing. Drape windows with yellow silk, hang old prints, choose paneling for wall cladding, and figure out how to improve fashion models' booths (fashion, it's not just for clients, it's for models as well). As for money, Felix had no feelings for them: having his own business, he did not have a wallet. Banknotes were everywhere just like that, in envelopes. A retinue of eccentrics and clowns surrounded Felix both in Russia and in Europe - all in great-great-great, he was also a merry fellow and a connoisseur of the original.

Strictly speaking, the Yusupov family was interrupted long before the birth of Felix. His mother Zinaida Nikolaevna, for lack of male heirs, remained the last in the family - she was given both the title and all the wealth. With the imperial permission, she transferred the title and surname to her husband and son. A dazzling beauty and a “girl with character”, Zinaida Nikolaevna did an unprecedented thing for a princess - she married for love. She preferred the not very well-born Felix Elston-Sumarokov, a real Prussian with a magnificent mustache, to suitors of blue blood. The motto of the Sumarokovs “The Straight Road” seemed to have been specially invented to annoy the Yusupovs with their craving for excesses, eccentricity and scandals.

Let's break a little. Still, the Yusupov Palace in Koreiz, the Arza fountain and the Mermaid sculpture - this was invented and paid for by Felix, Prince Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston Sr. His artistic taste was undeniably excellent.

Or was Zinaida Nikolaevna subconsciously looking for Yusupov's alter ego - the head of the family and a good father to future children, but without quirks? If so, then she missed. The head of the family from Sumarokov left no one. The “soldier” did not know how to dispose of a huge fortune, he did not understand anything in the arts, Zinaida Nikolaevna supported exemplary order on the Moika and in the estates. The children did not listen to him. For homosexual antics, he knew how to slap Felix with a stricter, slam the door and bring down the portrait, but he had no influence on his son. Felix's brother Nikolai played fast tic-tac-toe with fate and died in a duel at the age of 25. No matter how hard Elston-Sumarokov tried to curb Yusupov's blood, it was all to no avail. He did not curb Moscow either, when in 1915 he was appointed military mayor, and, how unlucky, 10 days later, German pogroms began. Without Sumarokov, Muscovites destroyed bowler hats (a German invention and a prototype of the German helmet), with Sumarokov they began to "beat the Germans." From the position of the chief flew off in two accounts. In the company of his father, Felix most often experienced boredom and awkwardness, their rare conversations are a dim corner with cobwebs in which they put the guilty. But mother ... Felix dreamed of recreating such a woman later on the Parisian catwalks: slender, elegant, in impeccable dresses, evoking dreams of the East, shrouded in a veil of an aristocratic past, as legendary as her pearls. Dressing women "flappers" - midnight dancers and carefree fashionistas of Hollywood cinema - Felix in Paris was not interested. He recalled how, in heavy bracelets and a kokoshnik, with a casual ability to wear jewelry (among which Peregrina is a pearl that once belonged to the Spanish king, and in the 1960s bought by Elizabeth Taylor), Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova went out to the guests, and a servant-Arap , struck by her appearance, fell on his face. Felix was born in a palace on the Moika, with luxury and elegance not inferior to the Winter Palace. What does the little prince play, a fifth-generation aesthete? Felix's favorite toys are "obzhedars". In his mannered memoirs, the prince, who writes with archaisms, with slight inaccuracies, sparkles with catchphrases from the palace past: “obzhedar”, “scandalize”. It was considered not entirely decent to give jewelry to the ladies, so in the Yusupovs' slides there were a lot of antique items for the objets dart showcase - miniatures, figurines, bouquets. Felix toyed with a solid sapphire Venus, a ruby Buddha, and a bronze negro with a basket full of diamonds. Gods and Moors are favorite characters of his childhood fantasies. He liked to close himself in the Moorish hall, the mosaic on the walls of which repeated the ornaments of the Alhambra, wrap himself in long threads of mother's pearls, put a turban on his head, his fingers in multi-carat diamonds, and dream: he is a sultan, servants are slaves, he swings a dagger.

While ordinary boys played soldiers, Felix rummaged through the wardrobe, which contained so many luxurious clothes, gizmos and jewelry that would be enough for all the tales of Scheherazade. From there he took out either a magnificent ostrich feather esprit, or a ball gown studded with diamonds, or an Ottoman-style turban (in Koreiz, the Yusupovs kept a whole wardrobe of oriental clothes to amuse the guests). The beauty of women's clothing - gathers, ruffles, tucks - Felix appreciated, trying on himself. Until the age of five, the princess dressed him as a girl, and he stopped passers-by: “Look how handsome I am!”

from Felix's memoirs: he was born so weak and so ugly that his older brother was frightened and demanded "throw this muck out the window." But by the age of three, his appearance had become picturesque.

In the Berlin zoo, through the bars, a lion's ass tickled with a cane: "Turn around, I'm wearing a new suit!" “A real man must be either a courtier or a military man,” the empress instructed him, and Felix fled from her to Oxford and made a sensation in English masquerades.

The surname Elston (surprise) on the father's side was not entirely legal in the aristocratic environment, behind it was some kind of secret connection between the English royal house and some French noble family. In any case, Felix Yusupov was considered a relative of the English queen. At Oxford he was in a special position.

Waddling around in mother's heels, trying on grown-up dresses - all girls do it. But a boy in a woman's outfit, endlessly entertaining with costume balls?

However, it was difficult to resist: he had one of the best wardrobes in Europe at his disposal. Felix made his first parade trip in a women's dress at the age of 12. Together with a cousin (parents were not at home), they powdered, rouged, put on wigs and pearl shorts, wrapped themselves in velvet and drove to Nevsky - a haven for prostitutes.

In the memoirs of Felix Yusupov, the first trip in a woman's dress was, indeed, at the age of 12. The bride of his older brother dressed him up. Later, Felix drew his peer and relative Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov, the emperor's nephew, into restaurant adventures with guards officers. From this age, weekends and holidays for Felix Yusupov and Dmitry Romanov were always filled with alcohol and debauchery. Dmitry died at the age of 51 from tuberculosis. About his life in the appendix to this review.
As for Felix… From the age of 19 he regularly smoked opium (without leaving the alcohol habitual from childhood), but he lived a long and very full of creative achievements life — 80 years!

Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov, 1905, 14 years old. Already on the occasion of his birth he had the following awards: the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (1891); Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (1891); Order of St. Anne 1st class (1891); Order of the White Eagle (1891); Order of St. Stanislaus 1st class (1891);

In the chic restaurant "Medved" the "girls" Felix and Dmitry were brought champagne, Felix took off pearls of fabulous value and began to throw them on the heads of neighbors, like a lasso. The pearls scattered on the floor, and the rest of them, along with the bill for dinner the next morning, were sent to my father.

A hundred years ago, the scandalous chronicles from the life of Yusupov Jr. occupied the townsfolk no less than yellow stories about difficult children of famous politicians and show business stars today. And even more: in that bashful, non-media era, stories about transvestites, perverts and drug addicts with rich daddies had not yet had time to get bored to hell. It seems that the parents did not believe too much in the possibility of re-educating Felix. In any case, in 1900 -m, in the year of their son's debut on Nevsky, they made a rather strange testament: “ In the event of a sudden cessation of our race, all of our movable and immovable property will bequeathed to the property of the state in the form of preserving these collections within the Empire to meet the aesthetic and scientific needs of the Fatherland».

Felix did not leave tricks with dressing up until the death of his brother Nikolai, when not cranberry, but real blood poured in their booth. And before that, he still managed to get out a Blok stranger (in a blue tulle tunic, with a cape of blue and blue feathers) on the stage of the Aquarium cabaret in St. Petersburg. On the posters, instead of the name of the performer, there were mysterious stars. Felix encoreed three times. At the seventh performance, by his resemblance to the princess and family jewels, he was identified by friends of his parents.. Felix had a rare talent for getting caught in his pranks. When in Venice, he first went to a brothel, then he met his mentor there, a teacher of fine arts named Don Andriano, an old man in a straw hat. At the Parisian costume opera made the heart of the future king of Great Britain Edward VII beat faster, who lorned the young charmer all evening. Nothing special: descriptions of Russian masquerades of the mid-19th century are full of anecdotes about how some adjutant Kavelin in a pink domino turned his superiors' heads. The trouble is that the heir to the English throne fell for this joke, and Zinaida Nikolaevna had to intervene and hush up the scandal, after which the idea of marrying Felix turned into a real headache. As for homosexuality, among St. Petersburg aesthetes, it, coupled with spiritualism, was a craze. Valentin Serov, who wrote Felix in 1903, knew about his adventures, disliked him and called him a “graf” behind his back. There are no traces of majorism in the portrait - the handsome man with a cold, strong-willed face and a gentle smile looks at the audience. " Felix has God in one eye and the devil in the other ", - said Anna Pavlova . Leaning on a marble dog, Felix holds his pet bulldog Clown by the paw. Dogs have always lived with him, bulldogs are his first and most characteristic models, or, as they said then, “dummies”.

Felix came to Oxford to listen to lectures at a time when the transition was being made from the prim Victorian era to the Art Nouveau style, which was called "Edwardian", in honor of the reigning King Edward VII. Felix was not drawn to the sciences, but in England he learned to brilliantly hit tennis serves (the second racket in Russia after cousin Mikhail), brought flowers to Anna Pavlova, introduced the fashion for black carpets and almost introduced it to Russian costumes. He rented an apartment opposite Hyde Park and began to experiment: orange curtains, chairs in bright earthenware stains, a blue glass lamp with an orange shade - in its light, faces seemed porcelain. On the floor I ordered a shaggy black carpet. The owners of the furniture store mistook Felix for the devil and hid from him behind the screens. In the bedroom, Felix went all out, building a playboy alcove: a blue curtain, a carpet on the floor, also black, but with a flower, in the corners of a lamp. Despite the extravagance of the design, in the interior, as well as in the costume, Felix recognized only the time-tested. None of the Yusupovs would have thought of buying the Impressionists or sewing dresses "a la Lamanova" with breadcrumbs instead of buttons.
The masquerades ended with Felix getting married. And at your own will. They met, as befits the celestials, on a horseback ride, somewhere at the turn of a mountain path. Genius of pure beauty, Grand Duchess and niece of Nicholas II Irina Romanova showed herself in all her glory, looked into her eyes and prancing past. That's it. He is not the only inhabitant of the peaks! Nonsense about greedy, greedy, obnoxious ugly women, whom they want to marry him, disappeared in an instant. No one was going to marry him to Irina Alexandrovna Romanova. Hearing that the son decided to settle down, Yusupovs convened historians, undertook genealogical research and erected family tree roots to Emir el Omr y, the emir of emirs and the sultan of sultans, and from him to the prophet Mohammed himself, they equated themselves with the Romanovs. And on the eve of the wedding, everything went to hell. Someone screwed up the royal family - one of Felix's former friends and lovers. So that he finally understands that love is not a joke. Engaged, in love and happy, Felix was descending onto the platform of the Paris station when the figure of Count Mordvinov moved towards him. The Grand Duke's envoy brought bad news. So bad that Felix's ancestors would certainly imprison him in a zindan, throw him to jackals or cut off his head - the Romanovs canceled the engagement and forbade him to come on a visit ... Felix was not one of those who go into love with his head. He believed that only those who have nothing to leave spend themselves without a trace. But in this blow there was a burning buzz of wounded pride. Fate set out to read him a moral! She hinted that neither money, nor connections, nor the Prophet Muhammad himself would cancel a bad reputation. And he turned on.
From the station he rushed to the hotel to the Romanovs - do not care about etiquette - straight to the room, without a report, to convince, to prove that he was slandered. Even before the engagement, the prince came to Irina with revelations, and she, who grew up among brothers, was used to listening to men's stories from childhood. Don't be afraid, queen, the blood has long gone into the ground, and vine trees are growing there now ... She was not afraid. Silent Irina said her word: either he or no one. At the wedding in the Anichkov Palace, the most beautiful couple in Russia showed themselves in all their charm and in all their madness. As a wedding gift, Felix asked Nicholas II for permission to sit in the theater in the imperial box. (" I married my wife out of snobbery and she married me for money ' is his favorite joke.)

In his memoirs, Prince Felix Yusupov Jr. honestly writes that Irina Romanova, who grew up among brothers, did not have female coquetry and never sought to divert attention to herself in secular communication. Felix always knew that next to his wife, the center of society would always be himself. Nevertheless, the Yusupovs adopted a young Mexican artist. But that is another story. It definitely has nothing to do with Crimea.

On the way to the chapel, the groom got stuck in an elevator, and “all the royal men” and the emperor himself rescued him from the shaking box. Princess Irina stood at the altar in a white satin dress with silver embroidery, wearing the diadem and veil of the executed Marie Antoinette. On the wedding wreaths, with her tongue out, lay a black beast - the bulldog Punch. Parents gave the young people the mezzanine of the house on the Moika, and after the wedding, Felix again plunged into experiments with interiors, but this time he made a family nest, and did not furnish the garconnière. The radiant living room shone with ivory silk, the Dutch on the walls, in the library there were bookcases made of Karelian birch and emerald green walls, an amethyst dining room with Arkhangelsk porcelain - a mixture of rococo, empire and classicism. The prince loved this strict and fragile combination more than anything, he could not stand revolutions in art, as in life. When the revolution does happen, it will seem to him like a masquerade in hell. The revolutionary days are described in his memoirs as a triumph of bad taste. Sailors burst into the Crimean estate - many are roughly powdered and perfumed, on their hairy chests, like onion heads from a tent vendor, looted pearls and diamonds dangle, disgusting hands - in rings and bracelets. The prince raises his collar and gets into the engine, and on the facade of the palace on the Moika, which is already turning into a barracks, someone is painting a red, ugly spreading cross. In the depths of his soul, Felix was afraid that he might not have stirred up this bloody bacchanalia. He knew about the letter of the occultist Papus to the Empress: From a Kabbalistic point of view, Rasputin is like Pandora's box. It contains all the sins, atrocities and abominations of the Russian people. Break this box - the content will immediately scatter all over Russia". Is that where it fell apart?

I never found a continuation of this article, but to the thoughtful reader I recommend the memoirs of Prince Felix Yusupov, personally and honestly written. Very carefully he describes the murder of Rasputin, which was only possible because the very cautious and suspicious Rasputin could not resist the charm of Felix. Prince Yusupov played the guitar, sang languid romances and waited for the potassium cyanide to work? This is the highest level of acting...

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Another article about the "evil cherub"

Edgar-Cyril Dalberg

Not renounce loving

Quite recently, I decided to read the memoirs of Felix Yusupov, knowing full well that a fascinating excursion into history awaits me, bloody and sad, but at the same time great and alluring - this happens sometimes. It was in the era of shocks, revolutions, world wars that Prince Felix Felixovich Sumarokov happened to live Elston Jr. - by his father, Yusupov - by his mother. Charming and direct, scandalous and outrageous, kind and unpredictable. For me, it symbolizes the Russia that was lost forever. A sophisticated bisexual and at the same time a courageous gentleman combined in him organically. He was never afraid to be himself and did not hide what he thought. As befits a true Russian prince, he did not take French citizenship, remaining stateless until the end of his life, retaining a Russian passport. He so wanted to return to his native Russia. It wasn't meant to be. However, it may be better that Russia remained in his memoirs as he loved her forever and which he would never have found like that. My story is about a man who to some extent predetermined the course of Russian history in the pre-revolutionary period.

Felix was born on March 24, 1887 in the St. Petersburg house of the Yusupov family on the Moika. Felix was the fourth boy, the youngest child in a family where two died in infancy. Felix and his older brother Nikolai survived to adulthood, who would later die in a duel at the age of 25. Seeing the newborn Felix, 5-year-old Nikolai blurted out: "Throw him out the window." However, later the brothers became very close to each other. From the earliest years, Felix became close to his mother, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, the last in the Yusupov family, one of the richest heirs of Russia. She was expecting a girl, but Felix was born. Zinaida Nikolaevna dressed him like a girl, allowed him to play with her magnificent outfits and, in general, allowed everything that is permissible only for a girl. Felix was glad to try. He looked at his mother like a goddess. She was indeed one of the most beautiful women of her time, and one of the smartest, it should be noted. Felix learned kindness from her.

Felix's father was Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston, Adjutant General. He was a man of action, devoted to the interests of the Empire. With Felix, they always had a difficult relationship. He wanted to see his continuation in him, but this did not happen and could not happen - father and son were very different, therefore there was a distance between them throughout their lives. Since 1891, the husband of Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, by imperial decree, became known as Count Sumarokov-Elston, Prince Yusupov. The same title was worn by their son - Felix. His parents were very different people. The princess was very secular, fond of nature, who adored art, played music and sang beautifully. Felix Jr. inherited all these virtues of hers. He danced beautifully and loved ballet. He was very friendly with the great ballerina Anna Pavlova. This family has always been surrounded by people of art, science, and Felix Sumarokov Elston Sr. was a man of a different stock. Sometimes it weighed him down, and he sought solitude. And yet it was a happy family.

Felix Jr. was impressed by his reputation as a rebel and a rather eccentric youth. His trips to restaurants in a woman's guise, then performances in a cabaret, where, with a soprano given to him by God, he, dressed up as a woman, amused the audience. It was his nature. To shock, to surprise - was his lot. Of course, the father knew about the antics of his son, and the princess understood that this was the fault of her upbringing, but her son never reproached her, he idolized her. Student Yusupov did not differ in diligence and perseverance, but he was very lively and spontaneous and quickly grasped on the fly, however, only what interested him. This quality of his - to set priorities in the future was very useful to him.

In addition to his mother and brother, in his youth and in subsequent years, Felix was a close friend of the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna - the sister of the Empress of the Russian Empire Alexandra. The Grand Duchess was a close friend of Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova. Felix considered her his second mother. She knew about all his adventures and considered him a man of a pure soul, and whether the flesh was sinful - it was not important for her - a pious and very intelligent woman who considered love and compassion for her neighbor the most important postulates of life. It was she who inspired Felix that he is responsible for his great family and how much good he can do to people. And he did. He helped with the sick in the hospital under the patronage of the Grand Duchess, cared for the wounded during the First World War. By that time, his brother Nikolai was no longer alive. In 1908, after the death of his older brother Nikolai Felix in a duel, he becomes the sole heir to the richest Yusupov family fortune. Nicholas was killed in a duel by Count Manteuffel, with whose wife, Maria Heiden, Nicholas had a relationship. This grief rallied the Yusupov family even more, but Zinaida Nikolaevna never recovered from this tragedy until the end of her days. Felix was also depressed. It was in fact the first tragedy in his life. At this time, the family, as always, was very supported by the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Felix considered her a Saint.

The Grand Duchess and her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, had no children of their own. They raised Sergei Alexandrovich's orphan nephews: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna Jr. and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. Dmitry Pavlovich was destined to leave an indelible mark on the life and soul of Felix Feliksovich Yusupov. The scandalous reputation of Felix Dmitry did not frighten at all - on the contrary, he liked that Felix was special, artistic, sincere, very lively. And Felix was comfortable with the Grand Duke. He was an authority for Dmitry Pavlovich. Neither one nor the other ever said how close they were, but the famous writer Nina Berberova, who knew Felix closely, claimed that they were more than friendly. And she's not alone. Dmitry Pavlovich was the favorite of the royal couple, and the sovereign and the empress did not like the friendship between their favorite and the scandalous handsome Yusupov. The Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna had a different opinion - they were completely different from their sister (Empress Alexandra Feodorovna), their views on life and character were also very different. They didn't get along, frankly. Neither before nor after. Dmitry was little worried about rumors about the relationship of his uncle Sergei Alexandrovich with Felix. The General-Governor of Moscow in the Romanov family had a reputation as a "black sheep". Only now in his nephews - two orphans Dmitry and Maria, he doted on the soul. Be that as it may, together with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, they went down in history as one of the main organizers and executors of the murder of Rasputin.

From 1909 to 1912, Felix Yusupov studied at Oxford, where he founded the Russian Society of Oxford University. He fell in love with England, he liked authentic Oxford. In addition, in England he made a lot of friends, with some of whom he remained friends until the end of his days. Felix liked simplicity and cordiality in people. He did not like pomposity and hypocrisy, hypocrisy and pretense. He parted with many, was disappointed in others, but he loved people and tried to see the best in them. He liked being in England, but he missed home. And being at home, he was drawn to Oxford. Having inherited the Tatar genes of his ancestors, he often admitted that he adopted nomadism from them. He was drawn to adventures and all kinds of adventures, which, however, did not prevent him from becoming one of the most educated young people of the Russian Empire. With Dmitry Pavlovich, he did not stop communicating. Too many things tied them together. Over time, however, their paths diverged. There was a reason for that.

This reason was Her Highness the Princess of Imperial Blood - Irina Alexandrovna Romanova - the native niece of Nicholas II, the daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna - the sister of the last Russian emperor. Felix had known her since she was young. The crowned Romanov family was not against intermarrying with the richest family in Russia. Felix and Irina sympathized with each other. And when her father, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, came to Zinaida Nikolaevna to discuss Irina's proposed marriage with Felix, Felix was happy. Irina had a reputation as one of the most beautiful brides of the Romanov dynasty. She was very modest and shy. Before the engagement, Felix told her everything, without concealing his relationship with men, explained what shocked him in women and why he was more drawn to male society. Not at all embarrassed, Irina Alexandrovna Romanova understood and accepted. Having 6 brothers and being the eldest child in the family, she, fortunately for Felix, was deprived of those feminine qualities that annoyed him. She was a very smart person. And both realized that they were looking in the same direction. But Felix did not know that Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov also wanted to marry her. True, earlier they wanted to marry him to the daughter of Emperor Nicholas II, Olga, but the all-powerful at that time, Rasputin, told the Empress about his connections with men. Dmitry held a grudge. Felix and Dmitry agreed not to interfere with Irina to decide whom she wants to marry. But Irina Alexandrovna immediately declared that she would marry only Felix and no one else. However, not everything was so smooth. Felix was slandered in front of Irina's parents, and those whom he trusted. Shortly before the marriage, Irina's father announces the breakup of the engagement. Felix manages to convince the future father-in-law of the fallacy and haste of his decision. Irina showed firmness and emphasized once again - either Felix or no one. The fate of the young was to be decided by Irina's grandmother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, born Princess Dagmar Frederica Glucksburg, daughter of the Danish King Christian, mother of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II. It was an outstanding personality. Irina was her favorite granddaughter. Felix and Irina, accompanied by Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, went to Copenhagen, where Maria Feodorovna was visiting her relatives. After talking with Felix, she said: "Don't be afraid, I'm with you." On February 22, 1914, the wedding of Prince Felix and the princess of imperial blood, Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, took place in St. Petersburg.

After the wedding, the young went on a trip. From the departing train, Felix noticed Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich in the distance on the platform. With whom exactly he came to say goodbye, no one knows, except for the two of them. The wedding was a turning point in their relationship, but not so much that they would be interrupted. Felix wrote: “I have always been outraged by human injustice to those who love differently. You can blame same-sex love, but not the lovers themselves. Normal relationships are contrary to their nature. Are they to blame for being created this way? Of course he meant himself. True, it would not be bad for today's domestic figures and representatives of the so-called leading and ruling elite to pay attention to the words of a person who, like no one else, approached this elite. Not only because he was an aristocrat, and not because he believed in God and was Orthodox, but because he was brought up by representatives of the old Russian formation, which knew how to see and accept human characteristics. Among the members of his society, such judgments were enough. Maybe the revolution happened, that the representatives of that ruling Russia were tolerant, for the most part, tactful and subtle people. And the representative of the most famous Yusupov family - Felix Feliksovich, whose ancestors were Tatars, is by nature a nomad and eccentric, like few people possessed sobriety of thinking and nobility of thought. It is bitter to realize that others no longer exist, and those are far away. Irina Alexandrovna was his adviser in everything and perfectly understood that this nature cannot be remade and re-educated - she loved him for those qualities for which many loved - the simplicity of the soul, human warmth and deceit of passions that were intertwined in him with a thin thread. On March 21, 1915, Irina and Felix became parents. They had a daughter, Princess Irina Feliksovna Yusupova, named after her mother. The young people were happy. They were not allowed to have any more children.

Felix and Irina, as well as Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, believed that Grigory Rasputin was to attack Russia. Largely because of him, the rest of the Romanovs moved away from the royal couple, with the exception of Grand Duke Konstantin and his family and Grand Duchess Milica Nikolaevna, the wife of Grand Duke Peter Nikolayevich. It was she who introduced the elder Rasputin to the imperial couple. Militsa Nikolaevna was fond of mysticism and introduced Alexandra Fedorovna to this. Rasputin could relieve attacks of hemophilia from Tsarevich Alexei, for which he was perceived by the empress as nothing more than a saint. Rasputin really had hypnotic power, but his influence on the Imperial Court began to grow exorbitantly. Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna was the first to suspect the danger. However, after her conversation with the Empress, she realized that the Empress did not want to hear anything negative about Grigory Efimovich. And she never came back. Elizaveta Feodorovna also spoke to her sister. To no avail.

Felix Feliksovich, together with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, deputy Vladimir Purishkovich and British intelligence officer Oscar Reiner, planned to kill Rasputin. But first, Felix needed to win the trust of the troublemaker of all Russia. Under the pretext of a cure for homosexuality, Felix became close to Rasputin. I will not go into the detailed course of events of that distant murder, I will only note that under the pretext of meeting Irina Alexandrovna, who, of course, was aware of this plan, but was in the Crimea at the time of the murder, Rasputin was invited to the Yusupov Palace, where on the night of December 17 1916 Rasputin was killed by conspirators. The details of this crime are not completely clear. Each of the conspirators confused the investigation with his testimony. Today there is a version that the last fatal shot was made by Oscar Reiner- British intelligence agent, a close friend and lover of Felix Yusupov since his studies at Oxford. The murder of Rasputin - Felix considered the deliverance of Russia from evil, which was the troublemaker Grigory Rasputin "The Tsar's friend", as he was called. The murder, no matter how blasphemous it may sound, was met with a storm of delight in all segments of the population. Of course, there were fanatical admirers of the elder, but there were few of them against the general background of cheering. Felix was sent into exile on the estate of his father Rakitino, in the Kursk province. Dmitry Pavlovich was sent to the Persian front. The link there saved him from Revolutionary bullets. I must say, at the station late at night, when Dmitry was leaving Petrograd, the head of the train made him understand that he could take the train to a siding, from where it would be easy to escape. Dmitry did not escape and survived - sometimes obviously the worst, becomes the unintended best.

Felix with Irina and their little daughter were in Crimea, in his estate Ai-Todor. They remained in the Crimea until April 1919. On April 13, Felix Yusupov and his family boarded the battleship Marlborough, leaving Russia.

estate Ai-Todor in Gaspre belonged to the Grand Duke, who began his career as a midshipman in the Black Sea Fleet. His authority among the sailors of Sevastopol is the only reason for the salvation of all the Romanovs and their relatives, who ended up in the Crimea during the Civil War.

Led by the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna, who lost her sons and grandchildren in the Revolution, and weeping while standing on the bow of the Marlboro. None of them were destined to see Russia again. Then they did not know this and hoped that they would definitely return. Did not happen.

Almost all of the Yusupov family jewelry and jewelry remained in Russia. Only those that Irina Alexandrovna and Zinaida Nikolaevna had with them survived. But in Paris, Felix and Irina forgot about the antique jewels that their familiar jeweler reworked. However, they were later stolen. Felix's friend. Prince Yusupov Jr. unlimitedly believed in people. Felix's car, which he bought more than 5 years ago, was waiting for him in the garage - this greatly simplified the movement of the family. In London, at the Ritz Hotel, Felix knocked. Opening the door on the threshold stood the Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. Irina was away with her father in France. Dmitry and Felix did not part until Dmitry's departure. Dmitry Pavlovich offered to move from London to him in Switzerland, but Felix could not because new refugees from Russia were arriving who needed him. He never refused anyone. I considered it my first duty. Felix's parents with little Irina were in Rome. In Rome, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova headed the Central Committee for Assistance to Refugees from Russia. In 1920, Felix and Irina moved to Paris. The Yusupovs spent huge sums of money to support the refugees, which they no longer had. From Russia, they were able to take out two original Rembrandts, some jewelry, and there was a house on Lake Geneva. The remaining jewels were pawned to support the refugees and themselves. With the money from the sale of Rembrandt paintings, the Yusupovs bought a small house in Boulogne-sur-Seine. This house became a haven for many Russians who sought support from people of boundless kindness, who were Felix and Irina Yusupov. In our time, there are enough wealthy people, with prosperity, opportunities, but most of them will not even think of helping someone, organizing something, trying to find someone a job. A feeling of mutual assistance and compassion was characteristic of the representatives of the glorious and so tragic Russia that had long gone.

In the mid-20s, Irina and Felix opened the Irfé fashion house, which, however, did not lead them to financial stability. Still, they did not know how to live within their means, and with their characteristic Russian hospitality and generosity, they squandered what little they had. True, in the 30s, Felix won a lawsuit against the Hollywood film company Metro Goldwyn Mayer. A film was released at the studio - "Rasputin and the Empress" from which it followed that Irina Alexandrovna was Rasputin's mistress. What never happened. Irina never knew him. Felix managed to prove in court that this slander had nothing to do with reality. MGM paid the Yusupov family $25,000. Felix was not afraid to start this process and won the case.

Irina Feliksovna was raised by Felix's parents. She was close to both parents. November 24, 1939 Zinaida Nikolaevna died. Dying, she held the hand of her son. Throughout her life, he was her support in everything. After the death of his father, she was his main concern. During the Second World War, Felix categorically refused to cooperate with the Nazis, despite the threat of losing the family rarity - the unique oval pearl of Pelegrin from the collection of the Yusupov princes. The Germans audited the safes in the bank where she was and, in return for the return of the pearl, offered Felix cooperation. Prince Yusupov replied: “Neither my wife nor I will agree to this for anything. It's better to lose Pelegrina." Three and a half years later, the pearl was returned to the Yusupovs. In 1942, the Yusupovs had a granddaughter, Ksenia. The hardest blow for Felix was the news of the death of Dmitry Pavlovich in March 1942. With him went youth, tenderness, and what was known only to the two of them. Felix's daughter, Irina, was married to Count Sheremetev and lived in Rome. They were able to see their granddaughter only after the war, in 1946.

In 1953, Felix sold Pelegrina. We needed money. For more than 20 years they lived with Irina Alexandrovna in their house on Pierre Guérin Street. They retained the youth of the soul until the end of their days. Guests were always welcome. Self-esteem, this great couple carried through their entire dramatic life, replete with sharp turns and not without tragedies. They persevered and helped others persevere. On September 27, 1967, at the age of 80, the last of the Yusupov princes, Felix Feliksovich, dies. A whimsical but genuine Russian aristocrat, both by birth and in spirit, which is not always the case, left a memory of himself, first of all, as a man who loved his Fatherland. Yes, he was an exile, but he was not a traitor. His heart remained there, among the birches and memories of the time when he was painted by Valentin Serov, adored by him. Princess of Imperial blood, Her Highness Irina Alexandrovna Yusupova, nee Romanova, died on February 26, 1970. Their union with Prince Yusupov was a rare example of like-minded people, patriots who were forced to leave their native land and people who were not indifferent to the pain of others. She was buried in the same grave with her mother-in-law, Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova. There was no money for another place in the cemetery. Their daughter, Irina Feliksovna, died in August 1983 at the age of 68. She was buried with her parents and grandmother at the famous Parisian cemetery of Saint Genevieve de Bois, where many representatives of old Russia, who made her glory, found their last shelter. Today, the direct descendant of Felix and Irina is their granddaughter Ksenia Sfiri - nee Sheremeteva. She is married. She has a daughter and two grandchildren. Lives in Greece. She visited the homeland of her famous ancestors. And today she is also a citizen of Russia.

As a young man in Paris, I met a wonderful man who was already over 90. He spoke Russian with a strong accent. He was a descendant of the noble family of the Muravyovs. One should have seen his eyes filled with tears of happiness from the fact that he was closely acquainted with Felix Feliksovich Yusupov. He was friends with their daughter Irina. Much later, I realized the full power of the charm of a brawler of Tatar blood, who knew how to love and remain forever in people's memory.

Sometimes I go out in the evening on the balcony of my Pierre-Guerin house and in the suburban silence of Oteil I can definitely hear the echo of the past in the distant Parisian noise ...

When will I see Russia? ..

Hope no one is ordered. I am already in those years when you do not think about the future, if you have not survived from the mind.

And yet I still dream of a time that, surely, will not come for me, and which I call:

"After Exile".

Felix Yusupov "Memoirs"

=================================

Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov

Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, who used the surname Romanov in exile (September 6 (18), 1891, Ilyinsky estate, Zvenigorod district, Moscow province - March 5, 1942, Davos, Switzerland) - the only son of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich from his marriage to the Greek princess Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna, grandson of Alexander II, cousin of Emperor Nicholas II. Paternal great-grandson of Nicholas I and maternal great-great-grandson (through his grandmother, Queen Olga Konstantinovna of Greece). Participant in the murder of G. E. Rasputin, after the revolution of 1917 - in exile. Father of Pavel Romanov-Ilyinsky, colonel in the American army.

Dmitry's mother died as a result of the premature birth of her second child, Dmitry. His father, Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, remarried to the former wife of his subordinate (General Pistohlkors) Olga Karnovich and was expelled from Russia for a morganatic marriage. Dmitry and his older sister Maria Pavlovna were brought up in the family of their uncle, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wife Elizaveta Feodorovna, who did not have their own children (Elizaveta Feodorovna is the sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna). Sergei Alexandrovich was the Moscow governor-general, and Dmitry and Maria spent their childhood in Moscow.

In 1905, Grand Duke Sergei died in the Moscow Kremlin from a bomb explosion by the Social Revolutionary Ivan Kalyaev. Elizaveta Feodorovna retired to the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy, which she had created. Dmitry was taken to the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoye Selo by Emperor Nicholas II, and the young man was brought up in the royal family until 1913. Subsequently, Dmitry Pavlovich became the owner of the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace in St. Petersburg, which his uncle had previously owned.

The Grand Duke received an excellent military education. He graduated from the Officer Cavalry School, began his service in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment of His Majesty.

In 1912 he participated in the Summer Olympics in Stockholm in equestrian competitions. He took 9th place in the individual show jumping and 5th place in the Russian team in the team show jumping.

On June 6, 1912, the engagement of Grand Duke Dmitry with the eldest daughter of the Emperor Olga was to take place, but the mother of the Grand Duchess, Alexandra Feodorovna, insisted on breaking off relations between the lovers because of Dmitry's undisguised antipathy to Grigory Rasputin.

He entered the First World War with the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. Participated in a campaign in East Prussia and was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree For the fact that being in the battle on August 6 near Kraupishken as an orderly at the head of the cavalry detachment, in the midst of the battle, with a clear danger to life, delivered correct information about the enemy, as a result of which measures were taken that were crowned with complete success.

Widely known for his participation in the murder of G. E. Rasputin on the night of December 17, 1916, together with Prince Felix Yusupov, State Duma member V. M. Purishkevich, lieutenant Sukhotin, Dr. Lazavert and, possibly, some other unidentified persons. However, unlike the same Yusupov, Dmitry never spoke about this murder during his subsequent life, did not give interviews and did not discuss it even with people close to him.

After the discovery of Rasputin's corpse, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich and Prince Yusupov were arrested on the direct orders of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, in violation of the law in force; were released only after the intervention of Nicholas II, so as not to provoke society, already worried about the murder of a favorite, to sympathy for the killers and possible further actions of the conspirators.

In defense of Dmitry Pavlovich, a letter was submitted to the emperor, signed by some members of the Imperial House.

Sent by order of Nicholas II to Persia, to the detachment of General N. N. Baratov, which could significantly undermine the already poor health of the Grand Duke, but actually saved his life after the start of the revolution in Russia.

In Paris, Dmitry Pavlovich met with the famous French couturier Coco Chanel, they had an affair that lasted only a year. But it was thanks to him that she met Ernest Bo, the perfumer who created Chanel No. 5.

After emigrating, he lived for some time in the United States, where he was engaged in the champagne trade and met his future wife. He was fond of car racing.

In 1926, in Biarritz, he married an American woman, Audrey Emery, who converted to Orthodoxy with the name Anna. From the mid-1920s, the couple lived in Europe, where Dmitry Pavlovich participated in various monarchist and patriotic movements (including playing a significant role in the formation of the Young Russians movement). In 1928, their son Pavel was born, who received the title of His Serene Highness Prince Romanovsky-Ilyinsky from the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and lived in the USA since the 1940s. His sons Dmitry and Mikhail are the eldest among the descendants of the Romanovs (in the male line among the descendants from morganatic marriages), although they recognize Nikolai Romanovich Romanov as the head of the “Association of Members of the Romanov Family” and do not claim leadership in the house (and the throne).

Soon after the birth of their son, the couple separated, although the marriage was officially annulled only in 1937. After the divorce, Audrey lost her title. Dmitry Pavlovich settled in the Norman castle of Beaumenil, which he bought in 1927.

In the end, he became disillusioned with the prospects for the restoration of the monarchy in Russia and withdrew from public life. In 1939, he sold his Chateau de Beaumenil, and due to declining health, he lived in Switzerland.

He died in 1942 from tuberculosis complicated by uremia. He was buried in the palace church on the island of Mainau (the property of his nephew Count Bernadotte) next to his sister, Maria Pavlovna.
====================

Yusupov hunting castle in Sokolinoe, Bakhchisaray district

In 1908, the Yusupovs in Kokkozy (Bogatyrsky volost) acquired an estate, in which, at the request of Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, it was decided to build a "house in the local style." The construction was entrusted to the chief architect of Yalta, Nikolai Petrovich Krasnov, who at that time was already busy building the Koreizsky (for Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich) and Livadia palaces. The owners, who had served the Russian tsars since the 15th century and became famous for their military prowess, gave the new estate the name Askerin (translated as belonging to a warrior).

The building was white (in the spirit of the Tatar mountain houses), the roof was covered with shiny majolica tiles, the color of the sea wave, and openwork bindings in the lancet windows. On the wall to the left of the main entrance was a wall-mounted Blue Eye fountain, in the form of a shallow lancet niche, lined with greenish majolica tiles, with an image in the center of a stylized blue eye, there was a ceramic one, from which a trickle of water flowed.
This is a reference to the name of the village: Kokkoz means blue eye in Tatar. In the large two-height living room there was a copy of the Bakhchisarai fountain of tears, in the park there was another fountain created based on local legends. The palace complex also included: a bridge over Kokkozka, behind it - a mosque - a gift from the prince to the local population. The palace was visited by Nicholas II and King Manuel II of Portugal.

Already in exile, Felix Yusupov left memories of the palace:
The palace was white, with a roof of ancient tiles covered with glaze, which had been given different shades of green by the patina of time. It was surrounded by a vineyard, a small stream ran along the walls - from the balcony you could catch trout. Inside, the furniture, painted in bright reds, blues and greens, was copied from the old Tatar one. Oriental fabrics covered sofas and walls. The large dining room was illuminated during the day through Persian stained-glass windows on the ceiling. In the evening, illuminated from within, they let an iridescent light into the room, blending harmoniously with the light of the candles on the table. One of the walls was decorated with a marble fountain, where water flowed drop by drop with a gentle plaintive sound over many small shells, from one to another. This fountain was an exact reproduction of what was in the Khan's palace... The blue eye was everywhere: in the stained-glass windows, above the fountain, in the cypress park and in the oriental cutlery ornaments...

Manuel II (port. Manuel II, 1889-1932) - the last king of Portugal. Belonged to the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, officially considered a representative of the Braganza dynasty.

Second son of King Carlos I and Amelia d'Orléans. He ascended the throne at the age of 19 after the assassination in Lisbon of his father and elder brother of the heir to the throne, Luis Filipe, on February 1, 1908. Manuel himself was also lightly wounded in this assassination attempt. He dismissed the dictatorial government, called democratic elections, in which the socialists and republicans won a decisive victory. Two years later (1910) overthrown by the revolution, Portugal was proclaimed a republic.

While in exile, Manuel wrote a book on medieval Portuguese literature. Died in the UK. He was married to Augusta Victoria Hohenzollern (1890-1966), but the marriage was childless. With his death, the Portuguese branch of the House of Coburg came to an end.

About the stay of Prince Manuel in the estate of Kok-koz of the Yusupov princes, it is only known that he did not want to leave the Crimea, he even dreamed of abdicating the throne for this.

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