Prince Yusupov and Rasputin. Grand Duke Felix Yusupov: memoirs, biography, personal life

Chapter 12 “The English do not know how to fight,” 1173 King Henry II and Queen Eleanor held their Christmas Curia of 1172 in Chinon, Anjou. One hopes that his wife enjoyed the celebration and luxury, for this is the last time she sat next to him like a queen.

Christmas 1916 turned out to be not very festive for Felix Yusupov. The day before - December 23 - he was expelled from St. Petersburg to the family estate of Rakitnoye. In principle, it could have been worse. One might not even live to see the new year of 1917. The Empress, having learned about the murder of Grigory Rasputin, ordered the young Yusupov to be shot. But nothing happened.

Playboy

It is hardly possible to find a less suitable person for the role of a killer than Prince Felix Yusupov, also known as Count Sumarokov-Elston. I’m a fun person by nature, Felix says about himself. And by profession, he’s a playmaker, we’ll add.
The Yusupovs are the richest family, even by the standards of the Russian aristocracy. They are friends with members of the imperial family. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna herself is interested in Felix’s fate.
In 1908, his older brother, Nikolai, was killed in a duel. Felix became the sole heir to a huge fortune.
He is not interested in anything in life except entertainment. He doesn't want to study. He hopes to fail the exams so as not to get into the gymnasium. Alas, he is admitted without exams. The parents bothered.
True, at the age of 22, Felix goes to study at Oxford. But, by his own admission, he was not interested in science. For three years he has been having fun in the company of the same “golden youth”.
Returns to Russia. Military service does not appeal to him - he is an esthete and a lover of art. He does not want to be a courtier - his character is too independent.
Yusupov does some charity work, but mostly has fun. " I was, and still am, attracted to all sorts of fools, madmen and psychopaths“recalls 66-year-old Felix Feliksovich. This is how he lived - restaurants, gypsies, theaters, masquerades...

Cabaret career

Masquerades are a different story. Until the age of 5, his mother dressed him up as a girl. " Mother's whim subsequently left its mark on my character" And not only on character.
Young Yusupov has a passion for dressing up as a woman. And not just somewhere at home, but in public. In England, he showed up at the theater in a woman's dress. King Edward VII became interested in the lovely “girl”. " Honestly, I enjoyed it"- admits Yusupov.
Why deny yourself pleasure? In St. Petersburg, Felix performs as a French singer in the famous Aquarium cabaret. He sings in a “tunic made of blue tulle with a silver thread,” and on his head is a headdress made of ostrich feathers.
"Singer" was a success. So loud that the father found out about his son’s adventures. Naturally, Adjutant General Felix Yusupov Sr. was not delighted.
« He said that I was a disgrace to the family and that my place was not in the house, but in Siberia in hard labor."- writes the younger Yusupov in his memoirs. And starts talking about human injustice " to those who love differently" Say, " you can blame same-sex love, but not the lovers themselves" And generally speaking, " in my opinion, men are more honest and unselfish than women».
However, Yusupov also seemed to love women. At least he had a wife and daughter.

Bride of royal blood

Yusupov stands at the very top of the social ladder. Above are only the most august persons. And he is irresistibly drawn to them. On the one hand, to clowns, on the other, to royalty. The rich have their own quirks.
In England, he befriends the deposed Portuguese king Manuel II. In Russia - with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. He also chose the appropriate bride. Irina is the niece of Nicholas II, the daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna.
True, at the last moment the wedding was almost upset. Felix's oddities regarding women's dress and men's love became known in the imperial family. Alexander Mikhailovich broke off the engagement. But Yusupov somehow gave up. They are slandered, they say, by enemies and envious people.

Do you know that…

Yusupov liked to boast about his independent character. In fact, his character is weak. He is always under someone's influence. In emigration, it would seem that he is already a completely mature person. Doesn't matter. Either some millionaire Hubi pushes him around, or some maharaja almost takes him to India.

Relatives entangled

And during the First World War, he was entirely under the influence of his relatives. Under their influence, he turns from a high-society slacker into a murderer.
His father was appointed Moscow governor-general. Yusupov Sr. began to fight German dominance. This struggle resulted in a German pogrom in May 1915. Muscovites crushed the Germans, and at the same time the neutral Swedes and even the allied French.
The elder Yusupov’s anti-German activity was not appreciated and he was driven out of office. He is, of course, offended. Blames the “German Party” for everything. And the head of this party, of course, is Grigory Rasputin. Felix's mother, Zinaida Yusupova, opposed Rasputin even before the war, which is why she quarreled with the empress. But with the Empress’s sister, Elizaveta Fedorovna, they are friends. Elizabeth is also a long-time hater of the “old man.”
Among the haters is Felix’s father-in-law, Alexander Mikhailovich. And my father-in-law's brother - Nikolai Mikhailovich. Let’s also add here a relative on the maternal side - “Uncle Misha” - Chairman of the State Duma Mikhail Rodzianko.

Do you know that…

Yusupov was never interested in politics. But, being in such an environment, of course, he was inflamed with hatred for the “elder”. “The Tsar was weakening from the narcotic potions with which he was doped every day at the instigation of Rasputin,” he relays gossip that he heard from older relatives.

Irina or Felix?

Felix decided to check this gossip. And in the fall of 1916, he renewed his acquaintance with Rasputin, whom he had met once in 1909. This is according to him. There is other evidence. The fact that Yusupov met with Rasputin for several years. The “elder” treated him for homosexuality. And these testimonies are more like the truth.
Yusupov says that a drunken Rasputin let slip that he plans to remove the Tsar and install a Tsarina in his place. To conclude a separate peace.
Moreover, Yusupov saw German spies in Rasputin’s apartment. More precisely, he saw four subjects “with pronounced Semitic faces” and three blondes. From which I concluded that these were, without a doubt, German spies.
The evidence base has been collected. And the conclusion is clear: Rasputin must be destroyed. Yusupov recruits accomplices - Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, guard lieutenant Sergei Sukhotin and Duma deputy Vladimir Purishkevich. Later, Purishkevich’s friend, Dr. Stanislav Lazovert, joined the conspirators.
The story of Rasputin's murder is dark and mysterious. The participants were confused in their testimony and contradicted each other, so it is almost impossible to restore the true picture.
Mythology begins from the very beginning. On the night of December 16-17, Rasputin was allegedly lured to the Yusupov Palace, seducing Felix with his wife, the beautiful Irina.
But Yusupov describes in detail how he and Rasputin spent more than two hours in the palace, talking face to face. And not once did the “elder” inquire about Irina.
On the contrary, he suggested that Felix go to the gypsies. Strange behavior for a man who came to “feast” on his beautiful wife.
Apparently, Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich was right, who believed that Rasputin was not interested in Irina, but in young Yusupov himself. " We can only guess, - writes the Grand Duke, - something completely incredible, namely, falling in love, carnal passion for Felix, which darkened this lecherous man and brought him to the grave».

Hurry! He's still alive!

We know about the murder mainly from Yusupov’s memoirs and Purishkevich’s diary.
Cakes and Madeira poisoned with potassium cyanide were prepared for the “old man.” While Felix treated Rasputin in the basement apartments, the rest of the conspirators waited in the upper rooms.
Rasputin ate the cakes and drank the wine, but the poison had no effect. Yusupov went up to his accomplices. He took a revolver from Dmitry Pavlovich, went down and shot at Rasputin. Everyone ran to the shot. The lazovert declared death - the bullet hit the heart.
Then - according to Felix - Sukhotin, Lazovert and the Grand Duke left, pretending that they were taking Rasputin home. Sukhotin, who dressed in his fur coat, pretended to be an “old man.”
Yusupov and Purishkevich remained. For some reason, Felix went down to the basement. And suddenly Rasputin came to life. He attacked Yusupov, but he escaped with “superhuman effort.” Rasputin ran out into the yard.
« I rushed upstairs to call Purishkevich, who was sitting in my office. - Let's run! Hurry! Down! - I shouted. - He's still alive!».
Purishkevich rushed after him and fired twice while running - missing both times. " Rasputin was already running up to the gate, - Purishkevich writes in his diary, - then I stopped, bit my left hand as hard as I could to force myself to concentrate, and hit him in the back with a shot. He stopped, then I, having taken careful aim, standing in the same place, fired the fourth shot, which, it seemed, hit him in the head, for he fell face down into the snow in a sheaf and shook his head. I ran up to him and kicked him in the temple with all my might.».
Yusupov's servants carried the body of the “elder” into the house. Then Felix began beating the already dead Rasputin with a “rubber weight.” And Purishkevich at that time was talking with a policeman who had come running to the shot and told him that he, deputy Purishkevich, had just killed Rasputin. Then Dmitry Pavlovich, Sukhotin and Lazovert arrived. The body was loaded into a car, and everyone except Yusupov drove away and threw the corpse from the Petrovsky Bridge into Malaya Nevka.

Secrets of the Yusupov Palace

This, one might say, is the official version. But questions arise.
The question of why the poison did not work is more or less clear. In exile, shortly before his death, Doctor Lazovert admitted that he could not break the Hippocratic oath and instead of poison he added a harmless powder.
It's more difficult with shots. A forensic medical examination recorded that there was “another point-blank wound in the forehead, probably to someone who was already dying or deceased.”
Thus, the last, “control” shot was fired not from behind, as Purishkevich and Yusupov claim, but from the front - in the forehead. This is clear even without an examination - just look at the photograph of Rasputin’s body recovered from the river.
It is clear that Purishkevich and Yusupov are lying, covering up for someone else who shot last. Who is this? There is a limitless field for imagination here.
In recent years, a version has become popular that the “old man” was shot by Oswald Rayner, a British intelligence agent and an Oxford classmate of Yusupov. British scientists even conducted an examination and found that Rasputin was shot with a 455 Webley revolver, the standard weapon of the British army during the First World War. But is it possible to conduct an examination and determine the brand of a weapon from one photograph?
I think there is no clear answer. But there is always work for TV series scriptwriters.

Crime without punishment

The Empress tore and screamed, demanding that the murderers be severely punished. Nicholas II punished, but, frankly speaking, not too severely. Dmitry was exiled to the Persian Front, and Yusupov to Rakitnoye. The rest have completely avoided responsibility.
After the February Revolution, Felix returned to Petrograd. After Oktyabrskaya, he went to visit his family in Crimea. A dozen and a half members of the imperial family, headed by the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, lived there at that time.
Because of them, the Yalta Council quarreled with the Sevastopol Council. In Yalta they believed that the Romanovs should be shot immediately. The residents of Sevastopol believed that, of course, it was necessary to shoot, but only when an order came from Moscow.
While they were arguing, the Germans came to Crimea. Following the Germans are the British. The Highnesses and Lordships left for emigration on English ships.
Yusupov lost almost all of his fortune. But not everything. He managed to remove two paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn from the family collection, and his wife grabbed some jewelry.
Abroad, the Yusupovs continue to live in grand style. At first they travel around Europe, collecting donations for Russian emigrants. Soon the foreigners got bored and stopped donating.

Yusupov vs Hollywood

Then Felix arranges his affairs. Opens a fashion studio and a chain of restaurants. But he turned out to be a useless businessman. He appointed the very same madmen and psychopaths to whom he had always been attracted as managers. No wonder he went broke many times. But - again - not completely.
The Hollywood film company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is releasing the film “Rasputin and the Empress.” In the film, Irina Yusupova gives in to Rasputin's advances. The court, in turn, gave in to Irina’s harassment and satisfied the claim for a tidy sum.
Yusupov is always in the spotlight. They don’t want to let him into the United States, because entry into the country is prohibited for murderers. Then at a social event he and his wife are introduced: “Prince and Princess Rasputin.”
During the Second World War, the fascists wanted to cooperate with the prince, but he - to his credit - rejected the offer.
In the end. Yusupov was bored with the constant hype. He spent his last years in solitude. He died in 1967, at the age of 80.
« I think he's a candidate for insanity in the future."- Nikolai Mikhailovich wrote about Yusupov. The Grand Duke was mistaken. The prince did not seem to be tormented by pangs of conscience. But it was with the shots in the palace on the Moika that a new - hitherto unprecedented - streak of terror began in Russia.

Do you know that…

Last of his kind

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Name: Felix Yusupov (Count Sumarokov-Elston)

Age: 80 years old

Activity: the last of the Yusupov princes, participant in the murder of Grigory Rasputin, author of books of memoirs about this, socio-political and church figure

Family status: was married

Felix Yusupov: biography

Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston, was the last of the famous branch of the Yusupov princes. He tried to do many things in life, but went down in history as one of the murderers. Subsequently, while in exile, Yusupov even wrote two books of memoirs about this, the fees for which were the main source of his income. In addition, Felix turned out to be one of the first people who managed to win a lawsuit against the film company and receive compensation for moral damages in the form of a fairly tidy sum.

Yusupov was the youngest son of Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston and his wife Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova. It should be noted that the princess wanted and was expecting a daughter, so when Felix was born, she did not treat him like a boy, but dressed him up in pink dresses, taught him to wear jewelry, and even taught him to put on makeup. The mother's strange whim left a huge imprint on the entire future life of this unusual person. For many years, Yusupov’s main entertainment was the following: in a woman’s dress, trying not to be recognized, walking along the boulevard or having lunch in a restaurant. The entire Russian nobility spoke about the oddities of the “golden boy”; he was even accused of homosexuality, although no one had actual evidence of this.

Felix graduated from a prestigious private gymnasium, and later from Oxford University, where he founded the Russian Society, since he was always and until the end of his life remained a patriot of his homeland, but exclusively in the monarchical version. In their youth, Yusupov and his older brother Nikolai were passionate theater fans. Moreover, the young people themselves performed on stage. Eyewitnesses claimed that Felix had extraordinary acting talent, which was especially noticeable in the art of impersonating other people. And we are talking not only about the very convincing performance of female roles, but also about the creation on stage of very realistic images of male characters - from commoners to Cardinal Richelieu.

At the age of 21, Yusupov suddenly became the sole heir to his family's enormous heirloom fortune. The fact is that his older brother Nikolai died in a duel at the hands of Count Arvid Manteuffel, who thus defended the honor of his wife, seduced by Yusupov Sr. However, as later life would show, Felix was not destined to enjoy wealth to the fullest.

In 1916, Felix Yusupov and Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov, his brother-in-law, together with State Duma deputy Vladimir Purishkevich, organized a conspiracy against a friend and close associate of the Russian emperor, Grigory Rasputin. Felix later said: each of the three men independently came to the idea that all the troubles of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century were connected precisely with the name of the “royal elder.” When they began to discuss, they came to the conclusion that Rasputin must be stopped at any cost. But it is Yusupov who is considered the initiator and implementer of the conspiracy.

On the penultimate day of 1916, he invited Grigory Rasputin to his house and, under the pretext of showing him the place where he usually feasted with guests, lured him into the basement. Having offered Gregory to leave St. Petersburg forever and having been refused, Felix took out a pistol and shot at Rasputin. The testimony in the investigator's office of the three conspirators will differ significantly from each other and greatly diverge from the facts discovered by the investigation. We can only say with certainty that three shots were fired at the old man, and later the dead body was taken by car to the Petrovsky Bridge and thrown into the river.

The emperor's family was very angry at the act of Yusupov and his accomplices. Most likely, they would have faced a death sentence, but due to Prince Dmitry’s participation in the case, the investigation was delayed. Meanwhile, Purishkevich was sent to the front, Romanov to Persia, and Prince Felix faced house arrest on his family estate in the Kursk province. But the death of Rasputin led to the February and then the October revolutions, and Yusupov went abroad, where in any society he appears primarily as “that same killer.” By the way, the man would later write memoir books “The End of Rasputin” and “Memoirs” about these tragic events.

Social activity

It must be emphasized that Yusupov was a patriot and a rather generous person. During the First World War, he organized hospitals in St. Petersburg at his own expense. In the first of them, created in a house on Liteiny Prospekt, Felix worked himself until he received permission to go to a one-year officer course in the Corps of Pages. Looking ahead, it is worth adding that during the Second World War, Prince Yusupov would take a very interesting position: he did not want to support the Nazis who occupied France, but at the same time he also categorically refused the offer to return to St. Petersburg, citing his rejection of the Soviet Union as a state .

After the October Revolution, the man and his family left Russia forever. He first settled in Malta, and later moved to London and from there to Paris. Having sold all the jewelry that they were able to take with them, the Yusupovs bought a house in the Bois de Boulogne on Pierre Guerin Street, where Felix lived until the end of his life. Interestingly, there was still so much property left on their estate in Russia that the looting of the house continued for at least a week. But, even becoming significantly poorer, Felix continued to help refugees. Together with his mother, he organized a special fund and also provided shelter in his home.

In the 20s, Yusupov and his wife opened the Irfé fashion house, which became a unique phenomenon for France. The fact is that countesses and princesses acted as models and even seamstresses at Irfé, for which the Yusupov fashion house was called the most aristocratic. Irfé designers were guided by the Russian style, used silk painting, and the main innovation was the introduction of a completely unprecedented phenomenon - the so-called sports style in everyday clothing. The rise in popularity was so rapid that it can only be compared with an equally immediate fall. The time of the Great Depression came, and Felix was unable to rebuild and continued to lead a wasteful lifestyle, so the company went bankrupt.

The budget was replenished through the release of a book about Rasputin, as well as through unprecedented audacity - filing a lawsuit against the American film company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The fact is that in 1932 the film “Rasputin and the Empress” was released, which states that Yusupov’s wife was Grigory’s mistress. Felix, whom everyone convinced of the futility of his actions, goes to court and manages to prove the groundlessness and unfoundedness of the film's script. MGM pays him £25,000, which was considered a huge sum at the time. In addition, this precedent has led to the fact that movie credits now include phrases like “based on the work” and “the resemblance to real persons is not intentional.”

Personal life

Young Felix was considered one of the most handsome men among the Russian nobility. Many representatives of the fairer sex went crazy about him. It was rumored that men had repeatedly looked at such a luscious appearance. But Yusupov dispelled all suspicions about his unconventional orientation by marrying Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, the sovereign’s own niece. In 1915, the couple had a daughter, Irina, whose godsons, by the way, were the emperor himself and his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna.

In their old age, a few months before their death, Felix and Irina adopted 18-year-old Mexican Victor Manuel Contreras. Later, the young man would become famous as a sculptor and artist. His works adorn museums in many countries, and are also presented in central squares in North America and Europe.

By the way, Yusupov himself also once tried his hand at fine arts. After the publication of the first edition of the book of memoirs, Felix unexpectedly took up ink and watercolor and created a whole series of infernal portraits under the general title “Monsters.” In just a few weeks, he painted 15 works, and Felix never returned to this activity. It is believed that these portraits are associated with nightmares that haunted Yusupov all his life. About half of these drawings were kept in the Christian Boutonnier gallery.

Death

The last heir of the famous family of princes Yusupov passed away at the age of 80, on September 27, 1967. He was buried in Paris, in the Russian cemetery in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois area, in the same grave with his mother Zinaida Nikolaevna. It is interesting that a cross was placed on the deceased’s chest, carved from wood chips from the coffin of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, who patronized him all his life. Felix Yusupov's wife survived her husband by only three years. The absolutely amazing story of Felix's house on Pierre Guerin Street. Shortly after the death of Princess Irina Alexandrovna, the house suddenly fell into the ground, reminding witnesses of this picture of Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

Many books have been written about Felix Feliksovich Yusupov and many films have been made. Almost always, when the life story of Emperor Nicholas II or is filmed, the character of this unusual person is always present. Recently, Felix has been portrayed on screen by James Frain and other actors.

Belonging to the most influential and wealthy family, Felix Yusupov was a very shocking personality. Loved to dress up as a woman and turn the heads of young officers, involved in the murder of Rasputin, he was known for centuries as a dark figure in Russian history. On the other hand, as if on a scale, his good deeds are balanced: the creation of a fashion house in Paris, patronage and assistance to emigrants from Russia in France. How did demonic vices and good deeds coexist in Yusupov?

Prince's parents

The parents of the imperial dandy were Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Count Sumarokov-Elston. The mother was an enviable bride, the owner of a colossal fortune. Not only eminent bachelors of the Russian Empire, but also aristocrats of Europe fought for her hand. Felix Yusupov remembered her as a beautiful, fragile and very intelligent creature.

Zinaida Nikolaevna was not ambitious, so she married not out of convenience (and she could even lay claim to the royal throne), but out of love. The chosen one was officer Felix Sumarokov-Elston. With his wife's high position, he easily managed to make a career. Moreover, Felix the father was given a princely title by the emperor, and he was also allowed to be called by his wife’s surname.

The marriage of such dissimilar people, a sophisticated princess and an officer, was happy, but not easy. Two children were born: Nikolai, the eldest, and Felix. In 1908, the 25-year-old heir tragically dies during a duel and Felix Yusupov becomes the successor to a huge fortune. His biography will be described below.

Childhood

Childhood is the time when personality is formed, character formation occurs. Yusupov Felix Feliksovich was born in 1887, on March 23.

His youth was spent in luxury and festivities. His mother's favorite, he was very handsome: regular, as if chiseled facial features, in which aristocracy could be traced. Zinaida Ivanovna passionately wanted a girl, so she dressed Felix exclusively in girl’s clothes.

Apparently, the boy had this habit from his distant childhood. Already as a five-year-old child, Yusupov demonstrates his love of dressing up in women's dresses. Not soldiers and games with boys, but his mother's wardrobe - this is his favorite entertainment. Together with his brother Nikolai, they dress up as women and visit taverns, gatherings of women of easy virtue. Felix even performs in a cabaret: he sings one of the parts.

This activity infuriates his father; the boy constantly receives slaps in the face. Felix Feliksovich wanted to see his son as a successor to his military career, and women’s clothes on the boy did not fit into this idea. The relationship between the two Felixes has always been distant.

The hobby continued until the death of Nikolai, Felix’s brother.

Period of life in the Russian Empire

In Russia, the young prince Felix Yusupov was known as an eccentric young man and a rebel. He loved ridiculous antics that extremely surprised the audience. They talk about him, gossip, and create fables. We should not forget that the society of that time was not as accustomed to shocking as modern society, so the shocking actions of young Yusupov stunned many.

As for Yusupov the student, he was not a diligent student. However, he had an amazing mind and the ability to synthesize the necessary information.

First he studied at a private gymnasium, then continued his education at Oxford University. There he united Russian-speaking students into a society and also created a car club.

Yusupov had a special relationship with his mother’s friend, Grand Duchess Elizabeth. She was the Empress's sister. Felix considered the woman a saint; her advice, parting words, and kind attitude helped the young man survive the tragic death of his brother. In 1914, Yusupov married a representative of the Romanov house, Irina, and thus became related to the imperial family.

The First World War finds the young Yusupov couple in Germany. Having returned to St. Petersburg with difficulty, Felix begins to help treat patients at the hospital. In 1915, the Yusupovs’ daughter Irina was born.

The murder of Rasputin: background

Zinaida, Yusupov Felix Feliksovich and even Grand Duchess Catherine saw that because of their closeness with the imperial family, they were suffering, because the attention of the monarchs was focused only on this dark personality.

Indeed, Gregory began to occupy a high position at the emperor's court. The savior of the heir, he was revered by the empress as a saint. All attempts to appeal to common sense were unsuccessful: the empress was adamant and considered everything slander. And the emperor was forced to agree with everything, because the life of the blood heir was in the hands of the elder. Thus, a plan to kill the unwanted “saint” began to be thought out.

Murder plot

Involvement in the murder of Felix was the most direct. However, for the rest of his life he will remember this as a bad dream. Close friends of Yusupov took part in the conspiracy: deputy Purishkevich, Dmitry Pavlovich, a native of the royal family, and the resident of the British intelligence services O. Rayner was also involved.

To carry out the plan, it was necessary to get closer to Gregory. This role was assigned to Felix. He asks Rasputin to get rid of the vice, to help.

12/17/1916 Rasputin is invited to the Yusupov family mansion, supposedly to meet Irina, Felix’s wife (she is in Crimea at that time). There they first try to poison him, and then the fatal shots are fired.

This crime hides many mysteries, but one thing is clear: Felix himself believed that by doing this he was ridding his beloved country of obscurantism. Indeed, the citizens of the empire breathed a sigh of relief upon learning of Gregory's death.

Suspect Felix Yusupov is exiled to Rakitino, his father’s estate.

Emigration: life in London

The family survives the revolution safely, but emigrates to Europe. Their path ran first to Crimea, then to Malta. Next, Prince Felix Yusupov and his family go to the UK, and his parents go to the capital of Italy.

Until recently, they all hoped that they would still see their native land, but this was not destined to come true.

In London, Felix helps arriving noble refugees. The family does not live in luxury as in their homeland, because they left all the treasures at home. The jewelry that the women were wearing was sold - that’s what they lived on. There were also swindlers who stole from the Yusupovs.

Paris: World War II

Last place of residence is Paris. Irina and Felix Yusupov moved there in 1920. Miraculously, original paintings and some jewelry were taken out of Russia. This was enough to buy a small house. In France, assistance also continues to those who fled the new realities of the country of the Soviets. At the same time, the Yusupov couple opened the Irfé fashion house, but it did not bring them the desired financial well-being.

Funds for living appeared in an unexpected way: a film about Rasputin and his death was released in Hollywood. It was reported there that the elder had an affair with Irina, Felix’s wife. It was decided to go to court with charges of libel. As a result, the couple received good compensation.

During the war, Yusupov flatly refused to join the Nazis. They took possession of Felix's family - a very rare pearl. They blackmailed her, but the prince was adamant. As a result, the jewel returned to the family.

In 1942, tragic news arrived: Yusupov’s best friend, who participated with him in the conspiracy against Rasputin, Grand Duke Dmitry, died. Felix mourns his friend for a long time.

After the end of the war, the Yusupovs live in Paris, they barely have enough money, but they do not despair: they are always hospitable, joyful and happy, despite severe hardships. Felix Yusupov, whose photo is in the article, is an example of a truly Russian aristocrat. Unsellable, with self-respect, but at the same time open to helping the disadvantaged.

Wife Irina Alexandrovna

A person’s personality will not be fully revealed unless one delves into his relationship with his spouse. Felix Yusupov's wife was nee Romanova, the Emperor's niece Irina Alexandrovna.

Since the engagement, the relationship of the young people has undergone obstacles. It should be said that Felix himself decided to get married, it was his decision, and not pressure from the family. The young people had known each other since childhood, had tender feelings in their youth, so they were not at all against the wedding. The families also did not object; the union was completely equal: the Romanovs and the richest family in the country. However, the engagement almost fell through due to “well-wishers” who told Irina’s father compromising facts about Felix’s sodomy. The young man convinces his future father-in-law of his innocence, and the wedding takes place.

All their lives in exile, the Yusupov couple was engaged in charity work and helping other emigrants, although they lived very modestly. They are an example of like-minded spouses, zealous patriots of their country.

Probably, for all the good deeds they were destined to live for many years: Felix Yusupov dies in 1968 at the age of 80, 2 years later his faithful wife Irina died.

Descendants of the prince

Unfortunately, the Yusupov couple had only one daughter, Irina. During her emigration, she lives for some time with her grandmother Zinaida, then marries Count Sheremetyev and moves to Rome.

From this union Ksenia is born. Thus, she, her daughter Tatyana and two granddaughters are living direct descendants of the Yusupov family.