Count Felix Yusupov who was his lover. Felix Yusupov - vicious aristocrat, murderer or patriot of Russia

Why did the empress love the old man and whom did he cross the road

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We continue publications on the books of the writer and historian Nikolai Starikov. Today - about one of the most interesting characters of the 20th century - Grigory Rasputin. The date of his birth is not known for certain - between 1864 - 1872, more often they call 1869, the beginning of January. But they killed him exactly in 1916. 2011 marks the 95th anniversary of Rasputin's death. In Starikov’s book “Who finances the collapse of Russia”, we found interesting details about this mysterious favorite of the royal family. We publish excerpts and interviews with the writer. How a man stopped a war On the agenda of big European politics at the beginning of the 20th century was the issue of organizing the First World War, or, more precisely, a large-scale German-Russian clash. It began in 1914, but could have started earlier. The powder keg in the Balkans had already been laid. It only remained to set it on fire and put Russia and Germany on top of it. The price of the issue is nothing less than domination over the whole world. And suddenly an illiterate Siberian man stood in the way. In 1912, when Russia was ready to intervene in the Balkan conflict for the first time, Rasputin begged Nicholas on his knees not to join the war. Count Witte wrote in his memoirs: “He (Rasputin) pointed out all the disastrous results of the European fire, and the arrows of history turned differently. War has been averted." Why didn't Nicholas II listen to Rasputin in 1914? Because at the moment of making this fatal decision, Rasputin was dying! Black PR On June 15 (28) an Austrian heir was killed in Sarajevo, two weeks later, on June 30 (July 13), 1914, Rasputin almost lost his life in his native Siberian village. The difference of two weeks between the two assassination attempts is not accidental. The political situation does not heat up immediately, from the moment of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand to the start of the First World War, a month and three days will pass. At this decisive moment, Rasputin must be dead, so that he could not keep Nicholas II from a disastrous step. There was a misfire, Rasputin was not killed, but he is still dying, unconscious. Only just before the start of the world conflict, having barely recovered, the elder sends telegrams, begging the sovereign not to start a war, because with the war there will be an end to Russia and to himself (to the reigning persons): "They will lay down to the last man." But it was too late - Russia was dragged into the war. The campaign to discredit Rasputin was not accidental and purposeful. Perhaps this is one of the first cases of "black PR" of this magnitude. Tatyana Botkina, the daughter of a life physician who was shot with the royal family, conveys the words of her father in her memoirs: “If there was no Rasputin, then the opponents of the royal family and the preparers of the revolution would have created him with their conversations from Vyrubova, if not for Vyrubova, from me, from whom want". "Blue" Prince To the question of who was the main organizer of the murder, historiography gives an unequivocal answer - Prince Felix Yusupov. This 27-year-old graduate of Oxford University was the heir to a noble and wealthy family. He describes his thoughts as follows: “After all my meetings with Rasputin, everything I saw and heard, I finally became convinced that all evil and the main cause of all the misfortunes of Russia are hidden in him: there will be no Rasputin, there will be no that satanic power in the hands which the sovereign and the empress fell ... "

The well-bred handsome Felix had one small oddity: he loved to wear women's clothes. From childhood, Prince Yusupov dressed up in dresses at home, at the age of twenty, in this form, he openly visited public places, restaurants and theaters not only in Russia, but also abroad. Once in Paris, in the theater, Felix saw that "an elderly subject from the letter box was persistently lorning me." This man turned out to be the English monarch Edward VII... After such success with the first Don Juan of Europe, the young aristocrat returned to his homeland inspired and decided to perform on the stage of a fashionable St. Petersburg cabaret. V women's dress, of course. Before the public, the "beauty" Felix performed in a blue tulle tunic embroidered with silver thread. At the same time, the costume was decorated with a large number of large family diamonds. According to them, the acting "cabaret star" was recognized by the acquaintances of Felix's parents. The prince's father was furious, but, slowly cooling down, he decided to treat his son for such strange inclinations. Fetishist and homosexual parents sent to improve their health to ... Rasputin. The treatment to which Felix was subjected consisted in the fact that the old man laid him across the threshold of the room, flogged him and hypnotized him. Agree that Yusupov's experience with Rasputin was, frankly, specific. I don’t know if Rasputin’s treatment helped or Prince Yusupov simply took up his mind, only in 1914 did he put aside skirts and crinolines and married the daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov, combining a crowned surname with his truly untold wealth. The wife of Prince Yusupov, Irina, was the granddaughter of the late emperor Alexander III and Emperor Nicholas II had a niece. This is our first conspirator - married to the king's niece, a rich, eccentric transvestite and a homosexual. It is hard to believe that such a person could calmly calculate the murder of Rasputin. But such a subject could easily be directed in the right direction. Dear friend

The second of the conspirators is Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov. His mother died in childbirth. He was friends with Felix Yusupov for a long time. Judging by the descriptions of his contemporaries, Dmitry Pavlovich was a frivolous and good-natured creature. He knew about the huge role of Rasputin in the family of Nicholas II, that he saves the life of Tsarevich Alexei. But this did not embarrass the young Grand Duke. In gratitude for the care and kindness of the royal family, Dmitry Pavlovich takes part in a conspiracy to kill himself loved one his "mom" and the main adviser to his "dad". Only such a person could repay the royal family for good in such a way. Felix's friend is more important to him. Because the Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich was a homosexual. And Felix Yusupov, who loves women's clothes, was more than just a friend to him ... The young Dmitry Pavlovich also has a motive for hating Rasputin. The king and queen are considering marrying him to one of their daughters. Rasputin opens their eyes to the sexual preferences of their pet. At the same time, he talks about who addicted Dmitry Pavlovich to the "real" male love. The name of the seducer is Felix Yusupov. Disappointed and indignant, the emperor and his wife no longer want to hear about such a marriage of their daughter. Mystery of doom The truth about the murder of Rasputin appeared only 88 years later, in 2004. And everything fell into place. All mysteries were explained at once. It became clear why on the frosty night of March 10 (23), 1917, Rasputin's body had to be burned and destroyed without fail. So that nothing is left of him, so that it would be impossible to exhume the corpse. Because with a control shot in the forehead, Grigory Rasputin was killed by British intelligence agent Oswald Reiner. It was his name that Yusupov, Romanov and Purishkevich hid, who became a blind tool in the hands of the British secret service. On October 1, 2004, a film dedicated to the murder of Rasputin was broadcast on the English TV channel BBC -2. Retired Scotland Yard officer Richard Cullen and historian Andrew Cook, based on photographs of the corpse, autopsy reports, documents and memoirs of that time, reliably restored the picture of the murder. Yes, Yusupov and Purishkevich both shot at Rasputin. However, it was the English agent who fired the third, control shot in the forehead of Rasputin. Homosexual and transvestite Felix Yusupov was very "close" to three British intelligence officers.

The behavior of the British ambassador George Buchanan is indicative. At a reception in honor of the New Year, he spoke to the Russian emperor: “... Since I heard that His Majesty suspects a young Englishman, a school friend of Prince Felix Yusupov, of complicity in the murder of Rasputin, I took the opportunity to convince him that such suspicions are absolutely groundless ". By taking this step, Buchanan gives himself away. When else does an ambassador make statements using the expression “I heard”?! After all, this is not just an Englishman talking to the Russian autocrat, this is the representative of the British monarch speaking. You never know what rumors are circulating in the Russian capital, the ambassador cannot, has no right to react to them. About sins and graces Rumors about Rasputin's depravity have not received documentary confirmation. The Commission of the Provisional Government, through the newspaper, offered to respond to the women whom he had seduced. Nobody showed up. It is not so important for us whether Rasputin was a devil in rags or an angel in the flesh. The main thing is that in a certain period of Russian history, it was he who stood in the way of the "allies" leading Russia to death. And so he was killed by them. Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich escaped with a slight fright. At first, on the orders of the Empress, he was placed under house arrest. After October, Grand Duke Romanov (an unprecedented event for a dynasty) will officially enter the British service! Then he lived in London and Paris. In 1926, Dmitry Pavlovich married a wealthy American Emery. After that, he and his sister Maria Pavlovna left for the USA, where the Grand Duke was engaged in the wine trade, and the Grand Duchess served as a consultant in a fashion company. Felix Yusupov was exiled to the family estate before the end of the investigation. In October 1917, having taken several paintings by Rembrandt and a number of family jewels from his home, he hastily leaves. Until 1919 he lived in the Crimea, and in April 1919, together with the surviving members of the dynasty, sailed away in English warship abroad. The murderers of Rasputin did not suffer from the new Bolshevik government. AUTHOR!

"Rasputin" orgies staged ... actors We talked about the famous old man with the writer and historian Nikolai STARIKOV- Nikolai Viktorovich, so who is Rasputin - an uncouth peasant who miraculously penetrated into royal family, a swindler-hypnotist-sorcerer who uses unusual abilities for his own selfish purposes? - The phenomenon of Rasputin has not been revealed so far. There is evidence of his real help to the heir who suffered from hemophilia. Rasputin loved Russia, loved the royal family. And it is all the more tragic to realize that it was he who became the reason because of which the royal house was smeared with mud from head to toe by revolutionaries and Western propaganda. Analyzing the life of Rasputin, you come to the conclusion about his inconsistency. He received 10,000 rubles. a year from the Empress, from the Ministry of the Interior. At the same time, the money that petitioners brought, he immediately distributed to people who needed funds. He did not save money; after his death, no capital was found. I think that, being at such a height, Rasputin did not refuse the temptations inherent in high position and glory. But one thing must be said for sure: some forces launched a targeted campaign to discredit him. Actors were hired, who caroused with prostitutes in the make-up and costume of Grigory Efimovich. At the same time, it is also impossible to give a 100% guarantee that he himself was an ascetic and never succumbed to temptations. - Is there some kind of predestination, a sign of fate that such a strange man turned out to be at the most tragic moment of Russian history on its crest? - I don't believe in predestination. Just as I do not believe in the inevitability of the revolution. Nothing in politics is predetermined. The USSR collapsed not at all because of “inevitability” or “economic failure”, but because of the betrayal of its leadership. Hitler attacked us not at all because of the "inevitability" of such an attack, but because he was an Anglophile and believed, having received information through Rudolf Hess, that London would make peace with him. Likewise, there was no "guarantee" that the Russian people would destroy their own country. But work has been done for this. Rasputin became the target of compromise, and through him the empress and the emperor were covered up. Our allies in the Entente, the British, were working to create a revolutionary situation in Russia. The reason is geopolitical - in the event of an Entente victory, Russia would have Turkish straits. But for 200 years, England blocked all our attempts to enter the expanse of the Mediterranean Sea through the narrow “cork” of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. It is impossible to give the straits to the Russians. But it will be possible not to give if Russia collapses. And so it happened. The provisional government immediately abandoned all potential territorial acquisitions. Who benefited? Our age-old adversaries. It was from London that all our "freedom fighters" were paid for almost a hundred years. And to this day, by the way, the source of funding has not changed. - If Rasputin had not been killed, could the fate of the royal family have not been so terrible? - The only chance for Russia in that situation could be a separate peace with the Germans. But the emperor categorically refused to even hear about it. The only one who could connect Berlin and Petrograd, at least theoretically, was Rasputin. And only Rasputin could tell the tsar this truth. Wishing the best, Rasputin remained at court, giving rise to slander. Perhaps if he left, events could have gone differently ... - Why did the illiterate peasant Rasputin have so many enemies? - Even the mother of Nicholas II treated Rasputin sharply negatively, knowing that he was helping the heir, stopping his bleeding. I think Rasputin was neither a saint nor a devil. This was a man with his weaknesses. - Do you believe that Rasputin had a close relationship with the Empress? - No, there was nothing like that. This is vile slander. But everyone believed in this lie. It was at this moment that it was necessary to remove Rasputin from the royal family. Whatever benefit it brought, the harm from such rumors was much greater. It was this lie that largely led to the fact that in February 1917 everything somehow collapsed at once. - Who are they - the murderers of Rasputin? - The murderers of Rasputin are all very strange people. Felix Yusupov and Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich were bisexual and had a very close relationship. Deputy Purishkevich was a little out of his mind. For example, on May 1 in the Duma, he inserted a scarlet carnation into his fly and walked along the rows in this form, mocking the left-wing deputies. But they were not the soul of the conspiracy. And British intelligence. Now this is a proven historical fact. The British insured against a possible separate peace between Russia and Germany. The fatal shot at Rasputin was made by the English intelligence officer Oswald Reiner, who finished off the victim point-blank, in the forehead. And it wasn't an accident. Reiner knew Yusupov from studying together in England, was his friend and was also his lover. It was through the transvestite Yusupov that the British put together a group of conspirators. Those who today send their children to study in England must remember, on the one hand, how acquaintances are made there, and on the other, how brainwashed. - What was the fate of the Englishman who made the fatal shot at Rasputin? - In 1917 (what a coincidence!) Oswald Reiner was promoted to captain. In 1919 he received an order and began work in Stockholm. It was from neutral Scandinavia that British intelligence conducted its work at that time. In 1920, he was transferred closer - under the cover of journalistic activities, he moved to Finland. Only very naive people can assume that a career intelligence officer next to his "profile country" just writes articles in the Daily Telegraph about hot Finnish guys. In the future, Reiner did not lose touch with the emigrant Yusupov and helped translate his book into English language. Oswald Reiner died in 1961. Interestingly, it was the British researchers who divulged the information about the participation of MI6 in the murder. And this is just a tiny part of the huge iceberg of Britain's subversive work against Russia. There are many more discoveries ahead of us.

One of the most brilliant Russian aristocrats of the early twentieth century, Felix Yusupov was distinguished by wealth, a mass of various talents, an extremely peculiar character and striking beauty. The younger brother in the family, he was very attractive from childhood and his mother, Princess Zinaida Yusupova, dressed him up in dresses for girls, teaching him how to use cosmetics and women's accessories. This game later had rather unpleasant consequences: as an adult, Felix often dressed in women's clothes and in this form shocked the high-society audience of St. Petersburg. He sang superbly, was an excellent actor and often played female roles on stage. Rumors about his adventures were very different, up to suspicions of homosexuality. It was surprising that with such a reputation, a girl from a crowned family became the wife of Felix Yusupov.

Why the young beauty, the niece of Emperor Nicholas II, Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, agreed to marry a notorious reveler, leading a not quite normal lifestyle, and even with the blessing of her uncle tsar, remained a mystery. Felix in his diaries recalls this matchmaking in emotionally sublime delight: he fell in love with a dazzling princess and decided that fate gives him a chance to be cleansed of all his past sins. Perhaps he managed to charm Irina and convince her that she is his only salvation. To a romantic young lady, the idea of ​​saving a repentant sinner of such beauty must have seemed like a good deed. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Yusupov was unusually good. Singer Alexander Vertinsky found his appearance amazing: "Tall, thin, slender, with an iconic face of Byzantine writing."

Probably, economic considerations also had weight in concluding this marriage: after the death of his older brother in a duel, Felix remained the heir to one of the wealthiest families in Russia. His pedigree also fit well into the framework of such a mutually beneficial alliance, despite rumors about Yusupov's intimate relationship with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, the emperor's cousin. The wedding was played in February 1914 and the newlyweds went on their honeymoon trip abroad. The outbreak of World War II found them in Germany, where all Russian citizens were detained as prisoners of war. After long negotiations and agreements, Felix and Irina, along with other subjects, were released to their homeland.

It should be noted that, having married, Felix began to behave more restrainedly and abandoned outrageous antics in public, carried away by charity. For all his antics, he was a deeply religious and well-meaning person who knew how to do good deeds. In connection with the hostilities, Yusupov took up the construction of hospitals for the wounded, entered the officer courses of the Page Corps and showed concern and concern for the fate of the country. In March 1915, their daughter Irina was born in their family. Felix's thoughts about the atmosphere in the royal family and the echelons of power led him, along with Prince Dmitry Romanov, to plot to assassinate Grigory Rasputin in December 2016. The "holy elder" arrived at the Yusupovs' house on the Moika, where he received the first shot in the chest and was later drowned in the river.

After the revolution, the Yusupovs left for the Crimea and from there - abroad. After several years of wandering, they settled in Paris. The few jewels and paintings taken from Russia allowed them to buy a house in the Bois de Boulogne. Later, Irina Alexandrovna took up the affairs of the Irfé Fashion House they opened, but it gradually fell into decay due to Felix's inability to live modestly and within his means. In 1932, the family was lucky to win a £25,000 lawsuit against the Hollywood studio MGM, which made a film that said that Princess Yusupova was Rasputin's mistress. The Yusupovs spent the rest of their lives in France and were buried in the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. The last prince Yusupov died in 1967 at the age of 80. Felix Yusupov's wife survived her husband by 3 years. In 1980, she was buried next to him, she was 74 years old at the time of her death. Irina Feliksovna Yusupova - Countess Sheremetyeva by her husband, died in 1983 and rests next to her parents.

It should be noted right away that the frequent mention of one of the most striking figures of pre-revolutionary Russia - Felix Feliksovich, Prince Sumarokov-Elston (such is his full name) as a Grand Duke is not entirely correct. Despite the fact that his wife Irina Alexandrovna was the great-granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I, he himself had no blood relationship with the reigning family. The Grand Dukes, according to the Code of 1885, were considered only the sons and grandsons of the emperor. Thus, the expression " Grand Duke Felix Yusupov "is rather established in Soviet time stamp than a real reflection of reality.

Young minion of fate

Prince Felix Yusupov, whose biography formed the basis of this article, was born on March 11, 1887 in St. Petersburg. His mother, Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna, was the last heiress of the richest Yusupov family, originating from the Nogai ruler Yusuf-Murza, who in the 16th century went over to the service of Ivan the Terrible. F. Yusupov's father was Count Felix Feliksovich Sumarokov-Elston - a prominent military leader and statesman of his time.

The young prince Felix Yusupov received an excellent education, having first graduated from the Gurevich private gymnasium - one of the most prestigious educational institutions Petersburg, and then in the period 1909-1912, he studied at Oxford University. A year before leaving for England, he remained the only heir to the huge fortune of the Yusupov family. This happened after his older and dearly beloved brother Nikolai was killed as a result of a duel with the Livonian nobleman Arvid Manteuffel, whose wife's lover he was.

Prince's hobbies

His passion, which was shared by his brother Nikolai, was the theater. In his memoirs, Prince Yusupov (Felix) devotes much space to reminiscing about the pleasure with which he participated in the performances staged on their home stage. The range of images he created was extremely large - from a number of female roles traditionally performed by men, to Cardinal Richelieu and characters like him. These performances were, of course, amateur, but professionals could envy the talent of the prince.

It is known that in his younger years, Prince Yusupov (Felix), like many representatives of the "golden youth", showed a tendency to somewhat outrageous behavior, deliberately deviating from generally accepted social norms and provoking an aura of scandalous fame around his name. Separate episodes of his personal life of that period, as well as a passion for female roles, gave rise to rumors in society about his supposedly non-traditional sexual orientation. However, they soon faded away.

Yusupov's marriage

In February 1914, in his fate, significant event- Felix Yusupov (a photo of those years is presented in the article) married the princess of imperial blood, Irina Alexandrovna Romanova. Since the bride was the niece of Nicholas II, the daughter Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna and her husband, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, then the highest permission was required for marriage. A year later, their daughter was born, named Irina. Her godparents were personally Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

The Yusupov family during the First World War

The world slaughter that began soon found the newlyweds in Germany, which was one of the stages of their honeymoon. Being in the very heart of the state at war with the Russian Empire, the Yusupovs found themselves in the position of prisoners of war, whose departure was prohibited on the basis of the order of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Only after lengthy negotiations, in which the mediation of the Spanish ambassador played an important role, did they finally manage to leave for neutral Denmark, and then return to Petrograd through Finland.

Felix Yusupov did not take part in hostilities, since, being the only son in the family, he was released from the army. Nevertheless, he did not stay away from the events and organized military hospitals, one of which was located in the house that belonged to his mother on Liteiny Prospekt (now Liteiny Prospekt 42). In parallel with this, in the period 1915-1916. the prince graduated from the annual courses of officers in the Petrograd Corps of Pages.

Murder of Rasputin

The name of Felix Yusupov is widely known today, largely due to his participation in the murder of the favorite of the royal family, Grigory Rasputin. It is known that on December 30, 1916, Felix Yusupov and Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov (Grand Duke and member of the reigning House), as well as State Duma deputy V.M. Purishkevich, having lured Rasputin into the Yusupov family's palace on the embankment of the Moika River in Petrograd, committed a murder.

Felix Yusupov, whose memoirs contain a description of this event, explained his actions with a deep conviction that only the physical elimination of this person, who enjoyed unlimited influence on the sovereign and his wife, could stop the flow of evil emanating from him. Despite the fact that his involvement in the murder was quite obvious, Yusupov was not arrested, but only sent out of sight to his father's estate, Rakitnoye, located in the Belgorod region.

Under other circumstances, the murderers of Rasputin could expect more severe punishment, up to death penalty. But since Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich was among the participants in the assassination, the matter was put on the brakes, sending Purishkevich to the front, and Romanov as ambassador to Persia.

Departure for emigration

After the overthrow of the tsar and the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, the fate of one of the richest families in Russia came to a radical turning point. From Petrograd, which was seething like a cauldron, Felix Yusupov, with his wife, daughter and parents, first moved to the Crimea, and from there, on board the British battleship Marlborough, sailed to Malta. The next stage of their journey was London, where the fugitives manage to sell, miraculously taken out of Russia, two paintings by Rembrandt, as well as part of the family jewels.

The proceeds gave the Yusupovs the opportunity to move to Paris, where at that time many Russian emigrants settled, familiar to them from previous meetings in high-society salons. The vast majority of these people left Russia, leaving all their wealth to the mercy of fate, and being abroad, they had no means of subsistence.

Living in the house he bought on Pierre Guerin Street, the Yusupovs made every effort to help their compatriots who were in trouble - they let them stay free of charge and lent them, without any hope of getting their money back. Meanwhile, the proceeds from the sale of the exported valuables were running out, and their own financial situation was causing more and more anxiety.

Creating a fashion house

In the twenties, in order to somehow solve financial problems, the Yusupovs opened their own fashion house in Paris, which was called IRFE, which was derived from the first letters of their names. It is no coincidence that the wife of Felix Yusupov, Irina, is mentioned first in the title. The fact is that it was she who owned the main role in the family business. Possessing impeccable taste and sense of fashion, she created models of women's clothing that enjoyed constant success.

The innovation she proposed was a sporty style in casual clothes. At first, success exceeded all expectations, and the financial situation of the family was strengthened. It is curious to note that in the company they created, not only as models, but also as ordinary seamstresses, ladies who belonged to the most famous aristocratic families of Russia worked. For France, this was a unique phenomenon in its own way, and served as additional advertising.

The collapse of the enterprise followed in the late twenties, and its cause was the Great Depression that broke out in America. Since the production of the model house went overseas, with the onset of the economic crisis there, the couple lost all their customers. It was not possible to make up for the losses by selling the models they developed in Europe. An important role in the ruin of the company was played by the head of the family, Felix Yusupov, who was accustomed to luxury from childhood and was unable to limit his needs according to the circumstances. As a result, the initially successful fashion house IRFE went bankrupt.

Litigation with Hollywood movie giant

It was possible to somewhat improve the financial situation only after Yusupov managed to win a lawsuit on a lawsuit filed by him against the American film company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The fact is that in 1932 the film “Rasputin and the Empress” shot by her appeared on the screens of the world, in which Felix’s wife was presented as one of the mistresses of the elder Grigory.

Despite the apparent hopelessness of the case, Yusupov managed to prove in court the groundlessness of such allegations, and received £ 25,000 from the Hollywood movie giant as compensation, which was a very significant amount. However, this time the same story repeated itself - the prince's ineradicable habit of spending money, not counting it, very quickly nullified this temporary financial success.

Yusupov's literary work

Some income was brought to the family by two books by Felix Yusupov, written by him in exile and published at that time in a small circulation, due to the fact that the circle of readers was limited to compatriots who, like him, found themselves in a foreign land. Trying to sell them in the Soviet Union, for obvious reasons, was impossible. These works - "The End of Rasputin" (1927) and "Memoirs" (1953), written in a lively and vivid language, represent the author's memoirs relating to different periods of his life. A significant place in them is given to his complicity in the murder of Grigory Rasputin.

The end of the Yusupov family

Prince Felix Yusupov - the last heir to the ancient and one of the richest Russian aristocratic families, despite all the hardships that befell him, lived a long life. He died on September 27, 1967 at the age of 80 and was buried in Paris at the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. His ashes rested in the same grave with his mother, Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, who also ended her earthly journey in a foreign land, but in 1939. Irina Alexandrovna - Yusupov's wife - survived her husband by only three years. Felix's father, Count Sumarokov-Elston, broke up with his family back in Malta and preferred to go to Italy. There he died in 1928.

An absolutely incredible story that happened on Pierre Guerin street is associated with the death of the prince. The fact is that the house he once acquired, which had stood by that time for many decades, the next day after his death, suddenly fell through the ground in the literal sense of the word. And although later what happened was found completely rational explanation, associated with soil corrosion, it has served as a pretext for many superstitious speculations.

Descendants of a glorious family

Among the now living descendants of Prince Yusupov, one can name his granddaughter - Xenia Nikolaevna Sfiris, born from the marriage of his daughter Irina Feliksovna with Count Nikolai Dmitrievich Sheremetev, as well as her two daughters - Marilia and Jasmine-Xenia. Since Ksenia Nikolaevna, by her mother, belongs to the monarchical family that once ruled in Russia, today she is part of the Association of Members of the Romanov Family society.

Felix Yusupov. The Prince Everyone Knows

He was born a very weak child. During baptism, the priest almost drowned the boy in the font. The mother dreamed of a daughter, so until the age of five she dressed her youngest son in dresses. It happened that she looked out of the window, and Felix shouted to passers-by: “Look how handsome I am.” Years later, this duality played a rather cruel joke on the prince.

In his youth, Felix was characterized by great laziness and the absence of any interest in military and civil service. Parents now and then picked up a variant of the life path for their youngest offspring. And in the meantime, interest in dressing up again woke up in him. Arm in arm with his older brother, Felix sat, portraying an elegant lady in public. Once, while at the Paris Opera, the heir to the British throne stared at the "young woman" of graceful beauty. Returning to Russia, Felix, who had excellent musical abilities and beautiful voice, decided to try his hand on stage as a performer of popular French songs. Nobody could recognize him. During this time, he managed to give six concerts in one fashionable and famous Moscow cabaret. After shouting "bravo" and "encore", the "singer Felix" preferred to have fun with the officers in restaurants, and once she was practically exposed. In the end, the parents found out about Felix's adventures. His father, in a conversation, called him a scoundrel and a disgrace to the family, to whom no decent person would reach out his hand. At parting, Felix Sr. slammed the door of his office with such force that a portrait fell from the wall of the adjacent room. Felix Jr. shed tears, cursing his duality and blaming his brother for everything. As a result, experiments with dressing up were over.

Felix Feliksovich Jr. at birth was awarded only the title of Count Sumarokov-Elston. After the tragic death of his elder brother Nikolai Feliksovich, he remained the only representative of the glorious Yusupov family and the heir to an innumerable fortune. As an exception, Emperor Nicholas II allowed him to bear the surname and title of the Yusupov princes during his father's lifetime, namely, immediately after his marriage to Grand Duchess Irina Alexandrovna. Under the name of Prince Yusupov, Felix Feliksovich Jr. was destined to go down in history.

Surprisingly, this very peculiar and in his own way talented person became known mainly as one of the participants in the murder of the "old man" Grigory Efimovich Rasputin-Novykh. According to the latest research, Felix Feliksovich Jr., nevertheless, according to traditions Soviet life the second half of the twentieth century, should be "rehabilitated" posthumously and the fame of the "murderer" should be removed from him. In fact, it was not he, but one of the English spies who worked quite fruitfully in Russia, who managed to organize and carry out, with the help of an English pistol, the murder of the “old man”, who allegedly advocated ending the war with Germany in order to prevent the coming revolution. Felix Feliksovich, as well as other participants in the "conspiracy" served only as a legal cover, a screen, although they seemed to have fired at Rasputin three times with three pistols. Here is another version of the murder of Grigory Rasputin.

However, Felix Feliksovich Yusupov died peacefully in France, being a deep old man. It is unlikely that he experienced an urgent need for historical rehabilitation. Moreover, he himself had the opportunity to win more than one lawsuit in the West related to the "old man's case", receiving money for this, which in Russia the majority of those rehabilitated could not wait for.

The only daughter of Felix Feliksovich Jr. and Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova, named after her mother, married Count Nikolai Dmitrievich Sheremetev. This story happened already in exile, where the Yusupovs left the Crimea on April 13, 1919, quite on time.

When Nikolenka died in a duel, Zinaida Nikolaevna was under fifty. Now all her hopes were connected only with the youngest son.

Outwardly, he was unusually similar to his mother. He had regular features, large eyes, a thin nose, puffy lips, and a graceful figure. But, if contemporaries considered Zinaida Nikolaevna's facial features to be angelic, then no one compared her youngest son except with a fallen angel. In all his appearance of a cherub, some depravity slipped.

bright event life path Felix Yusupov had a period of study at Oxford in 1909-1910. Here he attended courses, studied and led a rich social life. In addition, he became friends with the Russian ballet touring there, including the ballerinas Karsavina, Pavlova and Diaghilev. Contemporaries especially remembered the fancy-dress ball of the aristocracy in London's Albert Hall, where Yusupov appeared before everyone in the clothes of a Moscow boyar made of red brocade, in diamonds and sables. Photos from which he appears in an exotic outfit were placed on their pages by all British newspapers.

Together with the high society, Felix participated in all significant events, both the centenary of the Battle of Borodino in 1912 and the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty in 1913. It is impossible not to say about another trait of the prince - a penchant for mysticism. Sometimes Felix Yusupov had visions.

He did not have a predisposition, like an older brother or mother, to the arts. I did not dream of devoting my life to the military or public service like his father or maternal relatives. He was, first of all, a playboy, a golden boy, an enviable groom. But marriage was not so easy either.

Zinaida Nikolaevna tried in every possible way to influence her son. She wrote to him: "Don't play cards, limit your fun, use your brains!" But Felix Yusupov, although he idolized his mother, he was not able to fight his vices. Only the fictitious statement of Zinaida Nikolaevna that she was very ill, but did not want to die without seeing her grandchildren, made him think about marriage and promise to take the right path.

In 1913, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich came to the December evenings in Arkhangelsk. He himself spoke about the marriage of his daughter Irina and Felix, and the Yusupovs responded with joy. Irina Alexandrovna was not only one of the most enviable brides in the country, but also a stunningly beautiful girl. By the way, at the beginning of the twentieth century in Russia there were three recognized beauties: Empress Maria Feodorovna, Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Irina Alexandrovna Romanova.

The wedding of the young took place in February 1914 in the church of the Anichkov Palace. Since from that moment the Yusupovs were related to the reigning dynasty, the entire imperial family came to congratulate the young. A year later, their daughter Irina was born.

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The life of Felix Yusupov, the last of the Yusupov princes, is full of interesting facts. However, only one firmly stuck in history textbooks - about the involvement of Felix Feliksovich in the murder of Grigory Rasputin. About others, no less curious, he will tell in his photo selection "Amateur".

rich heir

The father of Felix Feliksovich Yusupov - also, by the way, Felix Feliksovich - bore the title of Count Sumarokov-Elston. Only in 1885 did he receive the right to call himself Prince Yusupov, which is why we already know his son, born in 1887, under this surname. In general, the father of Felix Yusupov made a dizzying career and at the end of his years rose to the position of mayor of Moscow. It was then that little Felix, who was the sole heir to a huge family fortune, became one of the most enviable suitors in the country.

Felix Yusupov at the age of 16, portrait of V. Serov

The father decided to further strengthen his son's position and sent him to study not just anywhere, but at Oxford University. During his three years at Oxford, Felix wasted no time in making influential friends and even organized the Russian Society of Oxford University.

Prince Felix Yusupov posing for Serov's painting

Rebel

Felix was born in the St. Petersburg house of the Yusupov family on the Moika. However, his mother, Zinaida Nikolaevna, was really looking forward to the girl, but Felix was born. Zinaida Nikolaevna then often began to dress him like a girl, allowed him to play with her magnificent outfits and, in general, allowed everything that was permissible only for a girl.

Yusupov Palace on the Moika

From here, most likely, the young man's passion for women's outfits and disguises began. So, for example, in one of his diaries, he recalls: “One evening, when my father and mother were not there, we decided to take a walk, dressed in a woman's dress. We found everything we needed in mother's closet. We unloaded, blushed, put on jewelry, wrapped ourselves in velvet coats. In this form we entered the city. On Nevsky, a haven for prostitutes, we were immediately noticed. For a long time, rumors about the count's homosexual inclinations were even circulated in society, which, however, have no documentary evidence.

Felix attended officer courses at the Corps of Pages

Marriage

“Tall, thin, slender, with an iconic face of Byzantine writing,” Alexander Vertinsky, the pop idol, described Yusupov. It is obvious that it was not difficult for a person with such an outstanding appearance and a huge fortune to find a profitable match for himself. In 1914, with the consent of the emperor, Felix Yusupov married the niece of Nicholas II, Princess Irina Alexandrovna. For a long time, the newlyweds, whom the First World War caught on a journey, were forced to remain in Europe until the end of hostilities.

Felix Feliksovich and Irina Aleksandrovna

A year after the wedding, in 1915, the Yusupovs had a daughter, Irina. Even at that time, being a husband and father, Felix Yusupov writes in his memoirs: “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? Researchers still cannot figure out whether Yusupov simply demonstrates the freedom of his views, or justifies his hobbies.

Felix and Irina had only one child in their entire married life.

Not a survivor

It must be said that Yusupov played one of the main roles in the action-packed action movie The Assassination of Grigory Rasputin. Moreover, even the Yusupov family house on the Moika embankment was chosen as the site of the murder of Rasputin.

Wax figures of Felix Yusupov and Grigory Rasputin at the scene of the murder. Exposition at the Yusupov Palace on the Moika

Judging by the documents of the investigation, four accomplices gathered in the Yusupov Palace: Yusupov himself, Purishkevich, Prince Dmitry Pavlovich and British intelligence officer Reiner. Rasputin was first poisoned with potassium cyanide, and the dose was given to kill five. Yusupov then went upstairs to get a pistol and shot him in the back. Grigory attacked Felix, who came up to make sure that Rasputin was dead, and tried to strangle him. Then Rasputin was shot by all four participants in the conspiracy. Then they beat him up just in case. The matter did not end there - Rasputin, riddled with bullets, poisoned and beaten, allegedly tried to escape. He was caught, tied up and thrown into the Neva.

After the revolution

For obvious reasons, Yusupov managed to escape punishment for the murder of Rasputin. From the impending revolution, he emigrated with his family. First they reached the Crimea, from there they sailed to Europe, finally stopping in Paris, in a house near the Bois de Boulogne.

Prince Felix Yusupov in exile

Prince Felix Yusupov never returned to Russia again, even by invitation. Felix Feliksovich Yusupov died on September 27, 1967 and was buried in the Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.