Yusupov in women's dress. Possible brides and novels of Felix Yusupov

The “golden boy” of the degenerate Russian aristocracy, he did a lot to become famous, but he remained in history as the murderer of Grigory Rasputin.

Frivolous aristocrat

The blood of the nomadic ancestors who founded the Yusupov family, oddly enough, left a special imprint on the indirect heir to the dynasty. In all European salons they talked about Felix's unbridled and frivolous disposition. Contemporaries kept memories of how, after failing in the exams at a military school, he, without hesitation, made friends with the gypsies, participated in the performances of the camp, performing the part of the soprano. After long attempts to enter Oxford, having finally achieved his goal, he preferred comfortable chairs London theaters to the hard benches of university auditoriums.
The prestige of his own family did not seem to bother Felix at all. For a while, he even performed in a cabaret - an unheard-of meanness for an aristocrat. Moreover, he played a female role, instead of one of the "blue-eyed actresses" of the Aquarium Theater. The deception was revealed when one of the guests noticed the Yusupov family diamonds on the singer.

Zinaida Nikolaevna, Felix's mother, wanted a daughter. She even made a pink dress for her unborn child. The woman compensated for the disappointment from the birth of her son by raising a future lady in Felix. Until the age of four, Felix wore a "girl's" dress, loved trying on his mother's jewelry, and painting. "Mother's whim subsequently left an imprint on my character," Felix recalled in his memoirs. Felix Yusupov liked to dress up in women's clothes even in adulthood. With his high origin, he remained one of the first "freaks" of his time: he liked to come in makeup, in a woman's dress, to a restaurant, performed romances in this form. They could not help but talk about it, the oddities of the "golden boy" were gossiped at every corner. Marriage with Irina Romanova largely "whitewashed" Felix's biography, although even after the wedding he did not leave his old habits.

Rasputin's killer

Hundreds of books have been written about this page in the life of Felix Yusupov, dozens of films have been made. The official version is that the murder was committed in the interests of the monarchy. Rasputin was invited to Yusupov's house, either under the pretext of curing Felix of homosexuality, or for the sake of Rasputin's acquaintance with Irina (who was in the Crimea at that time). One way or another, Felix Yusupov remained in history primarily as the murderer of Grigory Rasputin. The man is not a military man, a refined esthete, he took part in the bloody deed, which largely determined his future life. Wherever Felix ended up after December 1916, first of all he was "the one" who killed Rasputin.

English spy

Felix Yusupov's connections with British intelligence were unofficial. One of the participants in the murder of Rasputin, Oswald Reiner, a close friend of Yusupov since Oxford, was an agent of British intelligence. The death of the "old man" was beneficial to the British Empire. Rasputin advocated peace with Germany, Russia's withdrawal from the war threatened Great Britain with defeat. Eliminate the influence of the "old man" on royal family was thus a top priority for British intelligence. Reiner and Yusupov coped with it. In this regard, it is not surprising that Kerensky, who was an open lobbyist for the interests of the British, released Yusupov from exile.

The IrFe fashion house, opened in exile by Felix and Irina, was a unique phenomenon in its kind. Countesses and princesses worked there as models and seamstresses. One of the models, for example, was Natalie Paley, daughter of Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, a fatal beauty who later became the face of Vogue. The rise of IrFe was rapid, Felix and Irina focused on the "Russian style", used silk painting, produced several clothing lines, including those in the revolutionary "sports" style for that time. However, as quickly as the spurugs took off, they went bankrupt just as quickly. The Great Depression, and the habit of the Yusupov spouses to unjustified spending, and the change in the tastes of society towards simplification, also affected. In 1930, IrFe went bankrupt.

As they say, if you want to live - know how to spin. What did Felix Yusupov take with him abroad, except for a small part of the family jewels? Felix took with him the glory of the murderer of Rasputin. He was not at all embarrassed by such fame. Even more: this fame allowed him to save money for existence. He spoke with memoirs, gave interviews, wrote an autobiography. All that he had left of Russia was his memory. It is not surprising that he was very dissatisfied when they tried to slander this memory. In 1932, the film "Rasputin and the Empress" was released. It proved that Irina Yusupova, Felix's wife, was the mistress of the "old man". No one believed in the success of the enterprise started by Felix, but he sued the MGM film studio and won the case, receiving $ 25,000 in compensation. It is significant that just after this incident, in the credits of Hollywood films, they began to indicate that everything that happens on the screen is fiction, and any coincidences are unintentional.

Assistant

The Yusupovs were one of the richest families in Europe. If translated into modern concepts, then in terms of income they were oligarchs. After the revolution, the looting of Yusupov's house lasted almost a week. Hasty emigration left the Yusupovs "on the beans", from Russia they managed to take out only a few paintings and an insignificant (by the standards of their former wealth) amount of jewelry. Felix's mother, Zinaida Nikolaevna, headed the fund for helping refugees from Russia in Rome. Felix and Irina also actively helped in this noble cause. They sold their family jewels for next to nothing, and gave the proceeds to the fund. In their home in the Bois de Boulogne, they gave shelter to anyone who needed it.

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In the life of the last of the Yusupov princes, there were both a dazzling brilliance of luxury and scandalous love stories, as well as a brutal murder, emigration to Europe, poverty and a high-profile lawsuit with the famous Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ..

A young man "with an icon-painted face of Byzantine writing"

It can be safely called a representative of the "golden youth" of the early 20th century. The boy, born in the family of Count Felix Sumarokov-Elston and Princess Zinaida Yusupova, was one of the richest heirs in tsarist Russia. People who knew him noted the beauty, grace and refined manners of the young man.

Sergei Diaghilev liked the portrait of the young prince very much. Photo: Public Domain

When he was 17 years old, the artist Valentin Serov came to the Yusupov estate to paint portraits of members of a respected family. A good friendship was established between him and the teenager. Years later, Felix wrote in his memoirs that they had long conversations that affected his young mind. Portrait of a young prince, in which Felix posed with french bulldog, really liked Sergei Diaghilev, who took the painting to Venice in 1907, where an exhibition of Russian painting was held.

“The picture brought unnecessary fame to me. My father and mother did not like this, and they asked Diaghilev to take her away from the exhibition, ”Felix later recalled.

But Felix could not hide from fame, besides, he constantly threw “burnings into the fire”, arranging daring antics. So, for example, it was no secret to anyone that he liked to dress up in women's dresses. Moreover, the young man “with the iconic face of Byzantine writing,” as Vertinsky spoke of him, was even seen in one of the cabarets, where he played the female role instead of one of the “blue-eyed actresses” of the Aquarium Theater. The family jewels that were worn on the pretty "singer" then helped to recognize Felix.

And Yusupov spoke about his pranks without hiding. By the way, in his memoirs, he described in detail a walk with his cousin, when for the sake of fun they decided to take a walk along Nevsky, dressed in women's dresses.

“We found everything we needed in mother’s closet. We unloaded ourselves, blushed, put on jewelry, wrapped ourselves in velvet coats that were too big for us, went down the far stairs and, waking up my mother's hairdresser, demanded wigs, they say, for a masquerade. In this form we entered the city. On Nevsky, a haven for prostitutes, we were immediately noticed. To get rid of the gentlemen, we answered in French: "We are busy" - and it was important to move on. They fell behind when we entered the chic restaurant "Medved". Right in our fur coats, we went into the hall, sat down at a table and ordered dinner. It was hot, we were suffocating in these velvets. They looked at us with curiosity. The officers sent a note inviting us to have dinner with them in the office. The champagne went to my head…”

In the same book, Felix also wrote about the origins of his unusual addictions. So, according to him, the mother, expecting a child, was sure that a girl would be born. As a result, a pink dowry was prepared. When the boy was born, Zinaida Yusupova, "to console herself, dressed Felix as a girl until she was five."

Zinaida Yusupova, "to console herself, dressed Felix as a girl until she was five." Photo: Public Domain

Marriage with Irina Romanova

Knowing about the scandalous fame of Felix in the world, it is hard to believe that the royal family approved of his union with Irina Romanova, niece of Nicholas II.

Yusupov romantically described his first acquaintance with the only daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna in his biography. According to him, he immediately realized that this girl was his destiny:

Irina was the only daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna. Photo: Public Domain

“Shyness 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.

At that time, Felix was the only heir to the Yusupov family fortune: in 1908, his older brother Nikolai died in a duel with Count Arvid Manteuffel.

Knowing about the fabulous condition of the groom, Irina's relatives did not want to believe the rumors that Felix, for example, was being tied up love relationship with Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. As a result, the wedding took place in February 1914 in the church of the Anichkov Palace. The imperial family even attended the magnificent ceremony.

“The sovereign asked me through my future father-in-law what to give me for my wedding. He wanted to offer me a position at court, but I replied that the best wedding gift from His Majesty would be to allow me to sit in the theater in the imperial box. When my answer was conveyed to the emperor, he laughed and agreed. We were flooded with gifts. Unpretentious peasant gifts lay next to luxurious diamonds, ”wrote Felix Yusupov.

On the next year- in March 1915 - a daughter, Irina, was born to young people. True, the new marital status and the birth of the first child did not change the reputation of the prince, who still remained the main character of secular gossip.

Murder of Rasputin

The name of Felix Yusupov also went down in history thanks to the high-profile murder that took place in St. Petersburg in 1916.

On December 17, the corpse of Grigory Rasputin, an "old man" who had a huge influence on the royal family, was discovered in the Neva.

The conclusion of the forensic expert said that the "tsar's friend" was brutally killed: "All Right side head was crushed, flattened due to bruising of the corpse when falling from the bridge. Death followed from profuse bleeding due to a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The corpse also had a gunshot wound in the back, in the region of the spine, with crushing of the right kidney, and another wound point-blank, in the forehead, probably already dying or dead.

The absence of water in the lungs indicated that Rasputin was thrown into the water when he was already dead.

Involved in the crime Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, Felix Yusupov and monarchist Vladimir Purishkevich. It is still not known for certain what happened in the Yusupov Palace on the Moika on the night of December 17, since the participants changed their testimony several times.

It is generally accepted that the conspirators lured Rasputin to the palace, where they treated him to wine and a pie poisoned with potassium cyanide. After that, Yusupov shot at Grigory Rasputin, but he attacked the offender, trying to strangle him. After that, the attackers fired several more bullets at the "old man". Nevertheless, the wounded Rasputin tried to hide from the killers, but they caught him, tied him up and threw him into the Neva near Kamenny Island.

Years later, in his book The End of Rasputin, Felix Yusupov wrote: ice water His body was thrown to the Neva, until the last minute trying to overcome both the poison and the bullet. The Siberian vagabond, who ventured into too risky business, could not have died otherwise; only there, in his homeland, in the waves of the Tobol or Tura, hardly anyone would be looking for the corpse of the murdered horse thief Grishka Rasputin.

Describing his acquaintance with Rasputin, the young prince emphasized his unpleasant repulsive "peasant" appearance. Photo credit: creative commons

Describing his acquaintance with Rasputin, the young prince emphasized his unpleasant repulsive "peasant" appearance, but at the same time - charisma and an unusual frightening look. At the same time, according to Yusupov, he managed to win the trust of this voluptuous "horse thief":

“We sometimes talked for a long time with him. Considering me his friend, who unshakably believed in his divine mission, counting on my assistance and support in everything, Rasputin did not find it necessary to hide in front of me and gradually revealed all his cards to me. He was so convinced of the power of his influence on people that he did not even allow the thought that I might not be in his power.

You know, dear, - he once said to me, - you are painfully smart, and it is easy to talk with you, you understand everything at once. If you want, I’ll even make you a minister, just agree.”

There is one version that Yusupov turned to Rasputin with a request to cure him of the "sodomy sin", but during the hypnosis treatment session, on the contrary, he tried to seduce the young man.

It is worth noting that in 1932 the film "Rasputin and the Empress" was released, in which the creators showed that Yusupov's wife was in an intimate relationship with Rasputin. The Yusupov couple, who at that moment lived in Paris, were outraged by this fact, and they sued the Hollywood company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The law was on their side, and MGM paid them huge monetary compensation for defamation. It is believed that after this story, there was a rule to indicate at the beginning of the film that all the events shown on the screen are nothing more than fiction.

MGM paid the Yusupov couple a huge monetary compensation. Photo: Public Domain

Felix Yusupov died in France at the age of 80. His body rests in the Russian cemetery at Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.

The handsome prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov still strikes the imagination of many ladies and still remains one of the most mysterious figures in Russian history. The last heir to one of the richest families in Tsarist Russia, the murderer of Grigory Rasputin, he was constantly in the spotlight even in exile: everyone from journalists to politicians wanted to know the secrets of his family. After the Second World War, Felix, apparently summing up his life, wrote his memoirs on French, which are now safely translated into Russian and are available to everyone. A very interesting story about the Yusupov family, starting from very distant times from the ancestors of the Tatars and ending with sad nostalgia for forever abandoned Russia ... Well, a few interesting excerpts from memoirs and photographs will once again allow you to immerse yourself in the life of this interesting person and his environment...

Prince Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston

I was born on March 24, 1887 in our St. Petersburg house on the Moika. The day before, they assured me, my mother had been dancing all night long at the ball in the Winter Palace, which meant, they said, the child would be cheerful and inclined to dance. Indeed, by nature I am a merry fellow, but a bad dancer. At baptism I received the name Felix. I was baptized by my maternal grandfather, Prince Nikolai Yusupov, and my great-grandmother, Countess de Chauveau. At the christening in the home church, the priest almost drowned me in the font, where he dipped me three times Orthodox custom. They say I woke up violently.

Felix Yusupov "Memoirs"

Family photo of the Yusupovs - in a children's dress in the arms of Zinaida Yusupova, young Felix

I was born the fourth boy. Two died in infancy. Carrying me, mother was waiting for her daughter, and the children's dowry was sewn pink. My mother was disappointed with me and, in order to console herself, she dressed me as a girl until the age of five. I was not upset; on the contrary, I was proud. “Look,” I shouted to passers-by on the street, “how beautiful I am!” Mother's whim subsequently left an imprint on my character.

Coat of arms of the Yusupov family

The famous great-grandmother of Felix Yusupov is Zinaida Ivanovna, Countess de Chauveau. Portrait by Christina Robertson

As a child, I was lucky to know my great-grandmother, Zinaida Ivanovna Naryshkina, by her second marriage, Countess de Chauveau. She died when I was ten years old, but I remember her very clearly. My great-grandmother was a well-written beauty, she lived happily and had more than one adventure. When her son got married, she gave the young people a house on the Moika, and she herself settled on Liteiny. This new house of hers was exactly like the old one, only smaller ... In 1925, while living in Paris in exile, I read in the newspaper that during a search of our St. Petersburg houses, the Bolsheviks found a secret door in the great-grandmother's bedroom, and - a male skeleton in a shroud ... Then I wondered and wondered about him.

Felix Yusupov "Memoirs"

Newlyweds - Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova and Felix Felixovich Sumarokov-Elston

Felix Yusupov's father, Count Felix Felixovich Sumarokov-Elston, lieutenant general

« straight road» - this is the motto of the Sumarokovs. My father remained faithful to him all his life. And he was morally superior to many people in our circle. He was very good-looking, tall, thin, elegant, brown-eyed and black-haired. Over the years, he sank, but did not lose his stateliness. He had more sanity than thoughtfulness. Loved him for his kindness simple people, especially subordinates, but for directness and harshness sometimes disliked by the authorities. In his youth, he wanted a military career. He entered the guards regiment and subsequently commanded it, and even later became a general and was in the imperial retinue.

Young Felix on horseback

Family photo of the Yusupovs: father Felix Feliksovich Yusupov, mother Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, eldest son Nikolai and youngest son Felix

Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova

Serov V.A. Fragment of a portrait of Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova 1900

Mother was amazing. Tall, thin, graceful, swarthy and black-haired, with eyes shining like stars. Smart, educated, artistic, kind. No one could resist her charms.

Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova with her beloved Pomeranian

Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova in front of her portrait by K.E. Makovsky 1900s

Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova in Russian costume 1900s

Mother was very fond of the entire imperial family, in particular the sister of the queen grand duchess Elizabeth Fedorovna. Mother was also on friendly terms with the king, but she was not friends with the queen for long. Princess Yusupova was too independent and said what she thought, even at the risk of anger. No wonder that the Empress was whispered something, and she stopped seeing her. In 1917, the life doctor, dentist Kastritsky, returning from Tobolsk, where the royal family was under arrest, read to us the last sovereign's message transmitted to him:

« When you see Princess Yusupov, tell her that I understood how correct her warnings were. If they had been listened to, many tragedies would have been avoided.».

Francois Flameng Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova in Arkhangelsk 1894

Let's digress at this point from the memory of Felix Yusupov and read what is written by L.P. Minarik. in the book "Economic characteristics of the largest land owners of Russia at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. M., 1971" about the wealth of the Yusupovs: "In In 1900, the value of their estates, dachas and houses was 21.7 million rubles, including the cost of St. Petersburg houses - 3.5 million rubles, the Moscow house - 427.9 thousand rubles, anthracite mine - 970 thousand rubles ., sugar factory - 1.6 million rubles, cardboard and paper factories - 986 thousand rubles. In 1900, the Yusupovs owned 23 estates; the largest of them were estimated: Rakitnoye - 4 million rubles, Milyatinskoye - 2.3 million rubles, Klimovskoye - 1.3 million rubles, Arkhangelskoye - 1.1 million rubles. By 1914, the Yusupovs had 3.2 million rubles. securities kept in the State Noble, Moscow merchant, Azov-Don, St. Petersburg international, St. Petersburg commercial and industrial and Russian for foreign trade banks." It is worth remembering that all these capitals were provided at that time with real gold, and not just pieces of paper, which we now have on hand.

Yusupov family photo

Our winter and summer trips remained unchanged: in winter, St. Petersburg - Moscow - Tsarskoye Selo; Arkhangelskoye in summer, in the autumn for the hunting season, the estate in Rakitnoye. At the end of October we went to the Crimea.
We rarely went abroad, but our parents often took my brother and me on trips to our own factories and estates. They were numerous and scattered throughout Russia, while others were so far away that we never managed to reach them.

In Arkhangelsk among the peasants. In the background Felix Yusupov

Son and mother Yusupov

For the summer we went to Arkhangelsk. Many friends went to see us off, stayed to visit us and stayed until autumn. Whether I liked the guests or not depended on their attitude towards the Arkhangelsk estate. I could not stand those who were insensitive to her beauty, but only ate, drank and played cards. Their presence I considered blasphemy. From such I always ran away to the park. I wandered among the trees and fountains and tirelessly admired the happy combination of nature and art. This beauty strengthened, calmed, encouraged.

The Yusupov family on the stairs of the park

Yusupovs in the park

Finally, Arkhangelsky found an admirer in my taste - the artist Serov, who in 1904 came to the estate to paint portraits of us. This was a wonderful person. Of all the great artists I met in Russia and Europe, he is the most precious and vivid memory. At first sight we became friends. Our friendship was based on love for Arkhangelsk. In between sessions, I took him to the park, sat him in the woods on my favorite bench, and we talked to our hearts' content. His ideas markedly influenced my young mind. By nature, he was independent and disinterested and could not hide what he thought. He told me that when he painted the portrait of the sovereign, the empress constantly annoyed him with advice. Finally, he could not stand it, handed her a brush and palette and asked her to finish for him. It was the best portrait of Nicholas II. In 1717, during the revolution, when a brutal mob broke into the Winter Palace, the painting was torn to shreds. One piece was picked up on Palace Square and brought to me by an officer I know, and I treasure this relic like the apple of my eye.

Young Felix Yusupov

Felix Yusupov posing for artist Valentin Serov

Serov V.A. Portrait of Felix Yusupov

Felix Yusupov years later ...

Serov was pleased with my portrait. Diaghilev took it from us to an exhibition of Russian painting organized by him in Venice in 1907. The picture brought unnecessary fame to me. This did not please her father and mother, and they asked Diaghilev to take her away from the exhibition.

Young Princess Irina Alexandrovna Romanova with her brothers

Once, on a horseback ride near Koreiz, I saw a lovely girl accompanying a lady of respectable years. Our eyes met. She made such an impression on me that I stopped the horse and looked after her for a long time.

The next day and after, I made the same journey, hoping to see the beautiful stranger again. She didn't show up and I was very upset. But soon Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna visited us together with their daughter, Princess Irina. What were my joy and surprise when I recognized in Irina my stranger! This time I admired the wondrous beauty, the future companion of my life, to my heart's content. She was very much like her father, and her profile was reminiscent of an ancient cameo.

Prince Felix Yusupov in Russian costume 1910

On my return to England I received an invitation to a costume ball at the Albert Hall. There was plenty of time, and having managed to go to Russia for the holidays, I ordered in St. Petersburg a Russian costume made of golden brocade with red flowers of the 16th century. It came out great. The caftan and cap were embroidered with diamonds and trimmed with sables. The costume made a splash. That evening all London got acquainted with me, and the next day my photograph was printed in all the London newspapers.

Felix Yusupov in Russian costume

I spent the winter in Petersburg with my parents. The year 1913 marked a great event for me. Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich once came to my mother to discuss a proposed marriage between his daughter Irina and me. I was happy, because it answered my secret aspirations. I could not forget the young stranger I met on a walk on the Crimean road. From that day on, I knew that this was my destiny. Quite still, the girl turned into a dazzlingly beautiful young lady. From shyness she was restrained, but restraint added charm to her, surrounding her with a mystery. In comparison with the new experience, all my previous hobbies turned out to be miserable. I understood the harmony of true feeling. Shortly after returning from the Crimea, we officially announced our engagement. Finally, the wedding day was appointed: February 22, 1914 in St. Petersburg at the Dowager Empress in the chapel of the Anichkov Palace.

Prince Felix Yusupov 1915

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna was not going to attend our wedding. The presence of a nun at a secular ceremony was, in her opinion, inappropriate. The day before, however, I visited her in Moscow. She received me with her usual kindness and blessed me.

The sovereign asked me through my future father-in-law what to give me for my wedding. He wanted to offer me a position at court, but I replied that the best wedding gift from His Majesty would be to allow me to sit in the theater in the imperial box. When my answer was conveyed to the emperor, he laughed and agreed. We were flooded with gifts. Next to the luxurious diamonds lay unpretentious peasant gifts.

Princess Irina Alexandrovna Yusupova in a wedding dress

Irinin's wedding dress was magnificent: a white satin dress with silver embroidery and a long train, a crystal tiara with diamonds and a lace veil from Marie Antoinette herself. But for a long time I could not choose an outfit. I did not want to be in a tailcoat in broad daylight and wanted to get married in a business card, but the business card angered my relatives. Finally, the uniform of the nobility - a black coat with a collar and cuffs embroidered with gold and white pantaloons - suited everyone.

Prince and Princess Yusupov

Members of the royal family, married to persons of non-royal blood, were required to sign an abdication. No matter how far Irina was from the views of the throne, she also obeyed the rule. However, she was not upset.

Felix Yusupov "Memoirs"

Here we will miss a large number of chapters in the Memoirs of Felix Yusupov concerning the assassination of Rasputin and the political situation in Russia at that time and immediately move on to the tragedy of Russia in the year 1917, or rather already by 1918, to the period when the entire royal family had already been destroyed ... Surprisingly, Felix Yusupov was denied the right to defend his Fatherland from the Bolsheviks...

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 amazing 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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I wrote about the history of the Yusupov family in a post. Separately, I want to recall Prince Felix, who became famous as the killer of Rasputin. The prince's story about the murder of this enemy is reminiscent of a modern horror film. In his youth, Felix led a bohemian lifestyle, his favorite pastime was to sing and dance in city cabarets, dressed up in a woman's dress. "Russian Dorian Gray" tasted all the pleasures of a vicious society, where the smell of opium was in the air. In the circles of decadence, such a way of life was considered quite acceptable and mundane.

The memoirs of Prince Felix are interesting, he describes with self-irony the curiosities of his life when he became the laughing stock of the public, speaks honestly about his personal shortcomings and tells in detail, without embellishment, about the murder of Rasputin - “a demon in a peasant guise”.

Prince Felix Yusupov in Russian costume. Here he resembles Fedka Basmanov, Ivan the Terrible's favorite guardsman. Fedka also liked to "dress up in women's clothes." About it in my post

As Prince Felix himself writes, his bride, Princess Irina, niece of Emperor Nicholas II, helped him reconsider his views on life and pleasure. The prince called his former hobbies "poor."

Here is how Felix wrote about his future wife:
“I could not forget the young stranger I met on a walk on the Crimean road. From that day on, I knew that this was my destiny. Quite still, the girl turned into a dazzlingly beautiful young lady. From shyness she was restrained, but restraint added charm to her, surrounding her with a mystery. In comparison with the new experience, all my previous hobbies turned out to be miserable. I understood the harmony of true feeling.

You can take Felix at his word. But an anecdote unwittingly appears.
The prince returns home in the morning. And his wife says to him:
- Where have you been?
- I played billiards with the officers.
- And why are you wearing a lady's dress and mother's jewelry?
- Well, Ira, you walk like this every day. Did I say a word to you?

Felix with his beloved wife Irina

It should be noted that Felix liked to dress up not only in women's tsatski. Often he appeared in the costumes of historical characters, perfectly entering the image of heroes. The prince especially liked the character Cardinal Richelieu.
“At that time, fancy-dress balls came into fashion in St. Petersburg. I was a master of costumes, and I had a lot of costumes, both male and female. For example, at a masquerade at the Paris Opera, I exactly repeated the portrait of Cardinal Richelieu by Philippe de Champaigne. The whole hall applauded me when I appeared in a cardinal's robe, which was carried behind me by two Negroes in gold trinkets.

Once, dressed in a woman's dress, Prince Yusupov won the favor of the English King Edward VII. This incident reminded me of the story of the Chevalier d'Eon, who, because of his dressing up, almost became the royal favorite.

Masquerade scenes of the early 20th century in paintings by Konstantin Somov

“Once we decided to appear as a couple at a costume ball at the Opera: we put on - brother of dominoes, I - a woman's dress. Before the masquerade began, we went to the De Capucine Theatre. We settled in the first row of the stalls. Soon I noticed that the elderly subject from the letter box was persistently lorning me. During the intermission, when the lights came on, I saw that it was King Edward VII. My brother went out to smoke in the foyer and, returning, with a laugh, said that a pompous type had approached him: I ask, they say, on behalf of his majesty, tell me the name of your lovely companion! To be honest, I enjoyed it. Such a victory flattered self-esteem " Felix boasted.

By the way, the idea of ​​dressing up jokes belonged to Nikolai, Felix's brother and his girlfriend Polenka. For fun, Nikolai even helped Felix get a job as a singer in the chic Aquarium cabaret. The debut of the "singer" was very successful, after the performance, the conspirators rolled with laughter in the dressing room, reading love messages from enthusiastic fans.

Cabaret "Aquarium", where Prince Felix shone

“By diligently attending cafés, I knew almost all the fashionable songs and sang them myself soprano. When we returned to Russia, Nikolai decided that it was a sin to bury my talent in the ground and that it was necessary to take me to the stage of the Aquarium, the most luxurious St. Petersburg cabaret. He came to the director of the "Aquarium", whom he knew, and invited him to listen to a French singer with the last Parisian verses ...

This is how the Avish of the Art Nouveau era looked like

On my poster, instead of a name, there were three stars, igniting the interest of the public. As I stepped onto the stage, I was blinded by the spotlights. Wild fear gripped me. I was numb and numb. The orchestra played the first bars of Dreams of Paradise, but the music seemed muffled and distant to me. In the hall, out of compassion, someone clapped. Opening my mouth with difficulty, I began to sing. The audience treated me coolly. But when I performed Tonkinka, the audience applauded wildly. And my "Pretty Child" got a standing ovation. I encore three times.

Excited, Nikolai and Polenka waited backstage. The director came with a huge bouquet and congratulations. I thanked as much as I could, while I myself choked with laughter. I put my hand to the director for a kiss and hurried to send him off.

There was an agreement in advance not to let anyone in to me, but while Nikolai and Polenka and I, falling on the sofa, rolled with laughter, flowers and love notes arrived ...

Six of my performances were held in the "Aquarium" safely. On the seventh evening in the box I noticed my parents' friends. They looked at me very carefully. It turned out that they recognized me by my resemblance to my mother and by my mother's diamonds.

A scandal erupted. My parents made a terrible scene for me. Nicholas, defending me, took the blame. Parental friends and our family swore that they would be silent. They kept their word. The matter was hushed up. The cafeteria singer's career died before it even started. However, I did not give up this game of dressing up. There was too much fun."

Living room of the Yusupov house on the Moika

Bathroom door

You can make a comedy about the adventures of Prince Felix. Perhaps the adventures of Prince Felix in a cabaret inspired the filmmakers of the film “Only Girls in Jazz” (“Some Like It Hot”). The dressing up joke again led to a family scandal.

“I had a tragicomic story. I acted as the Allegory of the Night, wearing a dress of steel sequins and a diamond diadem star. On such occasions, my brother, knowing my eccentricity, accompanied me himself or sent reliable friends to look after me.

That evening, a guards officer, a known red tape, came after me. He and three of his buddies invited me to dine at the Bear's. I agreed in spite of, or rather, because of the danger. The fun was breathtaking. At that moment, my brother was amiable with the mask and did not see me. I slipped away.

I came to the "Bear" with four gentlemen, and they immediately asked for a separate office. Gypsies were called in to set the mood. Music and champagne inflamed the gentlemen. I fought back as best I could. However, the most daring contrived and pulled off my mask. Frightened by the scandal, I grabbed a bottle of champagne and threw it at the mirror. There was a ringing broken glass. The hussars were taken aback. At that moment, I jumped to the door, pulled back the latch and gave thrust. In the street I called a cab driver and gave him Polenka's address. Only then did I notice that I had forgotten my sable fur coat at the Bear.

And a young beauty in a half-naked dress and diamonds flew into the icy frost at night in an open sleigh. Who would have thought that the crazy beauty is the son of the most worthy parents!

Of course, Felix's father was outraged by such behavior and disobedience. Once he already demanded that his son stop the stupid antics that dishonor the family.
“My adventures became, of course, known to my father. One day he called me to his place. He called me only in the most extreme cases, so I chickened out. And for good reason. The father was pale with anger, his voice trembled. He called me a villain and a scoundrel, saying that a decent person would not even shake hands with me. He also said that I was a disgrace to the family and that my place was not in the house, but in Siberia in hard labor. Finally he told me to go out. After all, he slammed the door so hard that a picture fell off the wall in the next room ... ".

Respectable family of the prince.
Mother - Zinaida Nikolaevna, father - Felix Feliksovich, elder brother Nikolai and younger - Felix.

For the first time, the prince dressed up as a young lady as a child, together with his cousin, they decided to fool around and, pulling outfits from mother’s closet, went for a walk along Nevsky Prospekt ...
“We were twelve or thirteen years old. One evening, when my father and mother were away, we decided to take a walk, dressed in women's clothes. We found everything we needed in mother's closet. We unloaded ourselves, blushed, put on jewelry, wrapped ourselves in velvet coats, which were too big for us, went down the far stairs and, waking up my mother's hairdresser, demanded wigs, they say, for a masquerade.

In this form we entered the city. On Nevsky, a haven for prostitutes, we were immediately noticed. To get rid of the gentlemen, we answered in French: “We are busy” - and it was important to move on. They fell behind when we entered the chic restaurant "Medved". Right in our fur coats, we went into the hall, sat down at a table and ordered dinner. It was hot, we were suffocating in these velvets. They looked at us with curiosity. The officers sent a note inviting us to have dinner with them in the office. The champagne went to my head. I took off my pearl beads and began to throw them, like a lasso, on the heads of my neighbors. The beads, of course, burst and rolled across the floor to the laughter of the public.

Bar restaurant "Bear" in the early 20th century

Now the whole room was looking at us. We prudently decided to give a fight, picked up the pearls in a hurry and headed for the exit, but the head waiter caught up with us with the bill. We didn't have any money. I had to go and explain to the director. He turned out to be young. He laughed at our invention and even gave money for a cab driver. When we returned to the Moika, all the doors in the house were locked. I shouted out the window to my servant Ivan. He came out and laughed to tears when he saw us in our coats. The next morning was no laughing matter. The director of the Bear sent his father the rest of the pearls collected on the floor in the restaurant, and ... the bill for dinner!

The prince honestly explained his eccentric antics by his vanity and pride:
“In truth, this game amused me and, moreover, flattered my pride, because women liked me small, but I could conquer men. However, when I was able to conquer women, my own difficulties appeared. Women obeyed me, but they did not stay with me for a long time. I was already used to being looked after, and I didn’t want to take care of myself. And most importantly, I loved only myself. I liked being the subject of love and attention. And even this was not important, but it was important that all my whims be fulfilled. I thought that this was how it should be: I do what I want, and I don’t care about anyone. ”

Prince Felix himself denied rumors about his dislike for ladies:
“It has often been said that I don’t like women. Not true. I love when there is, for what. Others meant a lot to me, not to mention the friend who made up my happiness. But I must confess, the ladies I knew rarely matched my ideal. More often fascinated - and disappointed. In my opinion, men are more honest and disinterested than women.

Although the prince treated same-sex love with understanding.
“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?

As chronicler N. M. Romanov wrote: “I am convinced that there have been some physical outpourings of friendship in the form of kissing, mutual groping and perhaps… even more cynical. How great was the carnal perversion of Felix, I still little understand, although rumors about his lusts were common. In 1914, he married the niece of Nicholas II and "corrected".

Irina's sincerity and kindness especially attracted Felix. She did not have the characteristic qualities of secular young ladies that repelled the prince. Secularism has always spoiled the character.
“Irina gradually overcame her shyness. At first she spoke only with her eyes, but gradually I was able to appreciate her intelligence and correctness of judgment. I told her my whole life. Not in the least shocked, she met my story with rare understanding. I realized what exactly was disgusting to me in female nature and why I was more attracted to the company of men. Women's pettiness, unscrupulousness and indirectness disgusted her in the same way ... "

As it turned out, Felix's friend, Prince Dmitry (who later became an accomplice in the murder of Rasputin) also courted Irina, but seeing the reciprocity between the princess and Felix, he retreated.
“My engagement has not yet been officially announced. Unexpectedly, Dmitri came to me and asked if I was really marrying his cousin. I replied that nothing had been decided yet. “But I also wanted to marry her,” he said. I thought he was joking. But no: he said that he had never spoken more seriously.

Now Irina had to decide. Dmitry and I promised each other not to influence her decision in any way. But when I relayed our conversation to her, Irina announced that she would marry me and only me. Her decision was irrevocable, Dmitry retreated. The cloud darkened our friendship with him and never dissipated.

Although historians argue who Prince Dmitry loved more - Irina or her fiancé - Felix, or maybe both at once, and therefore suffered doubly, not knowing whom to prefer. In the meantime, he suffered and thought about the choice, both subjects of his love decided to get married.

Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich - rival or lover of Felix Yusupov?

However, the bride's parents doubted the correctness of their choice and decided to terminate the engagement. Yusupov learned this news in Paris. Immediately, he went to the Grand Duke Alexander to convince him. As it turned out, Felix was slandered in front of his future relatives by people whom he considered his friends.

Felix Yusupov in the portrait of Zinaida Serebryakova

“Arriving in Paris at the North Station, I met Count Mordvinov. I was horrified to hear that he had been sent by the Grand Duke Alexander to announce the break of my engagement! I was even forbidden to seek a meeting with Irina and her parents. In vain I bombarded myself with questions from the Grand Duke's envoy. He stated that he was not authorized to speak further.

I was shocked. However, I decided that I would not allow myself to be treated like a small child. Before judging, they must listen. I will defend myself and defend my happiness. I immediately went to the hotel where the Grand Duke and Princess lived, went straight to their room and entered without a report. The conversation was mutually unpleasant. However, I managed to convince them and achieve their final consent. On the wings of happiness, I rushed to Irina. My fiancee repeated once again that she would not marry anyone but me. Subsequently, it turned out that those who slandered me in the eyes of Irina's parents, I considered, alas, my friends. I already knew that my engagement was a misfortune for others. It turned out that they went to meanness, just to upset her. Their affection for me, even in this form, thrilled me.”
It is believed that Felix's rejected admirers decided to interfere with his wedding.

The day of the wedding has come. Again, it was not without curiosity. The groom got stuck in the elevator, and the king himself, along with his relatives, had to rescue the future son-in-law from trouble.
“On the day of the wedding, a carriage drawn by four horses went for the bride and her parents to take them to the Anichkov Palace. My own arrival did not shine with beauty. I was stuck in an old shaking elevator halfway to the chapel, and the imperial family, led by the emperor himself, unanimously rescued me from trouble.

Description of the wedding from the memoirs of the prince:
“Irinin’s wedding dress was magnificent: a white satin dress with silver embroidery and a long train, a crystal diadem with diamonds and a lace veil from Marie Antoinette herself.

But for a long time I could not choose an outfit. I did not want to be in a tailcoat in broad daylight and wanted to get married in a business card, but the business card angered my relatives. Finally, the uniform of the nobility - a black coat with a collar and cuffs embroidered with gold and white pantaloons - suited everyone.
Members of the royal family, married to persons of non-royal blood, were required to sign an abdication. No matter how far Irina was from the views of the throne, she also obeyed the rule. However, she was not upset.

Accompanied by my parents, I crossed two or three halls, already crowded and full of ceremonial dresses and uniforms in orders, and entered the chapel, where, in anticipation of Irina, I took the seats allotted to us.

Irina appeared arm in arm with the emperor. The emperor brought her to me, and as soon as he went to his place, the ceremony began.

The priest spread out a pink silk carpet, on which, according to custom, the bride and groom must pass. According to the sign, whoever of the young will step on the carpet first, he will be the first in the family. Irina hoped that she would be quicker than me, but she got tangled in the train, and I got ahead of her.
After the wedding, we headed the procession to the reception hall, where we stood next to the imperial family to accept, as usual, congratulations. The line of congratulations dragged on for more than two hours. Irina barely stood. Then we went to the Moika, where my parents were already waiting. They met us on the stairs, as usual, with bread and salt. Then the servants came with congratulations. And again, everything is the same as in Anichkov.

Finally departure. A crowd of relatives and friends at the station. And again shaking hands and congratulations. Finally, the last kisses - and we are in the car. On a mountain of flowers rests a black dog muzzle: my faithful Punch reclined on wreaths and bouquets.

When the train started moving, I noticed in the distance on the platform the lonely figure of Dmitry.