Princess Irina Alexandrovna (1895-1970) was a niece of Tzar Nicholas. She was a daughter of his sister Grand Duchess Xenia and Grand Duke Alexander. Before her marriage, Irina was considered one of the most eligible women in Imperial Russia.
In 1914 she married Felix Yussupov the wealthiest man in Imperial Russia, one of the men who later murdered Grigori Rasputin in 1916. He was an unexpected bridegroom, amongst other things, he was bisexual and an occasional crossdresser. Not that this mattered. The couple enjoyed a very happy marriage that lasted fifty-three years until his death in 1967. They spent most of their lives living in Paris devoting much energy to Russian relief work.
Princess Irina Alexandrovna on her wedding day, wearing her mother’s veil and the Cartier tiara that was a present from her bridegroom, 1914 via
Princess Irina Alexandrovna, ca. 1924 via
Princess Irina Alexandrovna via
Princess Irina Alexandrovna via
FROM THE BYGONE 