Building № 8 on Admiralty Embankment is the Palace of Grand-Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich. Take a look – the ground floor is faced with rustic pink sandstone, while the upper floors are light grey. The building is scheduled to open soon as yet another 5* hotel in the city.
The Palace of Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich, known as the Little Michael Palace, was built by Messmacher for this grandson of Nicholas I. Prince Mikhail came of age when 20, and decided to build himself a luxurious palace. “We shall also need somewhere we can live” he explained to the architect, using the “royal we”. Eventually the “we” became a reality, and Prince Mikhail married into the Italian San Remo family, as husband to the daughter of the Duke of Nassau, Sofia Merenberg.
The couple’s happiness was shortlived. Tsar Alexander III decided that this young wife wasn’t sufficiently important to the bride of the Emperor’s grandson – and refused to recognise their marriage. The couple did not move into the palace – Prince Mikhail was stripped of all his titles, and dismissed from Government service. His bride was refused permission to cross the Russian border.
Like all the best Russian millionaires Prince Mikhail set up home in England with his bride, subsequently moving to the French Riviera. Here he entertained his family and friends, without returning to Russia.
The Palace of Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich, known as the Little Michael Palace, was built by Messmacher for this grandson of Nicholas I. Prince Mikhail came of age when 20, and decided to build himself a luxurious palace. “We shall also need somewhere we can live” he explained to the architect, using the “royal we”. Eventually the “we” became a reality, and Prince Mikhail married into the Italian San Remo family, as husband to the daughter of the Duke of Nassau, Sofia Merenberg.
The couple’s happiness was shortlived. Tsar Alexander III decided that this young wife wasn’t sufficiently important to the bride of the Emperor’s grandson – and refused to recognise their marriage. The couple did not move into the palace – Prince Mikhail was stripped of all his titles, and dismissed from Government service. His bride was refused permission to cross the Russian border.
Like all the best Russian millionaires Prince Mikhail set up home in England with his bride, subsequently moving to the French Riviera. Here he entertained his family and friends, without returning to Russia.