Prince Alfred marries Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna in St Petersburg

Background. Prince Alfred, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, was considered for marriage to Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. Marriage negotiations began in July 1871, only to be stalled in 1872. Official negotiations restarted in January 1873, to Queen Victoria's dismay. She confined her misgivings to her diary on 11 July 1873, writing that her thoughts and feelings were rather mixed, not knowing Marie and realizing there might still be many difficulties. Maria was the only Romanov to marry into the British royal family.

Ceremony. Alfred arrived in Saint Petersburg on 4 January 1874, staying at the Winter Palace. The wedding was celebrated in great splendour on 23 January 1874 in the Grand Church. The Winter Palace served as the official residence of the House of Romanov from 1732 to 1917, though the Imperial Family often resided elsewhere for private life.

Participants. Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, was the second son of Queen Victoria. Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna was the sixth child and only surviving daughter of Alexander II. The Winter Palace, where the ceremony took place, was the official residence of the Russian sovereign, used for formal state occasions.