No fairytale ending! Russian Debutante Ball in Mayfair is cancelled as dozens of young women battle to get visas amid tension between Britain and Moscow
- Annual ball sees affluent young Russians gather in Grosvenor House in Mayfair
- Guests include the daughters of some of Russia’s most influential power players
- Event cancelled for the next two years in the wake of the Salisbury poisonings
One of the most glittering events in the social calendar of affluent young Russians has been cancelled in the wake of the Salisbury poisonings.
The annual Russian Debutante Ball sees mega-rich elite daughters of some of the country’s most influential power players gather in the opulent surroundings of Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair.
But in a devastating blow to the well-heeled young guests, the event has been cancelled for the next two years amid increasing tensions between the UK and Russia, which has led to visitors struggling to get visas.
Russian elite descended on London for annual debutante ball in 2017 – but have been dealt a devastating blow this year
The event has been cancelled for the next two years amid increasing tensions between the UK and Russia. Pictured, two young guests at last year’s ball
Young women don custom made white gowns and glittering tiaras as they are paraded around the dance floor by their handsome escorts before enjoying champagne and caviar
Gilded young women from the upper echelons of society aged between 16 and 25 come together for the event.
They don custom made white gowns and glittering tiaras as they are paraded around the dance floor by their handsome escorts before quaffing champagne and caviar.
Patron Princess Olga Andreevna Romanoff is a descendant of the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and with tables starting at £2,500, attendance is strictly for the well-to-do.
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But the aftermath of the Salisbury poisoning in March has led to stringent visa restrictions making it impossible for some Russians to attend, according to The Times.
Organiser of the event Elisabeth Smagin-Melloni, told The Times that Russian guests, businessmen and VIPs had found it ‘increasingly hard to obtain visas to the UK’ and were forced to hand back tickets and ask for refunds.
Charlotte Lewis, a spokeswoman for the ball, told the paper: ‘We sell the majority of our tickets to Russians and they are finding it hard to come to London and attend the ball. I’m sure the poisonings haven’t helped.’
Gilded young women from the upper echelons of society aged between 16 and 25 come together for the event
Lord Alan West appeared at the 2017 event surrounded by a gaggle of female guests all dressed in their best evening wear
Left, Actress Lana Holloway was a guest at the ball which was held a London’s Grosvenor House Hotel in Mayfair. Right, another of the debutantes
Organiser of the event Elisabeth Smagin-Melloni said Russian guests, businessmen and VIPs had found it ‘increasingly hard to obtain visas to the UK’ and were forced to hand back tickets and ask for refunds
This would have been the sixth year of the ball.
In Russia, debutante balls stopped abruptly after the 1917 revolution, during which Tsar Nicholas was executed with his family.
But interest in the tradition picked up again in the post-Communist 1990s.
The UK’s first debutante’s Ball was held in 1780 by King George III to celebrate the birthday of his wife Queen Charlotte and raised money for a maternity hospital.
Society girls were presented to the monarch and it became an annual event and important as a marriage market for the upper echelons of society.
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