born March 24, 1887 - St. Petersburg, died Paris - 1967

Felix was the second of two sons born to Princess Zinaida Yussupova and her

husband Count Elston-Sumarokoff. His brother, Nickolas, was five years

older. By Imperial degree, Count Elston was permitted to assume the famous

name of Yussupov on marriage to Zinaida. Otherwise, the family name would

have gone extinct.

The Yussupovs were of ancient Tatar origin. In the late 16th century, during

the reign of Ivan the Terrible, they joined Russia and converted to

Orthodoxy. This enabled them to participate in the conquest of Siberia on

the victorious side. They acquired vast amounts of land, rich with minerals

and fur, which they rapidly exploited. These efforts soon made them among

the wealthest and most influential families in Russia. Yussupov estates

dotted the Russian landscape from the Crimea to Moscow and St. Petersburg,

and the splendor of their palaces rivalled even the Tsar's in scale and the

sumptuousness of their decoration. In the capital the Yussupov's had three

palaces, including a sprawling building on the Moika Canal, which was the

family's primary residence in the capital.

Zinaida, Felix' mother, was a great beauty. Her son inherited her stunning

looks, even as a toddler, with big, dark blue eyes, and delicate Byzantine

features. She was proud of his beauty and quietly savored the favorable

comments of family and friends on his appearance, which she knew came from

her.

Family life was important to Felix' mother. She loved being a parent and

spoiled her two boys badly, while her husband was, in contrast, distant and

stand-offish around his sons. While many other aristocratic families tried

to give their children 'normal' childhoods, limiting - as far as possible -

their early exposure to the luxury and potential corruption of enormous

wealth, Zinaida did not. Her boys were reared in plush and gorgeous

surroundings, which were considered very very chic and opulent - even by the

standards of Imperial Russia. Zinaida was admired in society for her taste

and elegance. Her palace interiors were laid out by the best decorators

following her personal direction regarding overall style. The atmosphere of

her apartments had more than a tinge of old Muscovy; bowls filled with

enormous jewels for the simple pleasure of running one's fingers through

added to the palatable sensuality of Zinaida's rooms.

This was not the best place to raise children. Even though she knew of the

danger, Zinaida wanted her boys near her and found it hard to deny them

anything they wanted. As a result they became poorly disciplined kids with

bad attitudes. Only their father had the inclination to reign them in, but

he was often absent and, as a result, they pretty much ran free in the

palace. Servants, tutors, trainers, lackeys were at the boys beck and call.

No one could say no to them, since they knew their mistress wouldn't back

them up in a dispurte with the boys. Felix and Nickolas quickly came to

understand the power of their position and what privilege meant from a

practical standpoint - they could do virtually anything they wanted, when

they wanted to do it. This early lesson in life had a bad effect on their

personalities. Nickolas was extremely conceited and haughty. He was

initiated to loose living at a very early age, eventually being killed in a

duel over a woman.

Felix enjoyed dressing up in his mother's clothes and going out to

restaurants and clubs in St. Petersburg. As a teenager he looked stunning in

women's attire and officers of thr Imperial Guard made passes at him, but

this kind of adventure was risky business and seemed bound to get him in

trouble eventually. The danger excited and intrigued Felix and he was egged

on in this behavior by his brother and his girl friend, Polia. Felix' face

was fairly well known, he had a famous portrait of him done by Serov which

was widely admired and reproduced in magazines, and his mother's clothes and

famous jewels also widely recognized in society. It seemed certain that one

day, sooner rather than later, someone would tell his parents what he was up

to. There is a story, one that Felix loved to spread, that none other than

grey-bearded Edward VII of England tried to make the acquaintance of a

certain beautiful, mysterious woman, which was Felix in masquerade.

One night Felix was at a famous St. Petersburg club. He was corseted in one

of his mothers finest evening gowns, adorned in her famous jewels and furs.

During the evening a long stand of priceless pearls suddenly broke and the

gems shot out, hitting the floor with a rattle and rolling about the room.

Although after a frantic hunt by Felix and his friends most of the pearls

were recovered, some were missed, left behind in dark corners of the room.

Later, they were recovered by the proprietor of the club, who knew the

identity of his careless guest. The next day the incident came to the

attention of his parents when the missing pearls were returned. Felix was in

deep trouble; everything came out about his cross-dressing expeditions. His

father angrily put his foot down about this behavior. Henceforth, Felix was

to be a made into a real 'man' and the feminine tendencies of his character

were to be driven out by any means. Ex-military men where hired to

accomplish the job. For a while things were pretty tough for Felix, but the

new rules imposed ..... in complete

• 1 Princess Irina Felixovna Yussoupov