Katya Galitzine is a direct descendant of Catherine the Great and went to live in the former Soviet Union in 1989 to learn Russian and study sculpture.
She studied at the prestigious Repin Academy of Arts in the studio of Mikhail Anikushin, the People’s Sculptor of the Soviet Union and ended up making St Petersburg her home for 10 years.
During her time in St Petersburg, Katya, who is bilingual in Russian, embarked on several projects including her own radio show, presenting on television, hosting and guiding a number of international stars and rock bands and the organisation of corporate and private parties. She is very well known in the city by museum directors, curators, academics and gallery owners.
In memory of her late father, Katya set up the Prince George Galitzine Memorial Library, which houses a comprehensive collection of ‘Rossica’ (books about Russia, printed abroad) and is now a cultural institution of the city.
In 1999 she published her first book “St Petersburg – The Hidden Interiors”, a history of the city told through the lesser-known palaces of the city and their inhabitants. Katya has also written articles for many newspapers and magazines and has led cultural tours since the mid-1990s.