March 08, 2026

A Pretty Penny for the Best Seat in the House


A Pretty Penny for the Best Seat in the House
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg. The Russian Life files.

The "Pretend-to-Be-a-Tsar" package at the Hermitage will cost you almost $11,000.

According to Russian state media, on March 6, a tourist was fined R825,813.59, plus a R21,516 court fee, for sitting on a historic throne at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

In March 2025, the man, Alexander Drobyshev, had taken a seat on the throne of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta belonging to Emperor Paul I, resting his feet on the royal footstool. In doing so despite a clear cordon and museum guards' warnings, he warped and tore the upholstery and damaged the stool. The verdict passed down last week seeks to right the wrong.

The throne is among the Hermitage's collection of artistic and historical artifacts and is considered one of the finest thrones of European royalty. The throne was made for Paul I in 1799-1800 when he pledged to protect the Order of Malta after the island was taken by French forces. This action led to Paul being named as Grand Master of the order, with the throne sporting a Maltese cross (and also contributed to his downfall and murder a year later, but that's another story).

Hopefully the photo op was worth it.

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