Adventurer and Russian émigré Boris Skosirev, possessing numerous talents and charm, entertained Europe in the 1930s by becoming the king of Andorra for a few days. However, his complex character soon worked against him. Viktor Cheretsky gathered little-known facts about the life of this schemer.

Skosirev managed to avoid the disasters that befell Russia after the revolution. He found himself in Great Britain with nothing to his name but several foreign languages and experience working as a translator for the English. After leaving Russia, he served in the British army for two years, dreaming of a luxurious life. Unable to find a more respectable occupation, he began to concoct scams, break the law, and soon attracted the attention of the police. This forced him to leave Great Britain and seek refuge in other countries. In Germany, he was briefly imprisoned for a sheep farming scam, after which he headed to southern France, where his mother lived, also having fled from Russia. This occurred between 1920 and 1923.

In England, before starting his travels across Europe, Boris got caught with unsecured bank checks that he tried to use to pay for housing and purchases. He also had issues with documents for legal residency in London. Skosirev later claimed that he worked for the royal intelligence services and then went to the Netherlands, where he allegedly provided the authorities with 'secret services.' For this, he claimed, Queen Wilhelmina granted him the title of Count of Orange, but there is no evidence to support this.

According to some reports, after traveling around Europe, Skosirev went to Colombia, where he engaged in foreign trade operations. Some researchers suggest this could have involved cocaine.

In Mallorca, he made a living through scams and met Florence Marmon, the ex-wife of an American automotive magnate. Skosirev assured her that she would become the queen of Andorra, and he, the king, claiming he had the right to do so as a person of noble blood. He added the prefix 'von' to his surname, calling himself 'von Skosirev,' although this was a fabrication.

At the end of 1933, Skosirev traveled to Andorra, trying to make useful connections and proposing reforms for the principality. He presented his initiatives to the General Council but was unsuccessful and was expelled by the local authorities as a disturbance to the peace.

However, after his expulsion, Skosirev did not abandon his plans for Andorra. He envisioned leading the process of the region's independence, borrowing an economic program from Monaco: abolishing taxes to attract capital, opening banks and casinos, and developing tourism. He shared these plans with the foreign press, emphasizing that the Andorrans should be led to progress by a king, meaning himself. He legally justified his claims to the throne, arguing that the current president of France had no right to be co-ruler of Andorra, as this right was granted to the French king, not the president.