Most members of the Romanov family, besides their duties as members of the imperial family, were actively engaged in various activities. Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich was a man of remarkable talents. Born on August 23, 1863, he was a cousin of Emperor Nicholas II. Like many Romanovs, he served in the army from a young age, but his career advancement was slow, and he struggled to receive promotions. His military career was ultimately cut short by an accident while horseback riding, after which he suffered greatly and became almost disabled by the age of thirty.

Many thought Georgy Mikhailovich's life was ruined, especially after he could not marry his beloved due to differences in faith. However, the young Emperor Nicholas II, knowing of his passion for numismatics, appointed him director of the museum named after Emperor Alexander III. The Grand Duke justified this trust, working on the museum for free for 22 years and assembling a remarkable collection of coins, which he donated to the museum. Changes for the better also came in Georgy Mikhailovich's personal life, and soon he got married.

However, behind the external glamour of European life, signs of an impending war were already visible. When World War I began, in 1915, the Grand Duke was sent on a diplomatic mission to Japan, which had recently fought against Russia and was now considering entering the war. Thanks to his persuasion, the Japanese unexpectedly supported Russia, which was a significant victory achieved without bloodshed. However, after the February Revolution, the Grand Duke's merits were forgotten, and with the arrival of the Bolsheviks, the situation worsened. Initially, he, along with other Romanovs, was sent into exile, and then suddenly taken to Petrograd. On the night of January 31, four Grand Dukes were brutally killed by the Bolsheviks. There is no reliable information about the location of their remains, and no examinations have been conducted after bones were discovered in our time; they also did not allow a cross to be erected at the execution site.