Intrigue and inspiration is promised on Thursday 26 October 2017 at London's Royal Geographical Society when a host of speakers will bring the Russian Revolution to life. Hosted by Golden Eagle Luxury Trains and Steppes Travel, the evening will take place virtually one hundred years to the day after the October Revolution, and guests will hear from two Royals whose families were devastated during the uprisings. Crucial, both during and after the Revolution, was the Trans-Siberian Railway which still runs like a steel ribbon across Russia, connecting the east with the west. Speaking about the importance of this 'revolutionary road' will be award-winning author and expert Christian Wolmar, while others setting the scene will include BBC world affairs editor John Simpson and Susan Reed, the co-founder of the British Library's exhibition on the Russian Revolution.

Tickets for the evening (19:00 – 21:30) held in the RGS' Ondaatje Theatre1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR entitled Revolutionary Russia and The World's Longest Railway are available online here. Tickets are priced at £15 and £25, the latter including a VIP drinks reception in the Map Room. Doors open at 18:00 with cash bar available; talks begin at 19:00; VIP drinks reception at 20:30.

Among those speaking will be HRH Prince Michael of Kent - cousin to HM The Queen and a direct descendant of the last Tsar, Nicholas II, who was murdered at the hands of the Bolshevik troops. Patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce, HRH Prince Michael of Kent works hard to develop the cultural and commercial bonds between Russia and the West.

Also speaking will be Princess Katya who co-founded the fascinating Prince George Galitzine Memorial Library, a public library in St. Petersburg, where many of the books were not readily available during Soviet times for political reasons. Now, thanks to her London based charity, The Galitzine - St Petersburg Trust, books fill that gap with some volumes dating from 1917. Princess Katya's father Prince George Galitzine, having been born in Imperial Russia, escaped the Revolution with his family to England. 

Christian Wolmar will not be the only rail enthusiast to talk about the Trans-Siberian Express. BBC's John Simpson will recall his experience of the journey on board the 10-year old Golden Eagle luxury train, which is operated by the British-based company, Golden Eagle Luxury Trains.  At 9,288kms in length, the Trans-Siberian Express train is the longest single-service railway in the world and crosses eight time zones as it weaves through Russia's vast and little-visited interior, over the Urals and across the magnificent steppe. Opened in stages between 1891 and 1916, this extraordinary engineering achievement is a vital link for the many communities that live close to the line.

The Golden Eagle, the gleaming hotel train, was officially launched in Russia 10 years ago by HRH Prince Michael of Kent. It was Russia's first fully en-suite private train and remains so to this day, continuing to offer voyages of a lifetime to discerning passengers who, while hungering for adventure, appreciate the finer things in life. Since its inaugural tour, the Golden Eagle has visited 16 countries including 14 of the 15 former USSR states (excluding Tajikstan), plus Mongolia and Iran. 

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NOTE TO EDITORS: 

1. There is a private access code available for travel writers to obtain complimentary press tickets for the evening – please apply to JSPR for details.
2. Golden Eagle Luxury Trains (com +44 (0)161 928 9410) offers the Trans-Siberian Express - Classic Route from Moscow to Vladivostok from £11,695 all-inclusive, including 12 nights' onboard the Golden Eagle and 2 nights' hotel accommodation. Prices are per person, based on 2 sharing an en-suite cabin in Silver Class on the Golden Eagle, and include all meals, wine, beer and soft drinks, fully guided off-train excursions programme, porterage throughout, arrival and departure transfers, the services of a Tour Manager and all gratuities. Hotel accommodation is 5* (4* in Vladivostok). Flights are extra.

PRESS ENQUIRIES:     Julia Spence, Hugh Collins or Natalie Postlethwaite

Julia Spence Public Relations

+44 (0)1491 824524 / +44 (0)7802 443113

E juliaspence.pr@gmail.com