Prince Kurakin was famously referred to as a "diamond prince", due to magnificence and richness of his costumes. Interestingly, it was one of such costumes that actually saved his life during a fire that happened on a ball given by Schwarzenberg, the Austrian ambassador on July 1, 1810. When escorting women out of the blazing hall, he fell aground and was trampled over by panicking crowd, but his richly decorated coat has protected him from the intense heat
