Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - An haifi Orlov a St. Petersburg zuwa Yarima, sannan Count, Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov da matarsa Olga Alexandrovna (nee Zherebtsova). Ya yi karatun shari'a, kuma a shekara ta 1843, ya zama mai hidima a fadar Sarkin Rasha. A 1845, an sanya shi zuwa Life Guard Horse Regiment. A cikin 1846, an haɗa shi da ma'aikatan Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, ɗan Tsar. A shekara ta 1849, ya yi fice a cikin murkushe tashin hankalin Hungary na 1848
, kuma an daukaka shi kyaftin. Daga 1851 zuwa 1854 ya yi aiki a kan Janar Janar da kuma Ma'aikatar War. An ba shi mukamin Kanal, an tura shi zuwa Sojojin Danube a karkashin Field Marshal Paskevich, inda ya yi yaƙi da Turkawa a kewaye da Silistria ya jagoranci cajin da ya kama sansanin soja, an ambaci shi a cikin sakonni kamar yadda yake nuna ƙarfin hali, kuma an ba shi lambar yabo ta St. George; amma raunin da ya ji, ya rasa ido da hannu, ya sanya shi a kan izinin likita kuma ya shafe watanni goma sha shida yana murmurewa a Italiya. A can ne ya rubuta "Oserk 3-weekльного похода Наполеона I против Пруссии в 1806 году" ["Sketch na yaƙin makonni 3 na Napoleon I da Prussia a 1806"]. Bayan dawowarsa, a watan Agusta 1856, an daukaka shi zuwa babban janar. Farawa a cikin 1858, ya fara buga ayyuka kan gyaran zamantakewar jama'a, inganta haƙuri na addini da ladabi. A cikin 1861 ya gabatar da Tsar tare da "A kan kawar da azabtar da jiki a Rasha da Masarautar Poland" wanda daga baya ya haifar da dokar 17 ga Afrilu 1863, ta kawar da ita.