In our "To be or not to be" Thursdays we always profile a specific individual. Today I decided to discuss one of the more mysterious Royals.
Her Serene Highness the Princess Draculesti XII Xenia of Wallachia, Hunedoar and Carpathia, Illustrious Countess of Batoria, and Defender of the East. She holds in addition the title of Baroness Bagrazia through marriage. In more modern times it has been acceptable to merely refer to the ruler of Wallachia as the Princess of Wallachia in short although historically it is more accurate to use the title Grand Prince or Grand Princess.
Princess Xenia was born in 1984. She was the only child and heir of Prince Drago and Princess Suzanna of Wallachia. She has always been an unassuming direct person and growing up she became well known for not mincing her words. She did however acquire such a sharp wit in adulthood that it often takes several minutes for anybody to even realize that they might have been chastised. She always appreciated the out doors and would often camp alone in the woods behind Hunedoar Castle where she grew up. When the responsibilities of her posistion became clear she plainly discarded her personal preferences like an old rag and gained a serious attitude that many adults would envy. Some say the death of her pony after a wolf attack on the stables added to her clinical denial of her passion for nature but she has never spoken about it. She does still highly prioritize nature conservation in her descisions as the ruling Princess of Wallachia to this day.
Princess Xenia gained a personal style of dress during the same time as she seemed to just choose to leave her childhood behind her. Her style of extreme elegance is now world renowned but she is quoted to have said that this was not out of a pursuit of personal taste but rather out of necessity of position. She was after all going to be the ruler of a country. Walliachian succession laws have never forbidden the accession of a female to the throne although she was only the second woman to do so. Through her mother she is the first cousin of the Duke of Swann and the two cousins have been very close growing up and share a special bond. This bond was strengthened in the years following the 96 Revolution as their two monarchies were of the last remaining 5 in all of Europa. Upon the death of her father from a heart attack, some say was caused by the stress and strain following the revolution, Xenia became the new ruler of the Grand Principality of Wallachia in 2005.
The Princess of Wallachia is seen here in 2006 standing next to her cousin the Duke of Swann and the ruler of Hanoveria, the Grand Duke George III.
Wallachia joined Swann and Hanoveria in forming the United Royal Coalition in the year 1999 in an attempt to preserve the ancient traditions of their monarchies and to promote their values. Upon the 10year anniversary of the Bloody Revolution, the Duke of Swann hosted a memorial service in Swann City and spoke against violent terrorism and unnecessary political violence (seen above).
Later in 2006 the Princess wed her fiance of two years. His Excellency Baron Karl Stefanus the 18th Baron Bagrazia is the head of one of the most ancient Wallachian Noble Houses. Their marriage ceremony was not allowed to be photographed at all due to the sanctity afforded wedding ceremonies by the Orthodox faith of Wallachia. Princess Xenia was compelled to dress in her full wedding ensemble upon returning from her honeymoon in order to capture photographic evidence for posterity.
Wearing the Crown of the Grand Princess and a stunning wedding gown, the Princess of Wallachia is joined in the photo by her husband the Baron Bagrazia.
The government of Wallachia is very supportive and protective of their monarchy and Royal family. The Royals are afforded an almost mythical status with many ancient traditions and rumours surrounding them. Due to this very intimate relationship with their Princess the people of Wallachia were very apprehensive of the resurgence of interest in Royalty following the Crown Prince Imperial's Ball. Once everybody heard that the heir to the United Empire survived the revolution the initial wave of interest was so immense that the Wallachian government decided to keep a low profile in case things blew out of proportion and ended in disaster. As we know it didn't and Princess Xenia was encouraged to join in and represent her country even though she did not attend early event like the Crown Prince's Ball or his wedding. We only began seeing her profile increase in the media glare since 2011.
A Mine Magazine article featured the stylish Princess in 2011 the instant she stepped into the international media arena.
Princess Xenia was born in 1984. She was the only child and heir of Prince Drago and Princess Suzanna of Wallachia. She has always been an unassuming direct person and growing up she became well known for not mincing her words. She did however acquire such a sharp wit in adulthood that it often takes several minutes for anybody to even realize that they might have been chastised. She always appreciated the out doors and would often camp alone in the woods behind Hunedoar Castle where she grew up. When the responsibilities of her posistion became clear she plainly discarded her personal preferences like an old rag and gained a serious attitude that many adults would envy. Some say the death of her pony after a wolf attack on the stables added to her clinical denial of her passion for nature but she has never spoken about it. She does still highly prioritize nature conservation in her descisions as the ruling Princess of Wallachia to this day.
Princess Xenia gained a personal style of dress during the same time as she seemed to just choose to leave her childhood behind her. Her style of extreme elegance is now world renowned but she is quoted to have said that this was not out of a pursuit of personal taste but rather out of necessity of position. She was after all going to be the ruler of a country. Walliachian succession laws have never forbidden the accession of a female to the throne although she was only the second woman to do so. Through her mother she is the first cousin of the Duke of Swann and the two cousins have been very close growing up and share a special bond. This bond was strengthened in the years following the 96 Revolution as their two monarchies were of the last remaining 5 in all of Europa. Upon the death of her father from a heart attack, some say was caused by the stress and strain following the revolution, Xenia became the new ruler of the Grand Principality of Wallachia in 2005.
Wallachia joined Swann and Hanoveria in forming the United Royal Coalition in the year 1999 in an attempt to preserve the ancient traditions of their monarchies and to promote their values. Upon the 10year anniversary of the Bloody Revolution, the Duke of Swann hosted a memorial service in Swann City and spoke against violent terrorism and unnecessary political violence (seen above).
Later in 2006 the Princess wed her fiance of two years. His Excellency Baron Karl Stefanus the 18th Baron Bagrazia is the head of one of the most ancient Wallachian Noble Houses. Their marriage ceremony was not allowed to be photographed at all due to the sanctity afforded wedding ceremonies by the Orthodox faith of Wallachia. Princess Xenia was compelled to dress in her full wedding ensemble upon returning from her honeymoon in order to capture photographic evidence for posterity.
The government of Wallachia is very supportive and protective of their monarchy and Royal family. The Royals are afforded an almost mythical status with many ancient traditions and rumours surrounding them. Due to this very intimate relationship with their Princess the people of Wallachia were very apprehensive of the resurgence of interest in Royalty following the Crown Prince Imperial's Ball. Once everybody heard that the heir to the United Empire survived the revolution the initial wave of interest was so immense that the Wallachian government decided to keep a low profile in case things blew out of proportion and ended in disaster. As we know it didn't and Princess Xenia was encouraged to join in and represent her country even though she did not attend early event like the Crown Prince's Ball or his wedding. We only began seeing her profile increase in the media glare since 2011.
In this photo the Princess was attending the 2011 Annual Knight's Meeting. She had just received the Order of the Syldav Cross from the Count von Bismarck who later became King of Syldavia. This year the headship of the Order of the Ublient passed back to the throne of Wallachia after the mediatization of Serbieski.
In 2011, to show her full participation of the Royal renaissance and her support of the newly restored monarchy in Normandia, the Princess embarked on a State visit to the Kingdom of Normandia.
To start off 2011 with a bash all the Royals gathered for a massive family portrait. Here we see the arrival of the Princess of Wallachia at that event.
One of the mysterious stories surrounding the Royal Family of Wallachia and by extension, the Princess is an ancient legend that they are descended from vampires. The rumour is reported to have been started in the early 1100's by a rival infidel Kingdom who was at war with the Count of Carpathia and progenitor of the Wallachian Royal line. The infidel Sultan Molechi of Aturk who was losing the war to the good and God fearing Count Draculesti, sent one of his witches to seduce the Count in his sleep and to bear him a demon child. This child was to taint his bloodline with sin in revenge for beating the Sultan. The story continues to say that the girl born from this union married the Count's Son who didn't know it was his half sister and a vampire. She seemingly died but in reality never did and came back to marry her grandson and continues to do so to this day. The people of Wallachia are very superstitious and believe that the goodness that was in the heart of the Count prevails over the sin committed in ignorance. They also believe that if their Royal Family is imbued with the supernatural powers of vampires that it can only serve their nation, as it would be under the greater power of the just heart of Count Draculesti. There has never been any evidence for the story obviously and it is written off to history as a smear campaign started by a malicious enemy.
Is the Princess a vampire? You decide. One thing is for sure, she is a shrewd and wise monarch who has served her country with distinction. She works hard and does a lot for charities concerning the poor and animal welfare. She promotes trade and is a great ambassador for her country. If she is a vampire she must be a "good" one and her friendship with her cousin, the Duke of Swann will certainly keep her accountable.
Hello from Spain: congratulations on your wonderful history and creative. The clothes of your dolls are very stylish. Good job! Keep in touch.
ReplyDeleteThank you Martha for your compliments.
DeleteWow... I love vampire stories, books and movies! I grew up reading all vampire books I could find (and those days there weren't as many as today!). Of course the legendary Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' was the first I read at the age of 10. Later on I read all of Anne Rice's series... and recently I have HAD to read the Twilight series too - a far cry from the original Stoker's intent in portraying vampires!
ReplyDeletePrincess Draculesti XII Xenia of Wallachia is extremely fascinating and alluring... and I love the mystery surrounding her family and ancestors. Could her good deeds and acts of charity be a cover up for her otherwise less than good deeds...??? Oh... but it is a curse! A curse that can be broken only by unconditional love and I believe that is the yearning I sense in the Princess Xenia!
Strange creature she is... a somewhat tormented countenance surrounds her lovely but sad visage...
Another beautiful and wonderous Royal character!
Whether she is or isn't a vampire is pure speculation and will obviously never be proven by science. Whether it matter that she is or isn't is totally inconsequential except for the fact that it adds to the mystique of the Wallachian Royal family.
DeleteThe last dress is really particular, where it comes from?
ReplyDeleteHi Sergio. The last dress is made from black velvet and has a silver girdle trim. This is one of 4 dresses I tried to make myself. It is a basic tube design from a stretchy fabric. I thought I could make clothes but it is not my thing. I will stick to the jewellery making. This one did come out nice though.
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