Memory Monday (Reichenthal Royal Wedding)

Time for a historic post. In 1997 Syldavia had abolished its national monarchy in favour of a democracy but did face the problem of having absorbed many small regions who were independent monarchies and fiercely traditionally ethnic before the 1996 Revolution. Subsequently the Syldavian civil war broke out and subdued these regions into submission to the greater democratic system. In principle these monarchies where also abolished to some or a complete degree but where some Royal Families were entirely exiled, the small region of Reichenthal signed a treaty with its new overlords. This agreement yielded all authority to the Syldavian government but allowed the King and the local customs to continue ceremoniously with absolutely no claim to governance or government funds. Thus King Lothair, who had ruled for a mere seven days after his father's assassination, yielded to the Syldavian Governor and was relegated to the obscurity of his mountain "Kingdom" to such a degree that Reichenthal soon completely faded into memory and legend. But life went on and "King" Lothair soon took a wife.


The Royal Wedding of  Lothair, King of the Reichenthalians and Azantha, Princess of Perlistan took place in 1998 and was a fresh moment of joy and colour after all the dread that the 1996 Revolution had brought. The event was celebrated locally and did not even receive press coverage in the rest of Syldavia much less internationally. It was not however down toned in its Royal splendour.

The small Kingdom of Reichenthal is hidden away and was completely absorbed by the Syldavian democratic government which relegated it to a regional oddity but this wedding was a time for the local people to shine their local customs brightly among the democratic severity of their "Big Brother" state.

Reichenthal Castle is the venue for almost all the Royal events in the region and also served as the wedding venue in 1998.

Lothair, who could no longer be referred to as "His Majesty" or "King Lothair of Reichenthal", was still colloquially allowed "King of the Reichenthalians" following his name. Here we see him on his wedding day awaiting his bride's arrival in the throne room for the ceremony. The Crown of Reichenthal can be seen just behind Lothair on a golden pedestal.

Standing with Lothair was his soon to be sister-in-law, the pretender Shahbahnou of Perlistan, his best man the Baron Bagrazia and the Silver Cardinal.

The bride's sister was living in exile at the time of the wedding, hailing herself from the ousted monarchy of Perlistan. This was the last time the Shahbahnou was seen wearing this particular set of jewellery as she was forced by the Perlistani government to return them as a national historic treasure. She would only wear them again in 2014 after her exile restrictions were lifted.

Lothair's aunt, Princess Sonja, had been severely traumatised by her family losing so much status as a result of the civil war and almost couldn't attend the wedding for depression. She was however cheered up but the fact that so many, still reigning Royal Families, attended the wedding and was said to find the encouragement to attend herself by the prospect of seeing them. In this photo it is clear that Princess Sonja did not look her best on the day.

Some of the official diplomatic attendees at the wedding included Princess Suzanna of Wallachia...

...and Infanta Isabella of Hispania.

Alison Stadler-Diedricks of Alison Couture was responsible for the wedding dress and as a close friend of Princess Azantha was a very special guest at the wedding. Miss Stadler-Diedricks even procured a brand new diamond tiara especially for the event.

A trumpet fanfare announced the arrival of the Princess Bride.

The spectacular creme and gold embroidered wedding gown took everybody's breath away and did set a style precedent for years to come.

Princess Azantha complimented her dress and flowers with an official 17th Century tiara from the Reichenthal Crown Jewels and her dowry Perlistani Ruby necklace and earrings.

A full length photo of the bride's arrival and amazing gown.

This photo gives a good impression of the impressive gold net veil.

Finally the couple joined each other before the Silver Cardinal for the ceremony.

The actual ceremony was the first to be photographed in Reichenthal as Royal custom forbidding the sacred moment to be photographed was deliberately ignored by Lothair in light of the status of the Royal Family at the time. He also thought that a bit of modernizing might go a long way for charting a new future for himself and his people.

After the formalities the couple left the Castle for a small carriage procession through the streets of the Reichethal capital.

The Governor of Reichenthal, for the sake of the people's insistence, allowed a short procession utilizing primarily routes through public parks obstructing traffic to a minimum.

The Royal guests gathered to send the carriage off, which was to return to the castle about 35 minutes later for a balcony appearance and private reception.

Royal waves were obviously appropriate.

The obligatory posed photos for the press were first on the agenda after the procession.

These photos were also released to the public as pseudo state portraits commemorating the happy day.

God bless Lothair and Azantha, King and Queen of the Reichenthalians.

A large crowd was happy to receive the acknowledgement of the newly weds from the castle balcony.

The very next morning saw the couple leave early by Royal Train for their honeymoon at the Royal Hunting Lodge deep in the Reichenthal forest.

What's Up Wednesday (Reichenthal Official Visit to Perlistan)

The D'Jour Shahbahnou of Perlistan welcomed her first official visiting foreign Royals to her native country since her own return from exile to Perlistan. The landmark event took place this past weekend in the Perlistani capital but was also a bit of a private family affair. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Reichenthal were ent on a diplomatic fact finding mission to Perlistan to explore the possibility of trade. They were warmly welcomed by the government and treated to an official welcome by the Shahbahnou who acts as the "face" of Perlistan in a diplomatic manner. The Shahbahnou also happens to be the elder sister of the Grand Duchess affording this particular trip a very intimate atmosphere.

The Shahbahnou welcomed the Grand Ducal couple in the Peacock Throne Room affording the press photos of the historic room for the first time in almost twenty years. Her Imperial Highness Shanaz Farah, The Shahbahnou looked spectacular in a desert shade dress with historic rubies.

Grand Duchess Azantha is seen here curtsying next to her husband upon them entering the throne room. It was an emotional moment for the Grand Duchess who has not visited her home country in many years.

An official photo opp was allowed the press directly in front of the historic Peacock Throne. Grand Duke Lothair was happy to step back slightly out of the limelight on this trip allowing his wife to catch most of the shine along with her illustrious sister.

The Shahbahnou, who does not have any political power but was welcomed back from exile in the capacity of holding a historical and ceremonial significance was very happy to host her first official event on Perlistani soil and to have that include her sister. The entire visit, albeit strictly not a State Visit was extremely successful in its purpose of strengthening trade and renewing awareness of the largely unknown Perlistan who traditionally keeps out of the Western media.

This extremely regal photo was taken to commemorate the trip and also shows the amazing Peacock Throne in all its glory. 

What's Up Wednesday (2015 Syldavian Electorate Meeting)

The recently restored throne room of Ploch Palace in Syldavia could finally be put to official use for the first time since the restoration of the monarchy. Reichenthal craftsmen took several years to restore the neglected splendour of the very intricately decorated room to its former glory. The central feature of the room is obviously the throne presiding over a silver overlaid round table seen below.

The throne room served in its first Syldavian Electorate meeting this year, albeit it the third meeting of its kind in the history of the newly reestablished monarchy. From this year onward the room and the annual Electorate Meeting will be seen as the very heart of the Kingdom of Syldavia.

In the above picture we see the Crown of Syldavia, symbol of the monarchy present upon the round table.

The yearly Electorate Meeting gathers the Heads of the Five Noble Families in one room to officially open the national year and establish its plans and budgets and also to vote in and officiate policy. The meeting is very similar to an "Opening of Parliament" as in other monarchies except that in Syldavia, the King is seen as part of the 5-fold collective and not as an individual acting solely in his own person.

Their Majesties the King and Queen of Syldavia and the Count Von Bismarck represent the currently elected Royal Family.

The monarch of Syldavia is elected from the heads of 5 electorate families. He/she then serves for life followed by another election. Above we see the other four Electors along with the Royal Family gathered in the throne room.

King Nikolas III of Syldavia.

Queen Maxima was present as an observer...

along with the King's brother who officially represents the Von Bismarck Family.

The Countess of Bo'hemia more popularly known as the famous fashion designer, Madame Frumsetta, is one of the Electors.

The Grand Duke of Reichenthal, formerly King of Reichenthal, represents his now mediatized region of Reichenthal as an Elector.

The Grand Duke of Serbieski, another former Kingdom  is the fourth Elector at the council..

Finally we get a rare glimpse of a Royal who does not frequent the lime light. Princess Victoria Von Thurn und Taxis, the last Elector.

Even though the Electorate Meeting is an official and working meeting it also serves a ceremonial function requiring formal dress and tiaras. We hope at least the sparkle makes this seemingly mundane event more fun to watch.

Wonderful Weekends (State Portraits of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Reichenthal)

In celebration of the Grand Duke of Reichethal's Investiture into the the Order of the Diamond Star in 2014, the Royal Family of Reichenthal released a set of official portraits. They have gone unmentioned on the blog until now and we thought to publish them in our standard Wonderful Weekend slot albeit a bit late. 

The Grand Duke's obvious intent in these photos was to commemorate the Order of the Diamond Star and is clearly seen wearing the red sash and star badge insignia of the order. He pairs it with the badge of the Order of the Syldav Cross, seen directly below the badge of the Diamond Star. 

The Grand Duchess of Reichenthal joined her husband for these official photos and wore an entirely new tiara, said to have been bought for her by her husband as a token of gratitude for her support over the years which led to him receiving his knighthood. 

Their Grand Ducal Highnesses, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Reichenthal.  

"To be or not to be" Thursday (The Grand Duchess of Reichenthal)

On our Thursday slots we always profile the life of one of our illustrious Royal characters. Today we will take a look at the beautiful and very popular Grand Duchess of Reichenthal. Born Her Imperial Highness, Princess Azantha of Perlistan, younger sister of the pretender to the Perlistani Imperial Throne, she grew up in humble exile. Later she studied in Europa and met the heir to the throne of Reichenthal while reading History of Art at the University of Wallachia. Her she fell in love and so a lifelong relationship began. She eventually gained no more than two separate degrees, one in Anthropology and the other in Economics. Her Royal status was to the liking of her future husband's family, adding prestige to the Royal match, but her native faith was an almost insurmountable obstacle. She loved Crown Prince Lothair of Reichenthal so much that she decided to convert in order to marry also forgoing her right to the style "Imperial Highness". This set the tone for Azantha's life of duty and commitment, and made her extremely popular in her newly adopted country right from the start.

Seen in the photo above, taken in 2013 at the Year End Ball, Azantha wears a turquoise blue dress, her favourite colour as it reminds her of the colour of the ocean that she loves and misses since her days as a Perlistani Princess. Reichenthal, being entirely landlocked does not afford her much of this very personal affection.

The Grand Duchess enjoys dressing up in accordance with her Royal duties and posed for these photos especially for our blog feature. 

Grand Duchess Azantha wears her brand new tiara in this portrait. It was a gift especially made for her at her husband's order to honour her lifelong support of him which lead to his investiture into the Order of the Diamond Star. Azantha has been an unfailing support and encouragement to her husband throughout his life. Even in their youth she saw him through many tumultuous times which included mild alcoholism ending in his involvement in a severe car accident. She shared these times by his side in the face of extreme media coverage but also made a point of attending church and public prayer for the well being of Reichenthal. One of the toughest times she stood by her then fiancé was during the aftermath of Lothair's father's assassination in 1997. If nothing else, her popularity has always been very high in her adopted country and since the mediatized restoration of Reichenthal as an electorate state in Syldavia has now given her a worldwide fan base. 

The former Princess of Perlistan has a very close relationship with her sister even though they literally live worlds apart. Azantha converted from her native faith, alienating her family religiously but it seems that a modern outlook on the matter has left their personal relationships strong. Azantha is often placed in the role of acting as a bridge in matters of faith and has spoken at many political conventions on this topic.

In 1998 the loving Grand Ducal couple was married after a very long engagement. In 1999 the birth of a daughter secured the succession. The Grand Duchess' role in support of her husband is quoted as being her greatest passion and the role of mother takes first place within this spousal relationship.

Outside of being a wife and mother Azantha is very committed to her Royal duties of state followed by her charity work which includes the arts, orphans and animal welfare. She is patron of no less than 60 charities of which 15 are from her native country Perlistan. 

The Grand Duchess is no stranger to finding herself alone (and entirely safe) amongst her people in the streets of Reichenthal. She is quoted as "loving mingling like a normal person". Grand Duchess Azantha is known to break with protocol. She insists on doing her own shopping – often to the frustration of security personnel who need to have their wits about them if she suddenly decides to jump on her Vespa and pop out to the local Supermarket around the corner from the palace. “She is a regular sight over here …” says Supermarket Manager Carl Vuccini. “And she doesn’t like us bowing or curtsying – she goes her own way and talks up a storm with the patrons and store personnel”. The Papparazzi who respect their Grand Duchess' privacy in public do catch a few shots of her on the odd occasion during her shopping sprees. 

Here we see the Grand Duchess happily smiling to the papparazzi while out on her scooter for a coffee date with a friend. 

It seems that Reichentalians enjoy their Royal family’s informal way of interaction. It is clear that the Royal couple loves fun. Palace personnel state that the Grand Duke and Duchess sometimes race one another down the palace driveway – on motorbikes! The Grand Ducal couple own a small collection of two wheelers and the pink vespa is recognised throughout Reichenthal.

A recent survey showed that a staggering 95% of Reichentalians view their monarchy as contemporarily relevant and able to keep up with the times, whilst only 5% (mostly consisting of older more conservative-minded citizens) feel that the Grand Duke and his wife are doing an injustice to the antique Reichentalian Code that has been the Constitution of Reichental throughout its existence as a kingdom. Now as a Grand Duchy under the protectorate and rule of Syldavia the older generation feels some of the prestige has waned but the young up-and-coming youth feels that the past is making way for a new day entirely. Grand Duchess Azantha is right there riding the crest of this new surge and we wish her all the best.