Official Royal Statement

His Royal Highness the Duke of Swann has commanded the following statement to be issued.

To all the followers and fans of this blog.

The Duke of Swann will be permanently occupied for the next two weeks attending to a massive art project in the South Africanian city of Egoli. His Royal Highness has been engaged for his expertise to facilitate and assist in the painting of a massive mural that is to decorate a youth education centre and function as an educational tool. The Duke will even be hands on involved in physically putting paint to the three storey tall mural that will depict a scene from a Blast Mining Operation. Due to this project, blogging will be reduced to a minimum and might even be completely stalled for the two week duration. Posts on the celebrations in Serbieski and other news will be affected accordingly but our Duke of Swann might find the energy to post at random. For everybody's information, the mural project will be photographed and will also be posted here on the blog once completed. Then normal posting will resume after two weeks as posted in the former official statement.

We wish His Royal Highness all the best for this project and eagerly await his next post. Please use the time to catch up on some of the posts you might have missed by using the labels or archive in the column at right of the blog.

On behalf of His Royal Highness the Duke of Swann -

Lord Charles Jennings, Lord High Chancellor to the Principality of Swann.



"To be or not to be" Thursday (The Grand Duke of Serbieski)

His Grand Ducal Highness, Prince Paul Karageorgevich, Grand Duke of Serbieski and Margrave of Trieste was born in 1986 to King Gregor and Queen Zita of Serbieski. He was born as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Paul Karageorgevich of Serbieski and was the last to hold this title as his parents were the last ruling couple of the independent Kingdom of Serbieski which fell with so many other monarchies in the aftermath of the 1996 Bloody Revolution that swept through Europa.

Crown Prince Paul Karageorgevich of Serbieski in 2009 wearing the Order of the Ublient.

Prince Paul's father mother was killed in the missile attack on the Imperial Castle of Roswind in the United Empire of Scot-Britania on the fateful night that the revolution began. His convalescing father died of a shock induced heart attack. Soon after the monarchy in Serbieski fell but the young boy and his sister Princess Cecile, the only children of the King of Serbieski was at least safe while staying at their aunt in the Island Nation of Arcwhite where they remained until reaching adulthood. Prince Paul's aunt renounced all her Royal titles and accepted citizenship in Arcwhite publicly in response to the revolution. Struggling to find a place for herself in the world she joined the pseudo-monastic ranks of the Order of the White Veil in service of the mysterious monarch of the Islands of Arcwhite. As a Lady of the Veil serving in the highest echelon to Lady Arcwhite she was able to provide for the children and even afford them a lifestyle more akin to their heritage.  

The history of the monarchy in Serbieski and its Royal House of Karageorgevich, of which Prince Paul was now the de facto head, has been turbulent and unsettled at best. The Kingdom was the youngest in Europa and was created in order to bring peace to this war torn alcove of the continent. Stubborn and proud tribal dissidents had always striven for recognition and autonomous identity. This finally came after the Great War early in the 1900's when the King of Syldavia in agreement with the other Kingdoms termed a peace treaty that created the new Kingdom under the rule of his brother who would become King Simeon I of Serbieski. This was the current Grand Duke's great grandfather.

This Pre-revolution map from 1995 shows the location of the Kingdom of Serbieski in the dark green towards the bottom right. One of the three Triad Islands is also part of Serbieski territory.

Yet after the 1996 revolution the young Prince Paul found himself an orphan living in exile in Arcwhite. He had a normal schooling and chose to study law in the United States of Americanium. Here he met his future wife on campus. Lady Davina Cartwright, sister to the Earl Cartwright and distant cousin to the Crown Prince Imperial of Scot-Britania, was of Royal descent herself and having much in common the couple eventually married in the Prince's adopted country of Arcwhite. This 2008 wedding was an entirely private event and not at all on a scale as one would expect for an heir to a Royal throne. It was however attended by some high ranking Royal friends and his sister who by now had married the Baron D'Rothchild. The Lady Arcwhite gave her consent for the marriage to be legally performed within her nations borders but could not attend due to diplomatic relations with the democratic states of Syldavia, Scotney and Britania who did not recognise the titles of the couple but could then at least recognise their marital union.

The wedding photo of Prince Paul Karageorgevich and Lady Davina Cartwright.

Unexpectedly in 2011 the monarchy in Normandia was restored and after a referendum in the Republic of Syldavia it became clear that Syldavia was to also restore their monarchy. This created a bitter-sweet conflict of interest for Prince Paul Karageorgevich. Under international law the head of a former Kingdom has rights by virtue of history, to be honoured by courtesy. As such Prince Paul was known in 2011 as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Paul Karageorgevich of Serbieski. At this stage his former independent Kingdom of Serbieski had become a mere province of the Democratic Republic of Syldavia that now as a unified nation proposed a restoration of the Kingdom of Syldavia but did not desire to split the country. Prince Paul was offered what is known in political terms as a mediatization. Syldavia would become a Kingdom and the province of Serbieski would afford Prince Paul the title of Grand Duke and Premiere Nobile in the Kingdom of Syldavia but he could not become King of Serbieski. He also lost the headship of the Knighthood of the Ublient which by tradition fell to the King of Serbieski. It passed to the Princess of Wallachia who was next in line. He reluctantly accepted the terms but vowed to serve the people of Serbieski and was given a "King's Welcome" in the province upon the restoration of the Syldavian monarchy and was immediately honoured by being created a Knight of the Order of the Syldav Cross.

The Grand Duke of Serbieski at far right next to his wife at the 2012 Investiture of King Nikolas III of Syldavia. Also in the photo is Princess Miranda of Syldavia in front and the Duchess of Roswind at left.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Serbieski. The Grand Duke wears the green sash of the Order of the Syldav Cross.

The Grand Duke of Serbieski is seen as a symbol of morale and local identity in the province and upon deciding to genuinely serve practically broke president by running for local government. He was elected Governor of the Province of Serbieski on 22nd Aug 2012. The new "Royal" Governor is expected to be given celebration this weekend to honour his appointment and can now be seen as one of the most influential Royals in Europa.

Serbieski and her Royal heritage has often unwittingly seemed like the least important in Europa but the country has vast untapped natural wealth in the form of recently discovered natural gas deposits and Prince Paul has had all the history and responsibility of a disenfranchised people thrust on his shoulders. He will hopefully make the most of his responsibility as a figurehead but in his term as governor will hopefully use his very real power just as wisely.

Breaking News (Serbieski Local Election)

It has just been reported that the local government election results have been published to tumultuous cheers. The local election that was held this past Saturday, saw the Grand Duke of Serbieski running for the secular office of governor of the Province of Serbieski in Syldavia. He won by a landslide against the conservative former governor Mr. Jakobo Karnati. This sets an entirely new standard as far as the role of former Royalty and Nobility go in a modern society. We will have a full report on these happenings in next weeks What's Up Wednesday which will most likely include the celebratory events that will obviously follow towards this weekend.

The Principality of Swann's premiere newspaper gave front page coverage of the controversial happenings in the Kingdom of Syldavia.



Tiaras and Trinkets on Tuesday (Amethysts)

Amethysts are in essence the purple version of natural quartz crystal. It is a fairly common gemstone but gains value due to rarity of large size and intense purple colour. The lighter shades of purple, albeit less costly may still be cherished in jewellery for particular shades of subtle violet. Let's take a look at some of the Royal jewellery that includes this beautiful gemstone. 

The Lady Karen Amethyst Parure was made for Lady Karen in the early 1980's when she married into the very wealthy Van der Bilt family. The amethysts are very stylishly combined at a great cost with exceptionally high quality pink diamonds. Lady Karen left the amethyst parure to her daughter who has now become Queen Gloria I of Normandia.

Queen Gloria wearing her mother's now famous amethysts and pink diamonds earlier this year to the "Heads of the Royal Houses Meeting".

The Londonderry Amethyst Parure is of a Ruskian origin and due to the quality and size of the Ruskian amethysts is considered to be the most expensive set of amethyst jewellery in the world. The rumours abound as to how the ancestress of the current Marchioness managed to procure such a lavish gift from the already married Ruskian Tsar in the late 1800's. Regardless of the stories however, the very real jewels are still a part of the family's collection and history.

For an official Portrait in 2011 Empress Crystobel chose to wear her Edwardian Amethyst and Black Pearl Parure. This set is part of the vast collection of the Imperial Family's private jewels that survived the 1996 revolution due to Empress Crystobel's tenacious ingenuity. The amethysts are of extremely high quality as can be seen in their rich purple colour.

The Serbieski collection includes an amethyst tiara and necklace of very modern manufacture. The jewellery appeared for the first time in public in 2011 at the official Royal Portrait gathering but has since been worn several times in public. It is rumoured that it is a new set that the Grand Duke had made for his wife, anticipating a Royal restoration. The Grand Duchess is seen here wearing the set last week to the engagement of the Duchess of Roswind to Prince Valmont D'Pont Du Lac.

The Youssopoff Collection as previously posted includes two amethyst parures. This one is a part of Princess Kirten's Hanoverian dowry and contains a lighter shade of violet amethysts but that are of a large size.

The second amethyst parure in the Youssopoff historical collection is of a distinct 1920's design and has been in the family for as long.

Yet another notable set of amethyst jewellery is part of the Cartwright collection. This Tiara and Necklace have been known to be in the possession of the Earls Cartwright since before the 1996 revolution and is considered to be a Royal heirloom that came to the family when Princess  Caroline of Britania married the 7th Earl. The amethysts are also known to have been re-cut and the tiara slightly modified.

Our final set belongs to Princess Augusta of  the United Empire of Scot-Britania. She received it as a gift on her eighteenth birthday from her father the last King of the independent Kingdom of Britania. This full parure of amethysts actually has two separate necklaces to choose from. Being of an extremely no nonsense character in her twenties she wore only this tiara for many years and only after her brother married Queen Crytobel II of Scotney did she branch out into a second tiara made of rubies. Today however, Princess Augusta owns and wears one of the most spectacular collections of jewellery in the world and trades in antique jewellery on the international market.

Fascinating Friday (Protocol for meeting and speaking to Royalty)

On Fridays we discuss the technical aspects of Royalty, their traditions and functions. Today we will have a short post dealing with the interesting aspect of meeting and\or greeting a Royal followed by the laws of protocol in speaking to them. The funny thing with speaking to Royalty in public is that these rules apply even to them in relating to one another. Royalty can only be free from the requirements of protocol when they are of the exact same rank and to some degree when they meet as families in private. Here follows the intricacies of a public encounter.

When one is due to meet a Royal it will be made clear to you what is expected by an attendant. The chances of meeting Royalty without being screened by officials is impossible unless you are a direct member of the family. Even government officials and other Royals will always first pass through the curtain of "the attendant". So you will be briefed of protocol before you meet a Royal and it follows that you will be announced. Thus you will never speak to a Royal without first being announced. Once announced you will be faced by the Royal who will wait for you to bow the head if you are male or for a curtsy if you are female. This is only necessary if your rank is lower than the Royal you are meeting.

The Countess Dysart executes a perfect curtsy to Empress Crystobel. A curtsy is performed by ladies only and takes place by placing the left leg behind the right and bending the knees and dropping the chin. The left arm is swept back and the right crosses over the chest. If the Royal being curtsied to feels generous they could take the right hand of the person curtsying and "help" them upright.

The Grand Duke of Serbieski bows to Lady Arcwhite at an official meeting. Men just bend forward slightly and drop their heads when showing the expected courtesy to a superior rank.

During the curtsy or bow the Royal being met will greet the visitor by their title and/or name first which is then followed by the visitor greeting the Royal using their style of address. We dealt with the styles of address in detail in a previous Fascinating Friday post regarding that topic. Let's use the first photo to reconstruct what the dialogue would have sounded like to serve as an example. The Countess Dysart curtsies and is greeted by the Empress as follows: "Good afternoon Lady Dysart." The Countess responds: "Good afternoon, Your Imperial Majesty." In the second photo Lady Arcwhite received her visitor as follows: "Good day, Your Grand Ducal Highness." To which the Grand Duke responds: "Good day, Lady Arcwhite. "

After the introduction the discussion ensues and the higher ranking person is allowed to lead and end the conversation. The style of address is used once during the greeting then it is followed by "sir" or "ma'am" depending on the gender of the Royal. Once the conversation comes to an end one is expected to bid farewell using the appropriate style of address once more for the last time.

That is the simple process for meeting a higher ranking Royal officially. Hope it will help you when the day comes that you have the privilege.

What's Up Wednesday (Engagement of the Duchess of Roswind)

A Royal surprise event hits us today as the Mine Magazine reports on this past weekend's happenings. Kept a secret from the public until today it is obvious that the surprise factor adds to the magic of this great news. The long awaited engagement of the Duchess of Roswind is finally announced and was celebrated last Saturday at a private event by family and friends. Her Grace the Duchess of Roswind said "yes" to her literal Prince Charming who has been dating the Duchess for months away from the public glare. The lucky suitor can now finally be publicly revealed and happens to be none other than His Highness Prince Valmont D'Pont du Lac. He is the younger brother of the pretender to the Franconian throne and has chosen to remain completely out of the public eye until now.

The Duchess of Roswind is a very influential business woman with shares in the International affairs of the Van Der Bilt Corporation. As a Van Der Bilt heiress and a cousin to Queen Gloria of Normandia her media profile is in stark contrast to the reserved Prince from a Royal line who hasn't held power in over 200 years. Strictly speaking he does however outrank her but under current International law his title by courtesy does not have to pass to his wife. Once they get married they will probably be referred to by their separate titles or the Duchess of Roswind might accept Queen Gloria's offer of Normandian citizenship and title which will then restore the couple to having officially accepted rank.

The Duchess has been single for many years and speculation as to her relationships have been rife for just as long. Her turbulent past, wealth and social standing must have made it difficult to find a suitable partner but this match seems to make sense even if it is just on a practical level. Prince Valmont is from the right class, not too poor but down to earth enough to not have airs and graces. He also knows all the difficulties and responsibilities that come with a title and having it "in pretence".

Saturday night saw the family and friends of the couple come out in force to celebrate the engagement. The Hotel Ritz-Nordica was engaged by Queen Gloria of Normandia for hosting her cousin's special night.

Queen Gloria chats to the Grand Duchess of Serbieski while all the guests arrive.

Prince Louis D'Pont du Lac arrives with his younger brother Prince Valmont and their sister Princess Antoinette.  If Franconia was still a monarchy then this would be it's Royal family with Prince Louis as King.

 

Princess Odeliah and the Crown Prince Imperial arrive to celebrate with his cousin the Duchess of Roswind. Princess Odeliah tips her hat to the engaged Prince D'Pont du Lac by wearing some historic D'Pont du Lac Emeralds and Pearls.

The Duchess of Roswind stole the show next to her Prince, in a stunning Barbie International original dress and her new platinum jewellery.

The full gathering of family and friends consisted from left; the Crown Princess Imperial, the Crown Prince Imperial (second cousin to the Duchess), the Baroness D'Rothchild, the Dowager Baroness D'Rothchild (aunt to Prince Valmont), the Baron D'Rothchild (cousin to Prince Valmont), The Duchess of Roswind, the Prince Valmont, the Princess Antoinette (sister to Prince Valmont), Prince Louis (brother to Prince Valmont), Queen Gloria (cousin to the Duchess) and Grand Duchess Davina of Serbieski (distant cousin of the Duchess).

The highlight of the evening came when the family presented a set of sapphire jewellery to the couple as a gift to commemorate the event. The set, consisting of earrings and a necklace was purchased as a group by the guests from the estate of the former Shahbannou of Perlistan.

The Perlistani Sapphires haven't been seen in public for over 20 years and we look forward to seeing the Duchess wear them to an upcoming Royal event. We wish her Grace and His Highness all the best with their relationship and it has also been announced that the wedding date is set towards the end of this year or early 2013. The rest of the evening was spent eating and dancing.

In other news, it has been officially declared from the Syldav capital, that the Serbieski Governor's Local Election is to be held this coming Saturday. It seems to be a for ordained conclusion that the very popular Grand Duke of Serbieski will win by a landslide. It will be the first time in history that a Royal will be democratically elected into an office with political power and it will set new precedents as far as political power functions in Europa.

Memory Mondays (Greatest Events of the Past 25 years)

We have found on the blog that sometimes people miss out on some of the posts. It is possible to keep track of which posts get "hit" the most or the ones who register few "hits". For this purpose, to keep the continuity of the stories and the reports going, we have decided to have a quick single run down of the main historic events of the last few decades in a single post in chronological order. This will help the readers who might have missed something and will also group things in order in a single post which will give an overview of the reported history of the Royals.

1986 - Wedding of Queen Crystobel II of Scotney to the Crown Prince of Britania.

1996 - Bloody Revolution topples the United Empire of Scot-Britania

2004 - Duke of Swann is Crowned

2006 - Wedding of the Princess of Wallachia to the Baron Bagrazia

2008 - Wedding of the Prince Karageorgevich (now Grand Duke of Serbieski) and Lady Davina Cartwright

2009 - Crown Prince Imperial's "Coming of Age" Ball held in Muren

2010 - Wedding of the Grand Duke of Hanoveria to Lady Alice D'Rothchild

2010 - Wedding of the Crown Prince Imperial to Odeliah Sorgenfrei

2010 - First Christmas Ball held in 14years

2011 - Largest Gathering of Royalty to date for the Official Royal Family Portrait

2011 - Wedding of Count Nikolas Von Bismarck (now King of Syldavia) to Princess Maxima of Hanoveria

2011 - Restoration of the Normandian Monarchy and Investiture of Queen Gloria

2011 - Second Christmas Ball

2012 - First and to this date only "Heads of the Royal Houses" Meeting and Banquet.

2012 - Duke of Swann's 15th Anniversary on the Throne.

2012 - Restoration of the Syldavian Monarchy and Investiture of King Nikolas III

2012 - Wedding of Queen Gloria of Normandia to the Prince of Northwold

2012 - Fourth and largest Annual Knights Meeting.

Hopefully this post helps to put things in better order and to show readers if they missed any major story. Please use the Labels at the end of this post or the Archive at the right side of the blog to visit the related posts that feature the particular historic event.



Official Royal Statement

His Royal Highness the Duke of Swann has commanded the following statement to be issued.

To all the followers and fans of this blog.

It is a long weekend here in the Principality of Swann which coincides with the school summer holidays. We have decided to take a break along with the rest of our happy country.

The staff and I who run this blog would like to also announce a change in the logistics of the blog's posting. Starting this coming week, posting will take place every second day per week day. Thus we will post Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Tuesday, Thursday, over a two week period. Weekends will remain random. The posts will still be named respectively after the day of posting and adhere to their themes as they have been thus far. Memory Mondays however will combine with the informal State Portrait feature that has ended off most weeks. We hope this new arrangement suits everybody and hope to continue our report on the lives and doings of Royalty.

On behalf of His Royal Highness the Duke of Swann -

Lord Charles Jennings, Lord High Chancellor to the Principality of Swann.



What's Up Wedenesday (Arcwhite Natural Gas Treaty)

There is some controversial current news a brewing between the Islands of Arcwhite and the Grand Duchy of Serbieski. During Lady Arcwhite's State Visit to the Kingdom of Syldavia earlier this year, she also made a stop in Serbieski and met its local leaders concerning potential natural gas trading. The extraction of the gas from Serbieski's off-shore deposits promises great profits but is controversial due to effects on the environment and also as to the distribution of funds by virtue of Serbieski having to share profits with the rest of Syldavia. Serbieski is merely a province of the greater Kingdom of Syldavia but local traditionalists still remember the days of the independent Kingdom of Serbieski.

Lady Arcwhite has called for a meeting between herself and the Grand Duke of Serbieski to continue talks in order to reach final agreement on the topic of the natural gas. Arcwhite is in desperate need of the commodity and has the finances and infrastructure to maximise the use of the gas. The Grand Duke of Serbieski is merely seen as a symbolic leader of the people and holds no political power. He is however running for the office of governor of the province later in August and if he gains that position will be able to sign a trade agreement.

Lady Arcwhite receives the Grand Duke of Serbieski in full State to continue the talks.

The full contingent for the talks included from left; the director of Arcwhite Logistics Viscount Hayz, Lady Arcwhite, Drielle Mormaer, The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Serbieski and representing the King of Syldavia, Princess Miranda.

Lady Arcwhite is running one of her signature, "media" campaigns. She really knows how to work a crowd. Meeting the Grand Duke of Serbieski officially and in state gives a lot of weight to his position as representing Serbieski. This will surely get him elected governor and then he may return the favour by signing the deal.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess have come a long way since their exile in the Islands of Arcwhite after the 96 Revolution. They do however genuinely seem to prioritise the needs of their region above all else. Let's hope that the coastline of Serbieski does not get adversely affected by this deal.