Wonderful Weekends (Official Portrait of Princess Donatella, the Duchess DiGiorgio)

Princess Donatella of Romagna has followed like many other pretenders this year in releasing an official portrait. These portraits all follow the current wave of Royal popularity, linking the historic past with the contemporary Renaissance.

Here we see Her Royal Highness sporting historic jewels, Royal Crest and is photographed with the Throne of Romagna. The portrait was taken in the DiGiorgio Palace Museum in Romagna by special permission. 

The Princess wears the Corvi Cameo Tiara inherited from her Corvi Committal ancestors along with Romagnian Royal Diamonds. 

Fashionable Fridays (Dress Code)

Protocol demands certain dress codes when interacting with Royalty, especially at functions that are officially representative of the nations the Royals serve. Remember that the Royals themselves are bound by these rules even if the public are not, so when the interaction is by invitation, then the guest is obliged to adhere to the dress code themselves. For this purpose we will now list the levels of dress code from casual to formal and the differences in day wear and evening wear. 

Casual

Royalty, like all people have private lives and in most of these settings will merely wear casual clothes or clothes appropriate to the situation like bathing suits to the beach for example.

Business

In a standard corporate environment or diplomatic setting in the day, the appropriate dress would be what is required in most office settings, a neat and stylish suit and tie for the men or coordinated pencil skirt suit or pants for ladies. 

Cocktail Semi-Formal

For a slightly dressed up feel during an outside day party, the cocktail dress code applies. This would be a morning suit or sport jacket and trousers for men and a short skirt and hat for the ladies. This dress code normally applies at horse races and afternoon tea or cocktail parties. 

Day Formal with Hat

For officially formal events of state that happen during the day and for funerals a smart short length dress or skirt and hat along with morning suits or uniforms for men are required. In some cases even Knighthood Insignia may be required. This is sometimes the dress code for guests at a Noble wedding but for Royal weddings tiaras may be worn. 

Evening Cocktail Formal

Formal evening wear without tiaras normally pairs with short dresses and tuxedos for men. This is normally the dress code for an early evening party that is not considered a State event. 

Short Formal with Tiara

As mentioned earlier, for Royal weddings, the formal dress code with hats usually worn during the day time, may be upgraded to tiaras.

Evening Gown Formal with Tiara

A longer evening dress with tiara and tuxedos or uniforms for men is the standard for any titled person to wear to what one might refer a formal evening gala. These events, though formal, might not be a State affair but the particular event may require formal dress. Tiaras in this case are not always obligatory and sometimes entirely omitted like when the event is held at a hotel. 

Ball Gown non-State Formal

There is such an event among Royalty as the Royal Ball. These events though very similar to the above mentioned event are considered Royal but not necessarily a State function. To a Royal Ball, tuxedos or uniforms are worn by men and the ladies are required to wear long evening gowns or full ball gowns, with tiaras. Knighthood Insignia are optional. 

State Formal

A State Evening Function is the second most formal event possible. The dress code is similar to the two above mentioned but members of Orders of Knighthood are required to wear their insignia if they are members of an order. Sometimes Chains of Office may also be worn. 

Court Dress

An even more formal dress code is expected at certain State Evening Functions. Known as Court Dress, this is what is worn at State Banquets and for State Portraits. Uniforms, or traditional regional clothing is worn by men and ladies wear full length evening dresses. Normally symbolic tiaras and/or crowns may be worn along with Knighthood Insignia and Chains of Office. 

Full Regalia

There are only two events that require this dress code, they are a Coronation or Opening of Parliament. Here Court Dress applies with the addition of Robes of State. This dress code is also but rarely applied to State Portraits as well. 

Memory Monday (Crown Prince Imperial Officially Returns as a Citizen of Britania)

2013 has been a year of vast contrasts. In many ways it was the toughest year, financially and personally but in many other ways it was a year of growth, blessing and friendship beyond any year before it. This year began like any other with great prospects and specifically with hopes of new prosperity to rise up against the current economic crunch. Several weddings were being looked forward to and the expected babies of Queen Gloria of Normandia followed by the Von Bismarck heir born to Queen Maxima. However, nobody could have expected the horror of the assassination of Empress Crystobel. The death of this loving mother and international icon sent shock waves through the fiber of international society but the dignified and sincere response of her family during the time of the funeral and to this day is what has set this year apart as an example of the deep potential for nobility within the human heart. 

We now look forward to this years Christmas Ball to be held in the Democratic Republic of Scotney who has chosen to welcome Royalty from the world over along with their own former ruling Dynasty to celebrate the role of Royalty in a modern context as "custodians of history, charity and human dignity" This is by no means a political restoration of the former Kingdom of Scotney but rather a reconciliation between the people of Scotney and their own  past and dignified future. 

A cropped section of the " State" portrait of Prince Christian-Victor, Crown Prince Imperial of Scot-Britania and Crown Prince of Britania commissioned by the Britanian Government to commemorate his ascension to the headship of the Imperial Dynasty of Aldarian after his mother's death. 

In this vein, we want to report on the Crown Prince Imperial who was in the Democratic Rebublic of Britania, neigbour to Scotney, in October on his first official visit as a reinstated, citizen. All exile statusses were lifted folowing the death of his mother, Empress Crystobel.

Prince Christian-Victor was there to accept the government's offer of an official but not political position as ceremonial heirs to the Royal and Imperial lineages and custodians of the related historic treasures. This practically means that; the Prince and his direct family's courtesy titles are accepted but with no political significance within the borders of Britania and Scotney, they will serve nationally as custodians of government appointed museums and art treasures related to Royal history, they will serve officially in an ambassadorial capacity in related matters on the International stage, they will patronize charities of their choice, they will take part in historic celebrations related to national history and regional traditions and that they will have the run of former palaces not destroyed in the revolution being allowed to also live there. The Imperial couple will also have access to the former Imperial jewellery that was saved during the revolution and revealed a few weeks ago. these will be within their custodianship and may be worn to official function within the borders of Britania. 

Two surviving palaces within Britania have been released to the Imperial couple. These will be run as working museums containing art, historic artifacts, and jewellery, to be on display for the public. These Palaces have as yet never been open to the public. Each palace will also have a section cordoned off as a Royal residence.

The Aldarian Palace is a relatively new building built for the King George V of Britania as a weekend retreat a few kilometers outside the capital. The palace sits on a vast estate with formal gardens, wooded forests, a massive lake and also a working dairy farm. All these features will be geared toward public use as soon as the Crown Prince Imperial takes residence within the course of 2014.

The former hunting lodge in the mountainous north of Britania is known as King's Loft  Castle. This Royal palace will also be reconstituted as a venue to be visited by the public. It is situated in a vast nature reserve of which a section will be turned into a chalet style resort hotel in order for patrons to visit the nature reserve, palace and formal gardens.

A truly bitter-sweet moment as the Crown Prince Imperial is welcomed at King's Loft palace by the Chancellor of Britania. The Crown Prince in his acceptance speech mentioned his joy at finding a sanctioned niche in his homeland but still was visibly moved at the mention of his mother's death.

A formal lunch was held in King's Loft to commemorate the historic event. It was hosted by the Chancellor in honour of the Crown Prince Imperial and security was visibly tight.

The Crown Princess Imperial looks on for this photo-op handshake of friendship.

The Crown Princess Imperial chose to wear the Aquamarine earrings from the Britanian Imperial Cache of jewels spared by the Britanian Revolutionary Government. These jewels amongst many others are now available to the Imperial couple for use in Britania.

For a full list and description of the Britanian Imperial Cache follow this link.

http://daniel-s-world.blogspot.com/2013/10/tiaras-and-trinkets-on-tuesday-britania.html

However the most poignant and most profound moment of the whole trip to Britania in October was the Crown Prince Imperial's visit to the man who shot his mother. By special request of the Prince and with permission from the government, the assassin consented to the Royal visit. The meeting itself was under the strictest security and for all intents a private one. No media was allowed to even photograph the Prince's arrival; at the high security prison. The Prince in an understandably emotional state also did not grant a press conference.

Frantisek Voorheest, a Syldavian imigrant and former violent offender was found guilty in October for the assasination of the former Empress. He has refused all interviews but did agree to see the Prince. A hero to dissident right wingers but a murderous villain in the eyes of many others one can but guess what the 20 minute meeting between him and the Prince was like.

The Crown Prince Imperial did release a short statement to the press and opted for our blog to be the first to publish it. His Imperial Highness stated: "Mr. Voorheest and I have made our resolute peace. I asked for forgiveness for where my heritage may have added to his cause but I forgive him unconditionally and thank God for our free will." 

The assassin is due to be executed in 2014.

Fascinating Fridays (Royal Family Crests)

We are all very familiar with the concept of a family crest and it more often than not immediately evokes a feeling of history, castles and royalty. However even though we might recognize a crest for what it is, our modern mindset does not always wrap around the deep significance and function of these archaic symbols. Contemporary company logos serve to identify a company clearly and simply within the mind of the consumer. These logos are often of basic eye catching design with clear and bold colours and meant to be easily recognizable images. Family and Royal Crests are similar to a "logo" but almost tells the story of the entire family history and its story cannot be absorbed whilst speeding past on a freeway.

In the Middle Ages, Crests were developed to serve as a form of long distance identification system. When a particular person was traveling, his banners could be recognized miles away and thus the onlooker could prepare a welcome or for war. During a battle these crests, clearly visible on banners and shields also served to identify the various commanders and their regiments, assisting in their maneuvers. This initial function also obviously denoted the commanders/royalty from the common man and for several centuries a crest was reserved for the aristocracy and claiming one meant that you were by default a highborn.

Today the original purpose of identification remains but serves to identify a particular person, family and even a sovereign state. In the case of a monarchy, the Royal Crest of the Monarch is at the same time the Crest of the Realm. There are sometimes many legal variants of a particular crest, especially in the case of Royal Families. Function and tradition dictates these variants. Let's look at some examples. 

The picture above is of the full crest of Her Majesty Queen Maria of Hispania and also serves as the symbol of the Kingdom of Hispania. Only the Queen herself and the National Government may use this version of the Crest but only the Queen applies it whereas the government will use the National Flag that is derived in its design from the Crest. 

This is the simplified version of the Royal Crest of Hispania and is legally used by the Queen and all members of the Blood Royal in Hispania. 

The Princess of Cataljone as heir to the Hispanian throne uses the simplified version on her official portraits. 

The full Imperial Crest of the United Empire of Scot-Britania serves as the Imperial standard of the Crown Prince Imperial in his pretense to the Imperial Throne.

The lesser Imperial Crest is a simplified version and is used by the other members of the Imperial family. 

In this portrait, Princess Augusta legally uses the lesser Imperial Crest. The red band at the bottom with the cross, signifies, the Order of the Diamond Star and may only be added by those who are members of the Order. 

Her Imperial Highness The Crown Princess Imperial, uses a variant of the Crest which is also used on the Imperial Flag. This variant may only be used by Emperor/ Empress and the Heir Apparent and his wife. 

This is the Imperial Flag that takes its design from the original Crest. 

The Imperial Crown and other parts of the Crest like the Three-headed Imperial Eagle may also be used by the Emperor and his heir and their spouses on official correspondence as can be seen in this invitation. This serves to officially designate the document as Imperial. 

When a monarchy is abolished and the Royal Dynasty is left in pretense to the throne, the new government might adopt new flags and national symbols. The former Crests that served as these symbols are then by default retained by the Royal Family as a Family Crest. As such it offers a unique record of history. 

The personal Crest of the Crown Princess Imperial is a unique version of the simplified Imperial Crest in Order to signify her position as the Crown Prince Imperial/ d'jour Emperor's wife and Consort. Technically, this Crest came into effect upon the death of the Empress Crystobel. Princess Odeliah as the Consort of Prince Christian-Victor is not a co-regent like her mother in law but a Consort, as such she may not use the Full Imperial Crest as that is reserved for the Emperor. 

It is common for the wife of a titled Royal to receive her own Crest upon marriage, especially if she already has one of her own by virtue of her titles. These Consort Crests are designed to show the union of marriage and will include elements of both families. Sometimes the design is a simple "half-half" splicing of the two Crests. 

The new Crest designed for Princess Marie-Elizabeth of Swann, who is due to marry the Arch Duke of Fulco DÉste in 2014 is an example of the traditional, wife's Crest. It combines the two Dynastic Houses' Crests into one and submits it to the Iron Crown of Fulco DÉste. 

During certain times in history certain fashions took hold of even the art of heraldry and applied certain popular artistic interpretations to Crests. The most famous was the "Silouetted Crest". Here follows an example; 

Above we see the basic Imperial Crest of Ruskiana, in colour and with no additions. 

The fashion before the Great War was to use a silhouette of the most basic part of the Crest. In the picture above, the Imperial Double Headed Eagle is clearly visible but just in silouette. 

Hopefully today's post will give you a sharper eye for the detail of Royal Crests and how to use them to identify some of our more prestigious personalities. 

"To be or not to be" Thursday (List of Living Royal Personalities 3)

In today's post we will list the next tier in our world of Royal and Noble personalities. This list includes all the former reigning Royal who have been mediatized to Noble status. The countries that include the principle of Mediatized Nobility is Normandia and Syldavia but the defunct former United Empire of Scot-Britania also recognized the Dukes of Lancaster as a formerly reigning Royal House. For the previous lists visit:

http://daniel-s-world.blogspot.com/2013/09/to-be-or-not-to-be-thursday-list-of.html

http://daniel-s-world.blogspot.com/2013/10/to-be-or-not-to-be-thursday-list-of.html

Here follows the list of all the Heads of  Mediatized Noble Families and their spouses.

His Grand Ducal Highness, the Grand Duke of Serbieski, he is the Head of the Electoral Noble House of Karageorgevich and Governor of the Province of Serbieski in Syldavia. He is the 1st cousin to the Prince Youssopoff.

Her Grand Ducal Highness, the Grand Duchess of Serbieski, wife of the Grand Duke of Serbieski, 2nd cousin to the Crown Prince Imperial and sister to the Earl Cartwright.

His Grand Ducal Highness, the Grand Duke of Reichenthal, He is the Head of the Electoral Noble House of Joshuwah and serves as the Ceremonial King of the regional people of Reichenthal. He is the 1st cousin to the Margravine of Montrose and 2nd cousin of the pretender to the Imperial throne of Ruskiana, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna.

 Her Grand Ducal Highness, the Grand Duchess of Reichenthal, wife of the Grand Duke of Reichenthal and sister of Shahzada Farah of Perlistan.

Her Serene Highness the Princess Von Thurn und Taxis, is Head of the Electoral Noble House of Thurn und Taxis, acts as ceremonial figurehead for the regions traditionally associated with the Von Thurn und Taxis and manages several family businesses. She is a 1st cousin of the Margravine of Montrose and the Prince of Northwold, she is also a 2nd cousin of the pretender to the Imperial throne of Ruskiana, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna. She remains unmarried.

Her Illustrious Highness, the Duchess of Lancaster, is the claimant to the historically, pseudo independent Duchy of Lancaster, now part of the Democratic Republic of Scotney. She is a 2nd cousin to the Crown Prince Imperial, the Duke of Swann and the Grand Duke of Hanoveria. She remains unmarried.

Her Illustrious Highness, the Margravine of Montrose, holds the mediatized Noble title for the region of Montrose in the restored Kingdom of Normandia. She is a 2nd cousin of the pretender to the Imperial throne of Ruskiana, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna. and 1st cousin to the Grand Duke of Reichenthal and the Princess Von Thurn und Taxis. She remains unmarried. 

Her Illustrious Highness, the Countess Nicole Doamna De Frumsetta De Bo'hemia, is the Head of the Electoral Noble House of Frumsetta and serves as the Ceremonial Gypsy Queen for all the Gypsies in the world, She is a 2nd cousin of  the Princess Donatella of Romagna, Duchess Di Giorgio. She remains unmarried.

Count Von Bismarck and his wife have been posted previously as the incumbent King and Queen Elect of Syldavia. 

What's Up Wednesday (Duke of Swann Visits The Global Jewellery Academy)

This week's post is in favour of a charity organization in South Africania and is officially sanctioned by the organization and the office of the Duke of Swann. 

Few things makes the Duke of Swann happier than to inspire others and this especially in the fields of the arts. For this purpose, His Royal Highness will travel far, to bring his particular flair and experience to those who may find benefit from it. 

The Duke of Swann, as a scholar in the field of jewellery design and manufacture and as a jewellery business owner, decided to put his clout behind the Global Jewellery Academy situated in Lenasia just south west of Johannesburg South Africania. The idea was to lecture in fields where the academy might require at his expertise and also to bring some publicity to the organization through his involvement and this blog.

The Royal Car transporting the Duke of Swann arrived at the school early last week Wednesday without any fanfare as His Royal Highness was there to work, not to gather flowers and listen to national anthems. 

The Global Jewellery Academy for People with Disabilities is a Section 21 Organization making it an official and government sponsored charity. It also adheres to national regulations on education making it able to qualify its learners. 

Jennifer Becker is the Madame Chairman of the entire organization and is seen here casually greeting her Royal visitor like the friend he is. 

On this his first visit, the Duke of Swann made an effort to meet as many of the people working and learning at the GJA. Helani Mvoki in the center, is a Tutor and Nthabiseng Ndhlovu at the far right, is the resident Sign Language Translator. The School currently caters primarily for deaf students but have some with other disabilities.

The facilities, though humble, are quite large, neat and more than fulfills the current needs. The lease however expires in about a year and there are no indications as yet from the Municipality whether it will be renewed. This concern is high on the agenda to be dealt with. 

Several offices, lecture halls and workshops are available to the more than 50 students and staff.

The Duke of Swann was impressed by the neatness and working practicality of the facilities. 

Here is one of the jewellery manufacturing workshops where the deaf students among some with learning disabilities acquire their trade.

Here two students demonstrate the melting of precious metal.

Shakeek Solomon, the Tutor in Jewellery Mould Making, demonstrates a cleaning procedure utilizing high pressure air. 

Here we can see some of the molds used in jewellery casting. 

The rubber "blocks" are moulds used to create wax images of the jewellery that trough a lengthy process gets cast into whatever precious metal the client requires. 

After his tour and a quick introductory lecture on jewellery design, the Duke reports to the lady in charge who never seems to take a break from her responsibilities, not even for a VIP. 

However, the Duke of Swann did insist on making a verbal report of his day and that required some coffee and biscuits. 

Accountability satisfied and future plans being placed on the table the Duke of Swann ended his day very excited about the continued relationship between himself and the GJA. The coffee was also very nice. 

For more information on the Global Jewellery Academy please email Jennifer Becker at jbecker@satholdings.co.za

Also visit their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/gjacademmy?fref=ts

For financial contributions use:

FNB Northcliff branch 283708 acc 62248168321

The Duke of Swann looks forward to his involvement at the academy and to see it go from strength to strength. We will report on future events as they happen. Thank you to our fans for you support.