Fascinating Fridays (Royal Birthdays and Coming-of-Age Celebrations)

For most people commemorating birthdays mean times of celebration with family and friends and it is no different for our Royal. It is actually no better for most of them than for us. They celebrate their birthdays with loved ones and these events are no more grandiose than a tea and cake afternoon get-together or evening dinner. However due to their relationship with the public, whether in reigning monarchies or deposed, these annual events afford a great opportunity for some public relations or even public holidays in the case of Heads of State. Also special birthdays like the coming-of-age 21st birthday is regarded as very special and may afford opportunity for very special events that may garner lots of good publicity. 

What's better than a celebration with red carpet and tiaras to boost publicity or forward political agendas? Nothing attracts crowds, especially those starved of  glamour than a birthday ball. These Royal events have served over many centuries to boost morale and to replace the glitter in the eyes of the public. 

The Royal Ball may serve as a political showcases of prosperity in the face of other nations bolstering prestige. It may also serve to win back popularity after a season of dissatisfaction in the eyes of the masses. In the case of the Imperial Birthday Ball pictured above, it was to celebrate the coming-of-age, the miraculous survival of the Crown Prince Imperial, to reignite the popularity of the fallen Imperial monarchy and to launch a publicity wave that has not ceased to increase in momentum since its inception in 2009. 

As in the case of most people, gifts are often a big part of a Royal birthday. These presents however may come with historical provenance affording intrinsic as well as antique value and may have come down the inherited lines for centuries. The most well know of these types of gifts are obviously jewellery but may be property or art. The set above, made from amethysts and diamonds was a gift to Princess Augusta on her 18th birthday. 

Gifts of affection often take on a more personal form as was the case in 2011 for Princess Odeliah's first birthday whilst married. The Princess, a lover of animals and especially horses, received this thorough bred from her husband. 

Birthday celebrations may take a far more down toned quality in times of austerity. These intrinsically private and family affairs will become more private when a family is in mourning for example. The birthday will still serve as an excuse to convene but festivities would be kept humble. Such was the case in 2013 for those related to the late Empress Crystobel when celebrating the birthday of her son in September.

When a birthday is seen as an official event, politically motivated or a coming-of age of a high ranking member of the Royal family. then the obligatory balcony appearance will feature as part of the interaction with the public. This cements the involvement of the people with their monarchy and shares the happy day in a more direct manner. Such balcony appearances often gather large crowds especially when a public holiday has been declared. Above we see the Reichenthalian Royal family celebrating the birthday of the Crown Princess.

We hope this post was informative and also whetted the appetite for upcoming birthdays as they are publicized on the blog.

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.



Memory Monday (The Crown Prince Imperial's Birthday Celebrations)

In 2009 the most defining Royal event since the 1996 Revolution took place on September 24th. This was the highly publicised ball in celebration of the Crown Prince Imperial's "coming of age". This ball ushered in a new era of Royal events and resurrected the glittering spectacle of times gone by. Despite all the media and political repercussions it is easy to forget that it was actually just a party to celebrate a birthday.

Here the "birthday boy" is seen dancing with Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Ruskiana in 2009.

The celebration of Royal birthdays, along with many other events of a Royal scale were on moth balls until the Imperial Family of the former United Empire of Scot-Britania decided to host this 2009 event at their own risk and expense. There has since been two more major birthday celebrations each year in celebration of the Imperial Birthday and we expect another this year.

The 2010 birthday gathering for Prince Christian Victor, the Crown Prince Imperial of Scot-Britania. From left in the back row; Princess Kirsten, Princess Maxima, Empress Crystobel, Prince Dillon, the Duke of Swann, the Grand Duchess and Grand Duke of Hanoveria and Princess Augusta. Seated are the the Crown Princess Imperial and the Crown Prince Imperial.

In 2010 the events was a much smaller affair with only the direct family of the Crown Prince Imperial in attendance. One of the reasons for it being a small event was that it took place only a few days after the newly wed Imperial couple had returned from honeymoon. It was however still photographed and publicised in major magazines world wide. This event was special in contrast to the 2009 Ball due to the fact that Empress Crystobel had come out of hiding and saw her son on his birthday for the first time in over a decade.

In 2011 the Duke of Swann and the Crown Prince Imperial, who are cousins, held a combined birthday cocktail party. There actual birthdays are only a day apart. It was the largest gathering of Royals for a birthday to date. The event was held by day and the dress code was semi formal and cocktail dresses. It was hosted by the Grand Duke of Hanoveria and the event was not considered to be the most official celebration due to the fact that the Duke of Swann is a reigning head of state.

The dress code allowed the public to see their favourite Royals in something other than ball gowns and tiaras.  The chic Lady Arcwhite made a grand entrance as usual in a sleek black Barbie Creation.

We are waiting in anticipation to see what this years will hold.

"To be or not to be" Thursday (The Crown Princess Imperial)

Odeliah Sorgenfrei was born In the Switzer town of Muren in 1988. She is the daughter of Fritz and Ulirica Sorgenfrei, cattle farmers and milk producers for the town of Muren. Their farm has been in the family for hundreds of years and Odeliah grew up herding and milking cows along with her father and brothers. At the age of 15 tragedy struck as a rock slide took the lives of her father and brothers while out looking for a stray calf. Her devastated mother was immediately supported by the Town's folk who pitched in to help with the farm and raising Odeliah. The Seeress of Muren became a surrogate mother and took the teenager into her finishing school. This was when the young Odeliah first took serious note of Chris, the Seeress' adopted son. She grew up with Chris in the town. They played together since they both could remember but teenage passion and the obvious gap in her life left by the death of her father and brothers sparked a new intimacy.

Teenage romance often fizzles but the Seeress noticed that this was not just a childhood crush. Odeliah was a sincere unassuming girl who loved from the heart. She was committed to keeping her word and pursued making the memory of her lost loved ones proud. So the relationship grew under the watchful eyes of her guardians but a shock lay in store for the young couple. In 2006 a woman arrived in Muren that upon setting her foot on the town's soil had the entire community abuzz. Odeliah's idyllic life was to change forever. The extremely well manicured lady dressed in very expensive clothes had come for a meeting with the Seeress and her young adopted son Chris. After hours behind closed doors Chris walked out first and straight to his room. The look on his face was of dumbfounded shock but strangely not of a negative nature. The well dressed lady walked out, stopped and locked eyes with Odeliah. A faint smile was followed by her getting into her chauffeured car and she drove off into the mountain pass.

The next few weeks saw Odeliah hardly even being greeted by Chris. He wasn't offish but told her that he wasn't ready to speak to her. Their relationship reverted back into a genuine friendship and Odeliah in wisdom and with some encouragement from the Seeress, let Chris be. Three years passed and Odeliah officially resumed ownership of her fathers farm. Chris had been off studying law in the Switzer Capital when in the late summer the black limousine of the well dressed lady pulled into Muren once again. This time she and Chris stepped out and was met by The Seeress at the door of the school. Odeliah was asked to join them and the story finally became clear. A simple girl from the farm was to see how a childhood friendship could affect the entire planet.

What was said that day was in private and nobody has ever spoken to the press. We know however today that the lady in question was Her Imperial Highness the Princess Augusta of the United Empire of Scot-Britania, the sister of the last Emperor of the fallen United Empire and that Chris was in fact, the Emperor's son and heir. If a restoration of the Empire was ever implemented he would become its ruler and the highest ranking man on earth but even if it never happened he was still the Crown Prince Imperial by courtesy and the heir to an incalculable financial fortune. The Seeress raised Prince Christian-Victor (his real name) in secrecy for his safety and a year later the secret of his mother, the Empress, still being alive was also revealed. A lavish Ball was held in Muren to celebrate his 21st Birthday but Odeliah not being Royal and to keep their relationship secret for her own safety, could not attend. Royalty as a concept and the survival of a legal heir to the Empire was ripe to explode back onto a hungry world stage. It did just that. Reigning monarchies like Hispania and Hanoveria joined the Principality of Swann in a resurgence of Royal pomp and ceremony and Odeliah was finally welcomed into the fold when her engagement and marriage to the Prince took place in 2010.

The engagement of Odeliah Sorgenfrei to the Crown Prince Imperial in 2010. She was allowed to wear ruby jewellery from the Imperial Collection. We will have a separate blog post on an upcoming Memory Monday just on the Imperial Wedding also held in 2010.

http://daniel-s-world.blogspot.com/2012/08/memory-monday-crown-prince-imperial.html

She was now Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess Imperial of the United Empire of Scot-Britania. This was an unprecedented union and one of the few good things made possible by the 96 Revolution. If the Empire never fell the Crown Prince Imperial would probably never have met her but aside from that he couldn't marry her due to her being a commoner. Now they are married as no such restriction exists and if the monarchy is restored she would become Empress. As such see is seen by many monarchists as a symbol of new hope not just for Royals but also for commoners. It seems that bad things can often lead to otherwise impossibly good things to take place, for those would would choose to see, accept and take these opportunities. Odeliah certainly exemplifies how life can take twists and turns and end in a place of  "happily ever after" regardless of our perceptions and assumptions.

From left, Empress Crystobel, the Crown Prince Imperial and his wife. They are seen here at the anniversary Celebrations in Swann earlier this year.

Odeliah has slotted in seamlessly into her new family. She has taken every responsibility on with gusto and has retained her humility. Sometimes there has been a struggle with high fashion as the country girl cannot be  hidden behind couture but nobody seems to mind. "The look" however is also often perfectly hit right on the nail but everybody knows that the heart far outweighs the packaging. The family farm has been retained and  her mother's wishes to remain out of the media glare is one of Odeliah's highest priorities. She has gained the trust of her mother in law and has become her husband's unfaltering support. We look forward to seeing her star rise until it is fixed permanently in its place in history.

"To be or not to be" Thursday (The Seeress of Muren)

In the picturesque mountains of the Switzer Confederation lies a small traditional village. If seen from the right angle you could easily feel like you have been transported through a time-warp but walking down the main street of the town you will be met with cars mingled with ox carts and traditionally dressed farm folk bartering with patrons on cell phones. The Town of Muren gets its name from the sharp cliffs surrounding the entire valley and gives the impression of immense walls protecting the town. "Muren" in the native tongue means "walls". These walls have kept the town trapped in its almost dream state for centuries and even modern man only comes here for family reasons as even dedicated tourists would not always bother with the distance to only experience a farm community. Muren however has an international drawing card which is also one of the few reasons for its financial survival and the cause for an influx of outsiders especially in the last decade. This "attraction" is the world renowned Muren Finishing School for Girls and its headmistress Waltraud Richter, better know as the Seeress of Muren. 

The Town of Muren, seen from a slightly elevated position just above the Church. 

Muren has a traditional Mayor and Town Council but due to the town's isolation a special from of "martial law" has been granted to the council that has afforded the town an almost pseudo-independence from the greater Switzer Confederation. The town council has a 3 sided government structure akin to most national governments. The Council holds legislative power, the Municipality has administrative power and the Seeress has judicial power making her the official Judge at Law. The Seeress, apart from her governing roll also heads up the Muren Finishing School for Girls. As far as her personal life goes she  upholds a standard farm community household with her husband Mark, the local Wurstbude (Sausage Shop) owner. Her husband strangely specializes in Italian style Salami rather than the indigenous varieties of sausage. The Finishing School caters for extremely wealthy, influential and well bred families. There is also a scholarship program for the "less fortunate but very gifted" funded by the school and its sponsors. One in every three girls falls in the scholarship program. The education system of the school has a flawless pass rate. The discipline and education is of the highest standard and graduating from the school stands to a student's credit within the international arena for life. Illustrious graduates from the school include; the Crown Princess Imperial, Princess Marie-Elizabeth of Swann, The Queen of Hispania, The Grand Duchess of Hanoveria and many others.

Waltraud Richter does not care for the media glare so few good photographs exist. Her good friend, the Duke of Swann has threatened for years to arrange a proper portrait sitting. This blog might just see the results soon. She wears a blindfold as the tradition of her office requires. The blindfold is meant to heighten her spiritual insight and it is only removed in her private chambers. All Seeresses in the past have been trained like genuinely blind people to navigate themselves and Waltraud is fully capable of walking wherever she likes.

The Seeress of Muren is a somewhat enigmatic figure. The office and title of Seeress has existed in Muren since its foundation in Medieval times. It has, according to legend, been passed from Seeress to Seeress and includes the impartation of a "gift" of Prophecy. This affords the Seeress with a supposed supernatural ability, a form of clairvoyance to; "see" the future, what people have on their minds and even the true intentions of the heart. The current Seeress has held the office for what seems to be since before modern documentation can record. Due to the town's isolation, birth and marriage certificates were only instituted and recorded since the late 1960's, after the Great War. Thus the Seeress, who has no such record filed in the town's archives, can claim any age she cares to. 

It seems that the tradition of the Seeresses of the past, to raise up young orphan girls as candidate successors, was the origin of the Muren School for Girls. Thus the current Seeress is believed to also have come from orphan stock, which makes gauging her age even more difficult but nobody knows for sure nor do they care to find out. 

Waltraud is greatly respected if not revered by her townsfolk and her word has by tradition of the office and her personal conduct become tantamount to law. Her prophetic insight is never questioned and according to local accounts always accurate. She has a great rapport with all the citizens and maintains an extremely simple life being happily married and has biological children and adopted children aside from the girls in the school that she is responsible for. She enjoys walking her dogs in her spare time and loves cooking and visibly enjoys her husband's company. There are however also the occasional private party or town's function that she arranges to everybody's delight and these can sometimes be borderline ostentatious but are always considered to be to the benefit of the town and its people. One such an event was the Crown Prince Imperial's Birthday Ball held in 2009. The Seeress arranged a spectacular event to showcase the revelation of her "adopted son" Chris, being the undoubted heir to the Empire of Scot-Britania. The birthday of the Crown Prince Imperial was held in a newly constructed Town Hall and attended by members of Royal families from over the whole of Europa. The event boosted International interest in the town raising the economy through the roof. 

The Seeress of Muren (seated) chats with the Margravine of Montrose while hosting the Crown Prince Imperial's Birthday Ball.

The Seeress is also held in high regard internationally and is often visited by Royalty and the wealthy elite who seek her advise and insight. She does however keep to herself and her responsibilities to her family, town and school as much as possible.

The best photo of the Seeress Waltraud of Muren. She wears jewellery given to her by the Duke of Swann as a "thank you" gift. The Seeress often receives gifts of all kinds for advice or services rendered. She once received 10 cows from a farmer in the region for correctly predicting when it would rain.

There have also been rumours surrounding the mysterious Seeress. Allegations of occult practices, drugs and sexual indulgences have come and gone over the years but all have been proven to be unfounded nonsense leveled by those who are threaten by her authority and success. Her reputation remains untarnished and her track record speaks for itself. These would stand unwavering in her defense alongside powerful friends like the Duke of Swann and the Crown Prince Imperial, even if some skeleton had to fall out the closet. We can only wish her the best and tip our heads to a community servant, with no Royal title but who can hold her own with any Queen or Empress.

“To be or not to be” Thursday (The Duchess of Roswind)

Another long weekend is upon us in this April holiday season. As with Easter, we will not be posting officially after today but will do so at our leisure randomly. Normal posting will however resume on Wednesday with another "What’s Up Wednesday" discussing current events and this will obviously cover Tuesday’s Syldavian Investiture celebrations. Everybody is waiting in anticipation of the Investiture and the long weekend will give us all the time and energy to deal with that most historic event.

But for today we will have our regular Royal profile discussing another interesting Royal figure. She is the second cousin of the Crown Prince Imperial, the first cousin of Queen Gloria of Normandia and she is a Van der Bilt billionaire heiress. Her Grace Duchess Victoria, The 3^rd Duchess of Roswind, Marchioness of Hillkirk and Baroness Van der Bilt, is the current head of the very controversial abdicated Royal line of Britania. The defining moment in the History of the Roswinds came when Victoria’s grandfather, the then Crown Prince Victor of Britania fell in love with divorcee Mrs Alice Merriweather. As first in line to the Britanian throne, Crown Prince Victor faced the impossibility of having a divorcee become Queen. This might seem silly to a modern democratic mindset but the principle of Royalty is based on the concept of “family as the core building block of society". If the King can do what he wants by disregarding the foundation of family, then why have a King and an exemplary Royal Family at all? In those more traditional times the Crown Prince had to deny his private desires in favour of his duty to his nation or he had to step out of the way. That he did. He abdicated his right to the throne and the selfishness of his decision was clearly manifest in that he also accepted having his descendants cut from any rights to the throne not considering what impact it might have on them.

Prince Victor was created The Duke of Roswind and married his Alice. They too divorced three years later. The Duke of Roswind then married Lady Victoria Fitzherbert and they had one daughter, Princess Victoria. She became Duchess of Roswind upon her father’s death but regardless of wealth and Royal rank, always had to bear the shame of his abdication. She felt as if people whispered behind her back about “if” she had been Queen. She had a nervous breakdown in her late twenties and after therapy decided to make a future for herself in The United States of Americania and to only attend the Royal Court when absolutely required. In Americania she met her future husband, the wealthy George van der Bilt. They became a high flying social couple but the Duchess retained her aloof refinement at the Britanian Court as one of the highest ranking, most influencial and now, probably the wealthiest member of the Royal Family. The Van der Bilt money did nothing to stop the ugly whispers which eventually developed into rumours of her hatred of the monarchy and even extended to talk of her planning to subvert the line of succession through any means possible. She obviously denied the rumours even in the face of the terrible nickname, “the wax Princess” which she got for almost never smiling at court. To this day there has never been any proof of her involvement in any conspiracy against the monarchy.

The daughter of the former Crown Prince Victor and the mother of the current Duchess of Roswind, seated in the middle of the Knights of the Diamond Star. Holding a knighthood in this Order was the most prestigious honour among Royals.

Then the joy of her daughter’s birth, also named Victoria, in 1984 was completely overshadowed by the whirlwind build-up to the establishment of the Empire of Scot Britania, which raised Victoria from a Royal Princess to an Imperial Princess. Then finally the horror of the 1996 Revolution struck a blow far worse than any stigma of an abdication. Some finally had the proof that they needed and stated that The Duchess of Roswind and her democratized husband were the key conspirators in the events and that it backfired, deservedly causing the Duchess’ death along with all the other Royal guests who perished in the missile strike upon the Royal Castle in 1996. Her daughter was safe with her father in Americania and so the new 12 year old Duchess of Roswind started her long journey of scorn.

Victoria (left) and Gloria (right), the two Van der Bilt cousins attending a movie premiere in the Big Apple in 2008. 

Her Grace Duchess Victoria, grew up in Americania and was educated there as well. Her father thought it best for her to be as far removed from the tragedies of her heritage as possible. This didn’t protect her entirely, as whispers of “your mother killed a king” had always known where to find her. She at least found a close friend in her cousin Gloria who shared a Royal heritage through her mother the Lady Karen Kent. The two girls were like sisters and for all intents and purposes would have remained plain Americanian citizens living the “dream of freedom” until Victoria was contacted in 2009 by her mother’s cousin Princess Augusta of Scot-Britania.

The Princess told Victoria, that she held no grudge and that the past was dead and buried. She felt that there had never been proof against her mother (Princess Augusta’s own cousin) and that she wanted to extend a hand of friendship. She invited the young Victoria to The Crown Prince Imperial’s Ball with the hope of it serving as a forum for public reconciliation amongst the new generation of Royals. Victoria accepted and ended up dancing with her second cousin, Prince Christian Victor, dispelling the past once and for all.

The Mine Magazine reporting on the Crown Prince Imperial's Ball in 2009. The front cover showed the Duchess of Roswind dancing with the Crown Prince Imperial. The event was of unimaginable, personal importance but also carried great value for public opinion of the Royals in general.

The Duchess of Roswind caught in the picture with Gloria van der Bilt at a function preceding the Royal Investiture in Normandia. Next to Gloria is the King's Crown of Normandia which was publicly displayed at the time. 

The last official public appearance of the Duchess of Roswind was the 2011 Christmas Ball. She can be seen at the top left of this picture arriving along with the entire Normandian Royal contingent at the ball. Clockwise from top left, The Duchess of Roswind, Count Franz Szangusco, Mercedes Szangusco, Queen Gloria I of Normandia and the Queen's fiance, the Normandian Nobleman and head of the Szangusco family, His Excellency Count Reggius Szangusco.

Since then the Duchess of Roswind has excelled in her business affairs and with the advent of the monarchy being restored in Normandia found herself the first cousin of its Queen, Gloria I. She has thrown herself, unofficially into the role of “Queen’s assistant” and has become Queen Gloria’s main supporter, especially on the international stage. This has led to her receiving the Knighthood of the Order of the Lake from her cousin. Queen Gloria has also offered her a completely separate title in the Nobility of Normandia along with Normandian citizenship but Duchess Victoria has not accepted that yet as she still wants to honour her Scot-Britanian Nobility by waiting and hoping for a restoration of the Empire. We can only wonder how things will work out in the end, as nobody will begrudge Victoria, whatever she chooses, considering the tough road she has walked. 

Memory Monday (The Crown Prince Imperial Ball)

In our second installment on historic events we present;
The Crown Prince Imperial’s Coming of Age Ball.

His Imperial Highness, Prince Christian Victor, The Crown Prince Imperial of the United Empire of Scot-Britania in the place of honour at the 2009 ball.

In the aftermath of the Bloody Revolution, the Imperial Family were believed to have all died in the missile attack on the Palace of Roswind Castle. However, in reality Empress Crystobel managed to escape with her young son, the Crown Prince Imperial. She took him to be raised in Muren, a small town in the Switzer Confederation. Here a very good friend of the Empress ran a prestigious finishing school for girls. This friend, known as the Seeress of Muren “adopted” the young boy and raised him ingognito, as her own. The Empress left to stay in Americania with her sister in law the Princess Augusta of the United Empire of Scot Britania.

Many years later the young Prince, known in the town by his first names Christian Victor, came of age and his aunt in conjunction with the Seeress arranged a splendid Ball to celebrate his coming of age. It was to be on a scale to relive and revitalise the Royal events of before the revolution. The Muren municipality under the behest of the influential Seeress, not to mention the substantial deposit paid by Princess Augusta secured the building of an entirely new Town Hall for this purpose. The media coverage alone would also put Muren on the international tourist map forever, bringing much needed revenue to the remote location.

The "Mine" magazine published its world exclusive coverage of the event. The picture shows The Crown Prince Imperial Dancing with the Duchess of Roswind. It was a defining moment of reconciliation at the ball as her mother was at first wrongly accused for having a hand in the revolution.

The date was set and the formal event took place on the 24^th of September 2009.

Empress Crystobel was still believed publically to have died and as such due to tenuous fears for her safety did not attend the Ball. As a matter of fact, for his own safety, the Prince’s identity and location was kept secret until only 3 months before this event and only the Americanian refugee protection department head, Princess Augusta, the Seeress and the Prince knew that the Empress was alive.

Some guests arriving at the ball. Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (in the pink on the left) blew everyone away wearing the massive Tzar Nicholas Pink Diamond. In the center at the back, dressed  in gold, is the very reclusive Margravine of Montrose. She has only attended two Royal events in the last five years and was quoted as saying that the Prince's Ball was of great importance.

HIH the Princess Augusta

The Ball was a huge success and international approval of Royalty soared to new heights. The Duke of Swann made a speech denouncing the revolution and ushered in, although symbolically, a new era of Royalty.

The ball in full swing.

The Duke of Swann enjoys a waltz with the Seeress of Muren.

Gloria van der Bilt is seen dancing with the Count von Bismarck.