The Imperial Coronation Part 2 (The Ceremony)

Part 2

The Coronation Ceremony

After the Emperor took his place at the Throne the actual ceremony was officially about to begin. 

The Emperor positioned himself before the Throne and after another fanfare was announced by the State Herald as His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Chritian-Victor of the United Empire and King of the Scots and Britanians. 

The Mithradir presided over the Prayer of Blessing for the Nation of Scotney and the Nation of Britania. This was followed by the hymn "Amazing Grace". The Coronation Liturgy also includes a reading and revelationary teaching from the Scripture.

The Mithrandir then proceed down from the Pulpit of the Lion's Voice to consecrate the Coronation Regalia in the presence of the Royal assembly. 

After the consecration prayer, the St. Christian's Crown is brought to the Throne and placed on a pedestal next to it. The Emperor then received a direct prophetic prayer and blessing from the Mithrandir which was vocally affirmed by the congregation shouting: "...on earth as it is in heaven..." 

The Crown is raised by His Holiness...

...and the Emperor is crowned King of the Scots and King of the Britanians by the will of God. The congregation voice their acclaim: "...God save the King, long live the King..." three times. A 24 gun salute is fired from Imperial Park outside the cathedral as crowds audibly cheer. 

The Empress then proceeds down to the Holy Altar and curtseys to the Mithrandir. 

The First Princess, Princess Augusta then present the Consort Crown of Scotney and Britania. 

It is acknowledged by the Empress who touches it. She is then acclaimed by the congregation " ...Long live the Queen...". The wife of the King ( as the will of God) receives her queenly dignity through marriage and is thus not crowned. 

A Duke of Swann traditionally receives his Chain of Office from the King of the Scots upon his ascension to the throne however our current Duke did not have the opportunity as the Kingdom of the Scots was disbanded at the time. As part of this coronation ceremony the Duke of Swann was afforded this belated traditional honour. 

The Emperor offered the chain with the words: "To our most Royal and Noble cousin we acknowledge and affirm the rulership and friendship to and from the Principality of Swann." 

The congregation then affirms His Royal Highness with an applause. 

The Duke of Swann recedes from the throne taking three steps back and returns to his position in the cathedral. This brings us to the next part of the ceremony. A short 15 minute interval allows everybody a break while the Emperor, Empress and attendants retire to the small Imperial Chapel behind the Throne. 

The Imperial Couple reappear and are ceremonially disrobed in the presence of the reassemble congregation. The Emperor, as King of the Scots and Britanians is assisted by Blue Cardinal in the process of removing his Red Robe. 

The Emperor will also swap his Royal Chain of Office for the Imperial equivalent. 

Empress Odeliah is assisted by Princess Kirsten in her disrobing. 

The Imperial Couple then don the Imperial Blue Robes of State before the Holy Altar. Empress Odeliah also swaps all her jewellery of Royal Scotney and Britanian association for an Imperial Tiara, Necklace, Earrings and Brooch.

The Mithrandir ascends the pulpit to declare a blessing and the will of the people to submit to an Elected Holy Emperor. 

The Emperor is presented in turn with the Sword of State, the Imperial Sceptre and Orb of Dominion. Each is accompanied by a vow and a consecrating prayer.

After which the Emperor returns to the Throne and is joined by Empress Odeliah. At this point the congregation cheers: "...Long live the Emperor..."

As the Emperor holds his dignity by election, he is not crowned but " bears the crown" in the humility of equality with the peoples of Europa. 

However, the Empress holds her dignity as Empress by the will of her husband, who then crowns her as such to the acclaim of the congregation who voice their affirmation of the Emperor's will with three cheers of: " Hurrah!".

The Empress then promises her faithful alliegence, first to her husband and then to her Emperor.

The Crown of Empress Crystobel used to crown Empress Odeliah and all Her Majesty's Imperial jewels can be seen in detail in this spectacular photo. 

The Emperor then poses in State with the Royal and Imperial Crowns for a set of  coreographed photo opportunities. 

The Imperial Family are also recored in a photo for the history books. 

The Royal guests...

...and the Scot-Britanian Nobles are all photographed as the Emperor and Empress prepare for the procession back to the Aldarian Palace. 

What's Up Wednesday (Mithrandir Vision of the Future)

With just over a week to go to the Imperial Coronation, the Mithrandir requested the presence of the Duke of Swann for his first official duty in his new capacity as Grey Cardinal and Heir to the Stone Throne. The Mithrandir is the highest ranking cleric in all Europa and the spiritual overseer of all the Royal Families. His Holiness has the mystical role of sensing the heart of Europa and God's will and plan for it's people. Historically the Mithrandir has always had the responsibility for officiating over coronation ceremonies. As such he will also be crowning the new Emperor on the 4th of July. As reported before His Holiness has appointed the Duke of Swann as his heir.

His Holiness the Mithrandir has as his Ceremonial Seat of Office, the Stone Throne. It has been the mystical place of meeting for the Mithrandir for centuries. The throne is in an undisclosed spot somewhere in the dense forests on the border of Swann and Andor.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Swann or rather His Eminent Highness the Grey Cardinal when in the presence of the Mithrandir, arrived for his audience requested by the Mithrandir as the Duke's first obligation in his new role as heir.

Protocol demands that those of lower rank, bow to the higher and only the Emperor is technically equal to the Mithrandir.

But this is also a meeting of friends and indeed a meeting for the discussion of deep spiritual intimacy. The Mithrandir asked the Duke to meet His Holiness in order to meditate on the future of Europa and to search his own heart in prayer for a Vision of the Future. As the future Mithrandir, the Duke of Swann has to receive a spiritual imprint of God's will for himself and his role as the "conscience" of Europa.

After praying together the Duke of Swann felt a strong unction to look East from the throne...

A vision was then revealed to His Royal Highness and the Mithrandir. In the Eastern skies a massive crystalline gem appeared reflecting all the colours of the rainbow. It seemed as large as a city and slowly rotated in all directions. The Duke of Swann stated that he heard the words; "...there is a treasure in the atmosphere..." Whatever this means is open to interpretation. However some obvious conclusions may easily be assumed, "a treasure" strongly implies a blessing, beauty and prosperity. His Royal Highness feels that due to it rising in the East that it implies "a new day dawning" for Europa and indeed the world. The Mithrandir concurred that a bright colourful time lays ahead but also exhorted that there may be much more to the vision. The absurdity of a hovering gemstone would naturally involve the miraculous and there is always far more to such mysteries of God than what we initially understand. Apart from these first impressions we will all have to see how this mystical vision unfolds in its entirety over time.

The Duke of Swann specifically wanted to share this personal encounter exclusively here on what has always been His Royal Highness' blog as the new day is dawning with the coronation of the Emperor next week. We hope and pray that this very spiritual encounter  serves to bless our readers and the people of Europa for the future.

Wonderful Weekends (2015 State Portraits of the Princess of Wallachia and Abdication Commemoration Portraits of the Duke of Swann)

Two Royal cousins have released State Portraits at the same time. We will feature these two sets of portraits here today. First up, the Princess of Wallachia has released her official 2015 State Portraits and have timed the publication as part of the popular build up toward the Imperial Coronation. 

Her Serene Highness, the Princess of Wallachia and Baroness Bagrazia is seen here in red, wearing the Swann Dowry Tiara, the Order of the Ublient and the Wallachian Chain of Princely Office.

The Princess' spectacular dress was made by a Wallachian Couturier especially for this shoot. The photos were taken in the Royal Chapel of the Hunedoara Castle.

Next up we have our own Duke of Swann, cousin of the Princess of Wallachia. His Royal Highness wanted to commemorate his decision to abdicate with a set of symbolic State Portraits. Here follows the result.

The 1909 Rolls Royce that was made for the Duke's great grandfather has long been a favourite of the Duke and has never featured in a State Portrait. It may be seen as a powerful symbol of continuity carrying through for over 100 years down the line of ruling Dukes. It also may be seen that as a vehicle of being symbolic of taking a journey and as is the case with the Duke of Swann being appointed the successor of the Mithrandir, a new and unexpected future lays ahead of our famous Royal somewhere outside the Palace gates.

These portraits do have a very nostalgic feel almost like a farewell and that seems to have been the intent.

2015, "The year of change and new beginnings."

What's Up Wednesday (Empress Crystobel Memorial)

With the Imperial Coronation literally only a few weeks away yet another glorious tip of the hat to the past was gestured with the unveiling of the Imperial Victory Memorial in Londinium this week.

The memorial was built over the last few months in remembrance of the upcoming anniversary of Empress Crystobel's death that tragically took place on the  8th July 2012. This falls in conjunction with the popularity the entire concept of Royalty and the restoration of the Scotney and Britanian monarchies. The new site is erected in the square at the Palace of Parliament on the exact spot where the Empress was shot in front of the previous memorial in honour of the Imperial Couple. The old memorial was entirely torn down and plans to honour the Empress's life and death was immediately put in place. Work was finally completed last week Friday and the unveiling took place yesterday afternoon.

The design of the memorial is of a columned half circle surrounding a central pedestal surmounted by a brass effigy of an angel holding a flaming torch. The angel is intended to be a symbol of victory through spiritual perseverance while following the inner call of true conviction. 

The truly imposing memorial does much to evoke hope from forgiveness into a far more positive future as these are the very traits Empress Crystobel is now remembered for. 

For the unveiling the new Emperor Christian-Victor and Empress Odeliah was joined by their closest family who at the same time represented some of Europa's most famous Royal Dynasties. The Duke of Swann flew in especially, immediately after his now famous abdication speech in order to support his cousin the Emperor. All the VIP's can be seen in the photo above starting from left: Princess Augusta, the Duke of Swann, Empress Odeliah, Emperor Christian-Victor, the Chancellor of Britania, the Grand Duke of Hanoveria and Grand Duchess Alice.

The Chancellor took this auspicious occasion as the perfect time to officially announce his personal joy at the tide of Royal popularity and the positive effect it has had on the Britanian economy. 

Emperor Christian-Victor shared some of his personal memories of his mother, Empress Crystobel's life and expressed his joy at finally giving her the honour she may have lacked in her life of exile and her tragic death. 

It was truly an emotional moment when the crowd responded with a standing ovation to the Emperor's speech.

The brass statue is a spectacular work of art and was sculpted by the Most Worshipful Society of Britanian Metalworkers.

Empress Odeliah looked colourful in her spring inspired dress and hat.

A very stylish Duke of Swann looked far less serious than normal in his yellow tie.

After the day's proceedings a surprise dinner was held for the V.I.P's at the Aldarian Palace as a cherry on the cake. In memory of the lifelong efforts of Empress Crystobel, four special Royals were earmarked to receive a once-off recognition award for their efforts in promoting the cause of Royalty on the International Stage. They were invited to this intimate gala dinner to receive their "Crystobel Award".

After the main course and with the dinner guests watching, the Emperor and Empress took to the stage and invited the honoured four to receive their awards.

Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of the United Empire, King and Queen of the Scots and Britanians.

The four selected members of the Europan Royal community were, from left: Queen Gloria of Normandia, the Duke of Swann, Lady Arcwhite and Queen Maria of Hispania.

The awards for Efforts to Promote the Cause of Royalty from left are: Best Royal Image, Most Noteworthy Male Royal, Most Noteworthy Female Royal and Friendliest Royal.

Best Royal Image might seem frivolous but Royal style does much for pushing the "brand" and showing the face of Royalty. Empress Crystobel was faultless in her appearance and always conveyed the perfect balance between regality and approachability. Lady Arcwhite was awarded this honour.

Friendliest Royal is awarded for being most in touch with the public and thus bridging the gap between the common man and the reigning dynasties. It also reflects popular opinion polls of the particular Royal in their home countries and quantifies the amount of charity work done in favour of the common man. Empress Crystobel was relentless in the field of charity and in the end reached levels of popularity that has solidified her iconic status. Queen Gloria received this honour.

Most Noteworthy Female Royal is awarded to the Royal who in light of and in spite of their position of privilege, power and responsibility has made the most quantifiable success of forwarding all the positive aspects of the concept of Royalty in their home country and on the international stage. Empress Crystobel is the quintessential " when life gives you lemons..." Royal and has done more through the worst era Royalty has ever faced, to end up " on top" even in death. Queen Maria reluctantly received this humbling award.

Most Noteworthy Male Royal like its female counterpart singles out the male equivalent. The Emperor, visibly moved, awarded this honour to: " my cousin and friend, hero of Europa" , the Duke of Swann. It is believed that this ceremony will be a once-off event, especially organised by the Emperor in his private capacity to personally honour those who have supported His Majesty and the cause of Royalty over the last decade. The event focuses even more media attention on the build up to the Imperial Coronation to take place on the 4th of July 2015.