Princess Geraldine of Albania is One!

Princess Geraldine with her parents Crown Princess Elia and Crown Prince Leka.
Picture courtesy of HRH Crown Princess Elia.

Today, Princess Geraldine of Albania celebrates her first birthday!

 

The princess was born at 9:30am on Thursday, 22 October 2020, at the Queen Geraldine Maternity Hospital in Tirana. Geraldine is the first child of Crown Prince Leka and Crown Princess Elia of the Albanians. Princess Geraldine is named for her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Geraldine of Albania (1915-2002; née Countess Apponyi de Nagy-Appony), the wife of King Zog I of Albania. Indeed, Princess Geraldine was born exactly eighteen years after the death of Queen Geraldine, who passed away at Tirana on 22 October 2002.

Mother and daughter!
Picture courtesy of HRH Crown Princess Elia.

The princess is the first member of the royal family to be born in Albania since the birth of her grandfather, King Leka I of the Albanians, in 1939.

Happy Birthday to little Princess Geraldine!

 

Divine Photo of Various Blue Bloods from Raffles Magazine

Photo (c) Raffles Magazine.

The Raffles Hotel and Resorts Magazine published a splendid photo of a variety of royal and noble persons from around the world. In this image, which is part of an advertising campaign for the hotel and resort chain, we can see from left to right: Maharajah Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur, Archduchess Catharina of Austria (formerly Countess Secco di Aragona), Archduchess Anna-Gabriele of Austria (born Fürstin von Wrede), Prince Nikolai of Denmark, the Marquess of Blandford, and Princess Olympia of Greece.

 

Raffles Hotels introduces Princess Olympia of Greece and Denmark

Raffles Hotels introduces Maharajah Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur

Raffles Hotels introduces George Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford

Raffles Hotels introduces Prince Nikolai of Denmark

Greek Princes and Princesses Brunch in Athens Ahead of Royal Wedding This Weekend

Nikolaos welcoming his brother Pavlos and sister-in-law Marie-Chantal while his wife Tatiana watches.
Photo (c) TT NYHETSBYRÅN.

Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal in Athens.

Photo (c) TT NYHETSBYRÅN.

On Monday, 18 October, several members of the Greek royal family gathered together for brunch at the cafe Athénée in Athens. Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal met Prince Nikolaos and Princess Tatiana for a outing ahead of the coming religious wedding of Prince Philippos and Princess Nina. Family friend Filippos Stratos, who is the godfather of one of Princess Alexia's daughters, joined the group for brunch. Philippos and Nina will celebrate their religious marriage this Saturday, 23 October.

Crown Princess Marie-Chantal and Princess Tatiana.
Photo (c) TT NYHETSBYRÅN.

 

For the full photo gallery, please visit this link: TT NYHETSBYRÅN

Prince Giorgi Bagrationi-Japaridze (1948-2021)

 

Prince Giorgi Bagrationi-Japaridze died earlier this week. He was a great-great-great-great-great grandson of King Alexander V of Imereti. A 2007 article about the possibility of a monarchical restoration interviewed Giorgi and his mother: 

 

Historian Raul Chagunava, a longtime researcher of the Bagrationi family, believes that the crown by right belongs to Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinski, the director of Tbilisi’s Tumanshivili Theater and a patrilineal descendant of Giorgi XII. Nino Bagrationi, the 90-year-old direct descendant of Solomon II told EurasiaNet that she recognizes the claim of Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinski. Meanwhile, Georgia’s monarchist party, Royal Crown, favors another ancillary branch.

But feelings among those Bagrationis still in Georgia are decidedly mixed about the patriarch’s proposal.

Setting up a constitutional monarchy would not solve Georgia’s political woes, noted Giorgi Bagrationi-Jafaridze, a laboratory head, and the son of Nino Bagrationi. The sovereign, he argued, could become a mere puppet in the hands of politicians. "While absolute monarchy is out of the question, the king has to hold control over strategic matters," he commented.

When asked about the restoration of Georgia’s monarchy. Nino Bagrationi, a professor of engineering whose features are reminiscent of those of her royal ancestors, smiles calmly and shakes her head

"The time is not ripe for this," Bagrationi said. "The country has to grow and develop. Later… perhaps."

 

Source: Eurasianet - Time for a King for Georgia?

Princess Nino Bagrationi of Imereti with her grandchildren.

Born in 1948, Prince Giorgi was the son of Princess Nino Bagrationi (1915-2006), head of the Imereti branch of the Bagrationi family, and her husband Prince Avtandil Djaparidze (d.1959). Giorgi's maternal grandparents were Prince David Bagrationi of Imereti (1894-1937) and Princess Kethevan Machabeli (1892-1981).

 

May Prince Giorgi Rest in Peace.

The 70th Birthday of Count Karl Eugen von Neipperg, Husband of Archduchess Andrea of Austria

 

Today, Count Karl Eugen von Neipperg celebrates his seventieth birthday.

 

Count Josef Hubert von Neipperg.

Born on 20 October 1951 at Schwaigern, Count Maria Karl Eugen Johannes Nepomuk Erwin Michael von Neipperg was the first child of Count Josef Hubert von Neipperg (1918-2020) and Countess Maria von Ledebur-Wicheln (1920-1984). Karl Eugen has seven younger siblings: Count Reinhard (b.1953), Countess Maria Anna (b.1955), Countess Franziska (b.1956), Count Stephan (b.1957), Count Christoph (b.1958), Countess Barbara (b.1960), and Count Johannes Alfred (b.1964).

Count Karl von Neipperg marries Archduchess Andrea of Austria in 1977

Archduchess Andrea and Count Karl Eugen, 1999.
Photo (c) Seeger-Presse.

In July 1977 at Pöcking, Count Karl Eugen von Neipperg married Archduchess Andrea of Austria (b.1953), daughter of Archduke Otto of Austria and Princes Regina of Saxe-Meiningen. Karl Eugen and Andrea have five children: Hereditary Count Philipp (b.1978; married Paula Wolff), Count Benedikt (b.1980), Count Dominik (b.1981; married Princess Maria Anne zu Salm-Salm), Countess Hemma (b.1983; married Roman Keno Specht), and Countess Katharina (b.1986; married Prince Wenzel von Lobkowicz). Karl Eugen is a vinter who was inspired in this path by his godfather Count Erwein Matuschka.

Our best wishes to Count Karl Eugen on his birthday!

Court Case Between King Michael of Romania's Daughter and Grandson Ends in Switzerland

On Wednesday, 6 October, Judge Lionel Guignard of the District Court of La Côte, which hears cases from Morges and Nyon, acquitted Nicholas de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (also known as "Principele Nicolae al Romaniei" and "Prince Nicholas of Romania") of charges levelled at the erstwhile Romanian heir in 2017 by his aunt Crown Princess Margarita of Romania (now titled "Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown" and "Margareta, Majestatea Sa Custodele Coroanei Române"). Margarita became a Swiss citizen in June 2017; she has dual Romanian-Swiss citizenship. On 7 November 2017, Margarita called Vaud police when her nephew attempted to visit his grandfather, the ailing King Michael of Romania, at the home where the king was living in Aubonne, Switzerland. Acting on behalf of her incapacitated father, the crown princess pressed charges against her nephew and alleged that Nicholas committed home invasion and assault when he tried to see the king for a final time. The court dismissed these claims. In November 2017, following his aunt's rejecting his final plea to see his dying grandfather, Nicholas confessed: "My only desire was to see my grandfather one last time, and to say goodbye to him in the most respectful, calm and Christian way possible."

The family of King Michael gathers to honour his memory at the burial place of the king and Queen Anne.
Left to right: Alina de Roumanie, Nicholas de Roumanie, Princess Sofia of Romania, Prince Radu of Romania, and HM Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown.

At the ruling, Nicholas de Roumanie Medforth-Mills was present in chambers with his lawyers, Malek Adjadj and Kristina Croce. Nicholas became emotional and hugged his defenders when the judge ruled in his favour. Margarita of Romania was absent "due to illness" at the proceedings and represented by her attorney, Marc-Antoine Aubert. That Margarita, the Head of the Romanian Royal Family, could not attend the court hearing because of illness is curious, because she had held several events at Elisabeta Palace in the days and weeks prior to the ruling.

Prince Radu of Romania, then Crown Princess Margareta of Romania, and Prince Nicholas of Romania.
Photo (c) Agerpress.

The Swiss court was apprised of the fact that before Nicholas's attempt to visit his grandfather on 7 November 2017, which was Nicholas's seventh and final try, the prince had previously tried to see the king on six different occasions over the previous two years, beginning in 2015. On each of these occasions, Nicholas was denied access to his grandfather. Aware that his grandfather Michael, who had acted as a substitute father since Nicholas's youth, was on his deathbed, Nicholas tried to enter the Swiss residence of the royal family when two nurses arrived. It was at this point that Margarita, Nicolas's aunt and the acting Head of the Romanian Royal Family since King Michael's retirement from public life in March 2016, summoned police to the property. The crown princess alleged that her nephew assaulted the nurses (a claim which has been found to be false) and that he committed home invasion (a claim which has also been dismissed).

King Michael and Prince Nicholas of Romania in 2010 when His Majesty granted title Prince of Romania to his grandson. Also shown are Queen Anne, Crown Princess Margarita, and Prince Radu.

Prince Nicholas of Romania and King Michael of Romania at Elisabeta Palace, 2010.

Photo (c) Bogdan Cristel / Reuters / Alamy.

Prince Radu watches while Crown Princess Margareta embraces her nephew Prince Nicholas.
Photo (c) Bogdan Cristel / Reuters / Alamy.

Judge Lionel Guignard received testimony from several relatives of the late king, who are not named in Swiss news reports, that King Michael had asked his caretakers/family on numerous occasions during this time-frame to see his grandson. Each time, the king's requests to see his grandson, whom Michael named the eventual heir of the Romanian royal family in 2010, were reportedly rebuffed with objections by Michael's eldest daughter Margarita. The court learned that King Michael had been suffering from cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. The issue of the king's impairment and the possibility of its influence on the August 2015 decision to remove his grandson from the succession was discussed in court; however, the judge did not make a ruling regarding this issue. 

In his ruling, Judge Guignard concluded that "there is nothing in the dossier to confirm that the king did not want to see his grandson." Afterwards, Nicholas of Romania stated: "My right to see my grandfather on his deathbed has been legitimized." Reportedly, the attorney for Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, rejected the idea of any familial reconciliation as far as his client was concerned. 

Sources:

Prince de Roumanie acquitté - Un conflit royal devant le tribunal de Nyon (24 Heures of 7 October 2021)

Le petit-fils de l'ex-roi de Roumanie nie avoir agressé l'entourage de son aïeul (24 Heures of 9 November 2017)

Brouille au chevet de l'ex-roi de Roumanie Michel (24 Heures of 8 November 2017)

Une altesse royale parmi les naturalisés à Lausanne (24 Heures of 28 June 2017)

A Bit of A Furore Among the Bagrationi Royal Family of Georgia

 

Last week, several members of different branches of the Georgian royal family issued a letter of protest against their cousin Prince David Bagration-Mukhransky. The letter reads as follows:

 

An Official Letter of Protest

The Bagrationi Family Association is an international organisation uniting the majority of Bagrationi descendants. In 2006, a Memorandum was officially signed by the majority of Bagrationi Family Association members recognising the direct male descendant of the late ruling King of Georgia, Giorgi XII, HRH Crown Prince Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinski [as] the Head of the Royal House of Georgia.

We officially declare that neither the Bagrationi Family Association nor the representatives of the Bagrationi-Gruzinski royal line, recognise Tavadi (Prince) David Bagration-Moukhransky as the Head of the Royal House of Georgia or representative of any royal family of Georgia. Consequently, Tavadi (Prince) David Bagration-Moukhransky, as an ordinary member of the Bagrationi Family Association, does not hold any rights to represent Bagrationi family interests officially or unofficially. At any international events, involving royal, business, or political circles, Tavadi (Prince) David represents himself personally and bears full legal and moral responsibility for deliberately misleading the public and the media on his status.

On behalf of the Association:

Crown Prince Nugzar-Bagrationi-Gruzinski

The Head of the Royal House of Georgia,

The leader of the dynastic union "House of Bagrationis"

Prince Giorgi Bagrationi-Japaridze

The Deputy leader of the dynastic union "House of Bagrationi"

Prince Jansug Bagrationi-Davitishvili

The Deputy leader of the dynastic union "House of Bagrationi"

Prince Nodar Bagrationi-Davitishvili

The Deputy leader of the dynastic union "House of Bagrationi"

 

Prince Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinski (b.1950) is the son of Prince Peter Bagrationi-Gruzinski. Prince Giorgi Bagrationi-Japaridze (b.1948) is the son of Princess Nino Bagrationi of Imereti, the last member of that branch in the male line, and Prince Avtandil Japaridze. In 2009, Princess Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinski (b.1976), the daughter of Prince Nugzar, and Prince David Bagrationi-Mukhransky (b.1976) married in Tbilisi. The couple welcomed the arrival of their only son Prince Giorgi Bagration in 2011. Anna and David divorced in 2013.