A Royal Georgian Wedding

A Royal Georgian Wedding

Keeping with the Royal theme I just had to post this.

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I don't have very much spare time to be creative this weekend as I'm trying to finish a post adoption report for the government of Georgia and our little Tamara has the sniffles today :o(.

So far she's called me 3 times and the night is still young.

Anyway... I've been waiting for the pictures and they have finally been released.

I'm doing a copy and paste on the wedding info as I really don't have time right now to flower it up for you all.

OK... ready... grab a glass of bubbly and enjoy!

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Posted By: Sarah Marcus at Feb 8, 2009 at 11:22:43 [General]
Posted in: Foreign Correspondents
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David Bagration, Jorge de Bagration y de Mukhrani, Juan Carlos of Spain, Mikheil Saakashvili, Patriarch Ilia II f Georgia, Prince David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli , Princess Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky

Sunday the eighth of February has dawned sunny and mild in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, the skies are clear, the breeze is gentle. A perfect day for a royal wedding.
And that is what will take place today in the city's Trinity Cathedral. Sort of.
Today's wedding between Prince David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli and Princess Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky will unite two strands of the ancient family who once ruled Georgia. Both the Mukhraneli and the Gruzinsky branch have claimed to be the rightful heirs to the monarchy.
But it is believed that through their union from this day forth there shall no longer be internal strife in the royal house of Georgia.
Furthermore, there are rumours that the beloved and influential Orthodox patriarch of the country, Ilia II, who a couple of years ago voiced his belief that it was time for Georgia to consider a restoration of the monarchy, hopes that any son this couple might have may one day be the first post-Soviet king of Georgia.
However, a spokesperson for the patriarch denied there was any truth in this rumour.
The Bagrationi family ruled a large part of Georgia from around the 9th century until the country was annexed by tsarist Russia in the 19th century. As an aristocratic family of imperial Russia they then fled at the time of the Bolshevik revolution and members of the family ended up dotted around Europe.
The family of Prince David's (the groom's) father, Jorge de Bagration y de Mukhrani eventually settled in Spain after the second world war. Jorge de Bagration y de Mukhrani was a second cousin of Spain's King Juan Carlos and became a famous racing driver. He returned to settle in Tbilisi in 2006 and died there last year, at only 63.
His son David, although born and brought up in Spain, settled here in 2003 and evidently harbours a deep attachment to his native land.
'I think that I am Bagrationi, and Georgian, and this is where I have to live. Life is full of comfort in Spain, but my homeland is Georgia,' he said in an interview with a Georgian paper.
But it's doubtful that the restoration of the monarchy will become anything more than a fantasy in the foreseeable future. While one of the opposition parties, the Christian Democrats, has made some noise in support of Georgia becoming a constitutional monarchy, no one really appears to be taking the issue seriously enough to do much about it.
Although the wedding has received a considerable amount of attention here and 40% of callers to a television show discussing the marriage said they that supported the idea of a constitutional monarchy for the country, many people I've talked to seem to regard the idea as an entertaining diversion from the real issues dogging this country.
Two of Georgia's most revered historical figures, King David the Builder (upon whose tomb Saakashvili took the oath of office when he was inaugurated as president after the Rose Revolution) and Queen Tamar were of the Bagrationi dynasty.
They both managed to bring the country unity and prosperity, probably the two things that many ordinary Georgians long to see in their country above all else today.
In some ways the dream of a restoration of the Bagrationis is a dream of instant escape from today's complex problems into an era when Georgia's glory days might live again.

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Yup... that Queen Tamar is actually what the Georgians refer to as King Tamara.

OK time for pictures.

The Happy Couple

Glad she finally cracked a smile in the 2nd photo. I was getting worried.

Must be the Maid of Honor?


King Tamara. If you look closely you'll see the family resemblance.

OK.. I'm getting punchy... perhaps another round of caffeine?

I'll be back soon... just have to get some stuff done first. ;o)

Special Thanks to Sarah.. great article a real time saver for me.

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