December 15, 2013 ANNOUNCEMENT December 15, 2013 "Announcement With much regret, I announce the end of my marriage with Anna Bagrationi, which I thank for the wonderful son we have in common, H.R.H.Giorgi Bagration Bagrationi, declared as future heir of the Bagrationi Dynasty by His Holiness Patriarch of All Georgia Illia II in the day of His Baptism on November 3, 2013, who like his Father, Grandfather and ancestors, will hold the title of Prince of Mukhrani. Page 1 of 12 Davit Batonishvili" http://www.royalhouseofgeorgia.ge/ge/news/Offical-Events/Announcement Prince Giorgi, the son of Prince David and HRH Princess Anna of Georgia, was born on September 27, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. Currently HRH Crown Prince Nugzar does not officially recognize his grandson as heir to the Georgian throne. He continues to demand that David sign a written agreement in which he would recognize Nugzar and the Gruzinsky branch as the sole rightful heir to the Georgian throne and to the legacy of the Georgian kings. Prince Giorgi's royal christening was held on 3 November 2013 by Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia in Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta. His godfathers are the patriarch himself (due to as the boy is being the third child of HRH Princess Anna and by the will of the Patriarch every third child in Georgia becomes godchild of His Holiness. Almost up to 10.000 new born children in Georgia already are as godchildren of Patriarch). HH the Patriarch at first said that the child is a heir from her royal mother as of Kings Erekle II and Giorgi XII and only then he mentioned that from fathers side he is Prince Mukhranbatoni. HRH Crown Prince Nugzar Bagration-Gruzinsky after the christening of his grandson said: "Prince Giorgi is the direct descendant of the last king of united Georgia, George VIII of Georgia and the last king of Kartli-Kakheti George XII of Georgia through his mother's side and we have a big hope that he will get the royal dignity from his mother in the future" Accordingly the born child from the marriage with would inherit royal rights from the line of his mother. It is important to note that by Georgian Dynastic Law a male descendent of the Royal House has priority over any females in the line of succession. Representatives of the two families, Bagrationi-Gruzinski and Bagration Mukhranski, collaborated on a post-marriage dynastic succession agreement, and the outline of the agreement was sent to His Holiness, the Patriarch of Georgia, Ilia II (This agreement acknowledged H.R.H. Prince Nugzar’s line as the true royal line with his dynastic rights passing to the children of Prince David and H.R.H. Princess Anna). Unfortunately, Prince Davit left the country without completing the request and signing this important document. Barely over a month after this wedding relation between the spouses deteriorated because of unworthy behavior of Prince David. Furthermore, Prince David also proclaimed on his internet site that he was the head of the royal House of Georgia and his immediate ancestors as kings, when in reality they were never anything more than part of the high nobility of Georgia, thereby usurpithe legal rights of the true heir to the throne. Given David's behavior, Princess Anna had to return to her father's home. The document would further define the legal title and status of both spouses, thereby preserving the royal inheritance from the mother for any future children. This would allow the children to be formally of the royal line and entitled to a place in succession. Thus, Prince David would become Prince consort for Her Royal Highness Princess Anna of Georgia- This would allow David to be the Page 2 of 12 father of a future heir to the throne, which is a great privilege in its own right. While Prince David would be head of the home, he would not be the de jure Head of State or the Head of the Bagrationi dynasty. That would be Princess Anna's exclusive right given that Prince Nugzar has designated her as his heir. Without this contract, Georgian dynastic law and traditions would be violated, and any children born from the union would not be royal and entitled to succeed as potential heads of the dynasty. Instead, the children would simply be high nobles of the Bagration-Mukhranski line and not royal. During the visit with His Holiness the Patriarch, it was decided that representatives of both parties complete the wedding contract as agreed to prior to the wedding in accordance with the ancient house rules. In all, four meetings were held between the two parties. The agreement would formally recognize and confirm Prince Nugzar as the head of the royal Bagrationi house. By virtue of marriage to his daughter, Prince David would be granted full royal rights, including the pre-nominal title of “His Royal Highness,” as Prince consort of Princess Anna. The chivalric Orders invented by David's ancestors that lacked a true fons honorum would be legitimized under Prince Nugzar. Prince David would be allowed to retain the income these Orders provide, and they would be officially part of the Bagrationi honors system under His Royal Highness Crown Prince Nugzar. Most importantly, children of the marriage would be recognized as royal with succession rights. A force of stability, the Patriarch of Georgia urged Princess Anna to reconcile with her husband with the hope of preserving the family. In October of 2010, when His Holiness returned from his medical treatment from Germany, he requested that Princess Anna leave immediately for Spain to give her husband another chance. The Patriarch declared that David should not have left the country without the consent of His Holiness. Trusting the Patriarch and her own feelings, Princess Anna left for Spain in an attempt to try to reconcile with Prince David. While leaving, she promised that she would never go against the legitimacy of the true royal House. Princess Anna left for Spain on the 12th of November in 2010 and entered into a Spanish civil marriage with her husband. Further, she gave birth to a son, Giorgi, on the 27th of September in 2011. Unfortunately, the aforementioned royal succession marriage contract was not signed by Prince David prior to their son's birth. Therefore, under international and Georgian dynastic law, Prince Giorgi is not a royal. He is instead a prince of the Bagration-Mukhranski nobility line. He is not a dynast of Georgia and has no succession right Some have made the claim that the Mukhranski is the senior line genealogically speaking of the whole Bagrationi dynasty. However, junior, or cadet lines, are designations which belong to Salic law, not to the Roman/Byzantine/Persian law of succession, which prevailed in Georgia for hundreds of years. This kind of succession allowed for different sons and even a female to succeed to the throne. Junior, or cadet status, is meaningless in such a system because it had nothing to do with inheritance to the crown and scepter of the land. The point is, cadet and senior line arguments are inseparably connected to Salic law in Europe, which does not apply to the royal house of Georgia, so calling one line cadet and one line senior genealogically is nonsense. It has no meaning in the succession. And even if it did, the point is, the line of the rightful kings goes down to HRH Prince Nugzar not down any noble line. Page 3 of 12 The senior line, the line of the kings, it is important to remember, that the marriage between David, a Prince of the high nobility, and HRH Anna, Princess of the royal blood, does not give David "de jure" sovereignty or make him a royal. Only HRH Prince Nugzar, the rightful heir, could make him a royal or give him any sovereign rights. If Prince Nugzar, the heir or "de jure" monarch and king of Georgia, passes away and the marriage between David and HRH Princess Anna is still intact (marriage ended as stated by Davit on Dec. 15, 2013), Davit would be head of the home, but not head of state. That would be HRH Princess Anna's exclusive right as Prince Nugzar has designated her as his heir, and the more ancient history and traditions of ancient times provides for female succession, when no male heir can be found, because succession is primogeniture, Gruzinski Royal House. David of Mukhrani's descent never was and is not a "royal". The only recognized head of all Bagration is Nugzar Bagration-Gruzinski has never been called into question in Georgia. While the royal line (Gruzinski) was recognized with the prenominal title of "Serene Highness" and "the Most Respectful" and as "Princes of Georgia," as a royal house by Imperial Russia, the Mukhrani noble house, were only ". confirmed as Prince Bagration of Moukhrani by decrees of the Council of the Empire 20 Sep 1825, 25 Mar 1826 and 8 Dec 1850, of Senate 25 Mar 1836, 7 June & 7 Jul 1847, 10 May 1850, 16 Apr 1858, 2 Dec 1864 and 1 Mar 1872). This sad news of a failed marriage, however, is further blighted by the fact that His Holiness the Patriarch of All Georgia never declared Prince Giorgi Bagration Bagrationi was the heir to the Royal House of Georgia on the day of his Baptism as proclaimed in the announcement by Prince David Page 4 of 12 ANNUNCIO 15 Dicembre 2013 "Annuncio Con molto dispiacere, vi annuncio la fine del mio matrimonio con Anna Bagrationi, che ringrazio per il meraviglioso figlio che abbiamo in comune, HRHGiorgi Bagration Bagrationi, dichiarato come il futuro erede della dinastia Bagrationi da Sua Santità il Patriarca di tutta la Georgia Illia II in il giorno del suo battesimo il 3 novembre 2013, che ha come suo padre, nonno e degli antenati, deterrà il titolo di Principe di Mukhrani.