Kalistan

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Her Imperial Majesty Reaches Majority and is formally retitled
Regent to remain in place as Empress does National Service
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 24, 5691


Chancellor, Empress and Regent take Photograph at Imperial Seat in Kaliburg upon Her Imperial Majesty reaching her Majority

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto has achieved her majority and has been formally retitled by the National Assembly. The short retitling ceremony took place at the Imperial Seat in Kaliburg, was performed by the Chancellor of the Empire, Lady, Ericka Donahue, and was witnessed by Her Highness, Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins and Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Justice, the Hon. Gale Wilson. Upon reaching the age of 18, as she did yesterday morning, Her Imperial Majesty may no longer use her hyphenated first name, her middle name or her hyphenated last name. She is instead, titled simply Empress Carolina II Ananto.

"Her Imperial Majesty has asked us to postpone both coronation and full entitlement until she completes her National Service, which she will enter on August 1st of this year," said Chancellor of the Empire, in comments to the press following the Ceremony. "She has also asked the Princess Regent to continue in her position until the coronation, and as expected, the Regent has agreed. In light of the limited role that Her Imperial Majesty will continue to play in the Administration of her Nation, The National Assembly has seen it fit to bestow the following title upon her while the Regent continues to oversee the government in her stead:

By the Consent of the People, Her Imperial Majesty, of the Ancient House of Ananto, Empress and Sovereign of The Anantonese Empire, Empress of Ananto, Kalistan and Gaduridos, Grand Duchess of Ananto, Grand Duchess of Isle of Sutton, Duchess of Icehaven, Countess of Davon, Countess of Dah, Embodiment of the Anantonese Nation, Evenstar, Carolina II Ananto.

"Her remaining titles will be presented to her upon her coronation," continues the Chancellor, "after which she will possess solitary fiat over her realms and subjects until such time as she passes those titles to her successor. Meanwhile, Her Highness, the Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins will retain her current title and authority, and her County in Luxon."

Upon reaching her Majority, the Empress would technically have the right to hold her own audiences without the Regent's presence, and may also overrule the Regent in areas of disagreement. In addition, all laws of protocol that were suspended while the Empress was a minor would certainly be re-imposed, including penalties for commoners addressing Her Imperial Majesty directly, proximity rules, and other laws and regulations that dictate the nature of interaction that the Empress may have with commoners. However, Her Imperial Majesty is a special case regarding her station while entering National Service as fully the Empress. The only precedent for anything similar to this is Mary I Ananto's time spent in the last part of her National Service tour when she became Empress, under similar circumstances.

The resulting compromise was that National Service rules about fraternization and rank privilege were allowed to temporarily supersede House Law and Imperial Protocol, so as to not disrupt the National Service. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto has refused an exemption from National Service, and has instead accepted this compromise to allow her to do her National Service while not distracting from the mission. While in National Service then, her title, to all active members of the NSP, shall be Conscript, though the Regent has insisted that Lese-Majestie will still be strictly enforced and the Empress is not to be placed in harm's way of any kind.

The Chancellor also reports that the NSP has fully done away with the long standing informal practice of Recommendation, meaning that the aptitude batteries Her Imperial Majesty took in High School and will take in the NSP will exclusively determine her work, rather than any sort of request made on her behalf by someone to the Service Monitors. "Her Imperial Majesty was absolutely adamant that this was to be accomplished by the time she entered service, and as she intends to muster in at the first date possible, we had to have it done a month before we had originally planned," said the Chancellor.

While hundreds of families have called the National Government to complain and try to get them to change their minds, the Empress told the Regent to stand firm on the issue, and according to National Service spokespeople, the practice has completely ended. "We have included steep penalties for those who attempt to influence the placement of any member of the National Service in an occupational field through any instrument other than the General Skills Battery, and the General Interests Inventory which conscripts complete after basic training," said the Chancellor. "This puts the onus on the people to not ask, and it also places a burden on the Service Monitors to report any attempt that outsiders make to influence the placement of anyone inside the service. In this way, we will restore aptitude and skill based placement, and get rid of preference and nepotism in our universal National Service."

Her Imperial Majesty is reportedly looking forward to leaving home and mustering into the National Service, and said her hope is perform her National Service well, whatever she is tasked at, for the next four years. Her Highness, the Princess Regent, who is 45 years old this year, said she intends relocate her full time residence back to her bayside home in Luxon where she and her husband, Sir Andrew Rohrbach, have lived since their marriage. "Her Highness said that Kaliburg is too dreary in the wintertime," said Lady Donahue. "The Princess Regent said she intends to commute to Kaliburg at least two days a week, and otherwise will work from her home office in Luxon."

Long live Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto!

@TheRepublic