Kalistani Major History

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Empress is Married to Prince Consort
Bjorn to Titled Prince Consort, and to receive County of Luxon
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 15, 5509


His Highness Prince Consort Bjorn Ananto-Nordholm is now wed to Her Imperial Majesty, The Empress Nicolette II Ananto

In a Brethrenist Meeting for Worship with the Concern for Marriage, held at Eveari's historic Brethrenist Monthly Meetinghouse, Her Imperial Majesty, The Empress Nicolette II Ananto married His Highness, Prince Consort Bjorn Nordholm. The ceremony, like all previous wedding cereminies held by the Imperial Family, took place in the Eveari Brethrenist Monthly Meetinghouse in downtown Eveari.

Over the preceding week, dignitaries from around the world began flying into Kaliburg. While some headed directly to Eveari to meet the Empress, most remained in Kaliburg to take in the sights and do tours around Ananto. Among the visiting VIPs were:

*** From Hutori- Queen Victoria and Prince-Consort Henri, the Duke of Newport, along with Prime Minister Victoria Masterson Hutorian Ambassador to Kalistan, Elena Bostick. Queen Victoria, who nearly became the Empress' Sister in Law, instead graciously agreed to serve as the Empress' Maid of Honor, and her entire family were The Empress and the Prince Consort's honored guests for the week in Eveari
*** From Lourenne- His Royal Majesty King Leopold VI and Her Majesty Queen Consort Marguerite, along with Prince of Aluvium, Philippe joined the Hutorian royals in Eveari and were likewise guests on the Ananto Estate for the week. The High Chancellor Alexis Vivaldi-Vandam and members of the Royal Government also arrived but remained in Kaliburg, and met with their counterparts in Kaliburg for much of the week preceding the wedding.
*** From Dundorf- President Louis Kreisler-Schumacher and Chancellor Kristin Metz both arrived in Eveari a few days early to visit the Empress and tour Ananto.
*** From Kundrati- President Barhulianir Manusulsky and his entourage arrived in Kaliburg, and took in the sights before arriving in Eveari yesterday.
*** From Gaduridos- President Rosalana Garcia arrived two days ago and was warmly greeted by the Empress, who eagerly looked forward to making her acquaintance, especially given the Ananto Family's and Kalistan's longstanding historical affinity for and cultural ties with Gaduridos.
*** From Aldegar- President Zahra Tarrokh arrived by cruise ship a week ago and spent a significant amount of time touring Suldanor and Ananto before proceeding to Eveari.
*** From Deltaria- President Toislav Brnetic and Foreign Minister Gabrijel Lukacevic both arrived and met with representatives of Her Imperial Majesty's Government, Interim Chancellor Bruce Morrison and Foreign Minister Paco Delgado.

Noticably absent from the festivities were any representatives from Lodamun, Baltusia, Dolgava, or Luthori, all of whom were looked for. Representatives from Her Imperial Majesty did not offer a comment on the conspicuous absence. Also expected were Kazulian members of Prince Consort Bjorn's family, who were also expected, as they are now the Empress' Inlaws. Both Her Highness Princess of Ananto and Kalistan Nicolette I Ananto, the Empress Mother, and His Highness Duke Victor Ananto-Martin, the current Crown Prince of Kalistan joined Her Imperial Majesty in Eveari for the week, to prepare for the celebration.

The week prior to the Wedding consisted of plenty of recreation for the Wedding Party and their guests, including a snorkeling excursion north of Dulnerstaad, a large cookout at the Estate featuring barbecued Snapper and tuna, a large public concert in Eveari where FOMAT winner, (and favorite of the Empress) Megapipe performed, and was followed by Kaliburg Electronic/RF band Transistor and dance pop Duo Micki and Allie, and a fireworks display. There were also tours of the Estate, and an opportunity for a nature hike in the nearby Green Mountain Wilderness. Her Imperial Majesty introduced several of her guests to the game of Go, and others went to the Imperial Stables to ride horses on the Grounds.

This morning, the entire assembled Party moved to the Eveari Meetinghouse. The Guests of Honor were all seated in the balcony, with the floor of the Meetinghouse reserved for the members of the Brethrenist Meeting. The Marriage in a Brethrenist Meeting doesn't happen the same way as traditional marriage ceremonies, and certainly not the same ways as Royal Weddings. It is primarily a silent meeting in Kalistan, and lasts about an hour. About 40 minutes into the Meeting, family and Friends were invited by the Clerk to speak out of the silence, and wish the Bride and Groom well, and give words of wisdom and advice, or share whatever message they felt is appropriate. Her Majesty Princess Nicolette, who has kept a very low profile since her abdication was visibly moved to tears and used her personal privilege to embrace the Empress and the Prince Consort to Be, keeping her messages just between the three of them. Other Members, mostly Brethren from Eveari and Kaliburg, spoke and said how proud they were of the Empress who they all had the opportunity to watch grow up in the Meeting.

The Bride and Groom were eventually invited to share their messages for one another and exchange their rings, and then the Clerk stated "Before these Brethren and Witnesses here gathered, as Clerk, I affirm that you two are married in fact and in law." All present were then invited to sign the poster sized Brethrenist Marriage Certificate, which is a feature of all Brethrenist Weddings, as witnesses. The first to sign were the Empress and the Prince Consort, followed by Princess Nicolette I Ananto and Duke Victor Ananto-Martin. The signature procession took more than an hour as everyone present filed forward to sign the Certificate which was then placed into a frame and presented to a member of the Empress' Household to display.

The Newlywedded Royal Couple pause for a Photo before heading back to the the Royal Reception at the Ananto Estate in Eveari

Following the Ceremony, all were invited back to the Ananto Estate in Eveari for a great reception. After about an hour, after everyone present had had the opportunity to change out of their formal attire into party clothes and freshen up, the celebration began. Royals hobnobbed with commoners, as the entire town of Eveari was invited to join the celebration, as a gesture by the Empress toward her People. Though the rules of propriety and protocol were maintained during the entire event, all guests were made to feel welcomed and comfortable, and the Empress deliberately made it a point to spend much of her time talking to the People, rather than being overly attentive to VIPs. Security remained on alert, but there were only positive interactions throughout the afternoon.

Hobnobbing was intermingled with plenty of music and dancing. The Empress and Prince Consort led the first dance, and then everyone was invited to dance along with them through several numbers performed by the Royal Command String Orchestra, who mixed several classical dance tunes in with modern numbers, and which included two or three songs native to each of the VIP guests' home countries. Finger food, cake, and plenty of wine was available to all, and though ODEN was represented on the Estate, abstinence from drug use on the Estate Grounds was requested as a courtesy to the Empress.

As the afternoon wore on, dinner was served. The Royal Party was served by the Kitchen Staff who cooked from a menu that featured chicken, several varieties of ocean fish and seafood, and meatless pasta and herb options as entrees paired with a rice pilaf and garden vegetables, along with soup, salad, and desert courses. Meanwhile, Commoners in attendance could either eat what the Official Party was having or could opt for Pizza, fries and soda prepared by the Empress' kitchen staff. In all, more than 400 meals were served on the ground at the Estate. The dinner was cleaned up, and dancing and carousing resumed, with some guests, including Her Highness Princess Nicolette retiring, though most stayed on. The evening was capped off by another concert featuring the dub reggae band Ras Hampton Five, who played played until 10:30, when another massive fireworks demonstration was made over Eveari Bay for the benefit of the Residents of Eveari, and then was followed by an hour and a half set by Alternative Band Hypoderma, who is releasing a new album later this year.

The events were a massive celebration of the marriage of the Empress and her new husband Prince Consort Bjorn Ananto-Nordholm, who will now be known as His Highness Prince Consort Bjorn I Ananto. Interim Chancellor Bruce Morrison announced that His Highness the Prince Consort, while he was expected to become Emperor and Co-Ruler with Her Imperial Majesty, has himself opted to not accept the title. "His Highness has informed me that after discussing things with Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress, the Prince Consort will not become Emperor. He said he has made this decision out of humbleness and humility, noting that six months time is not nearly enough to learn about Kalistan's Government or Society enough to make decisions for it.

"He also noted that he wouldn't feel comfortable accepting the title after finding out how important National Service is to Kalistanis while he has not, nor will complete an enlistment in the National Service Program," explained Chancellor Morrison, though as a foreign born citizen, he is not obligated by law to complete National Service. "His Highness will instead work to support Her Imperial Majesty in her Office and will accept a County in the Grand Duchy of Ananto, though he also said that he would be open to a larger portfolio in the future." Close observers also feel that there may be a more important, informal role that the Prince Consort can play--As Emperor, he would be bound by protocol regarding things he can say, but as Count of Luxon, he is not so constrained. Many feel that he will serve the role of saying the things in public that the Empress herself dare not say.

Whatever role the Prince Consort will play in the future, Kalistan now has a new First Spouse. A betting pool has already been started as to when Kalistan can begin expecting an heir. We join all of Kalistan in wishing Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Nicolette I Ananto and His Highness the Prince Consort Bjorn Ananto-Nordholm all happiness, health and luck with their future