Kalistani Major History

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Mark Ananto-Orleans to take over House Ananto from Duke Victor Ananto-Martin
Influential Duke of Suldanor to retire in a year.
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
April 9, 5546


Mark Ananto-Orleans and an unidentified blonde companion play around of golf with Duke Victor Ananto-Martin

Mark Ananto-Orleans, son of Duke Victor Ananto-Martin and cousin to his Imperial Majesty the Emperor Fredrick II Ananto is set to take over the business operations of House Ananto, including Ananto's multinational business interests, when His Highness the Duke of Suldanor retires. The retirement is set for December of this year. The Duke, now 68 years was the second child of Empress Nicolette I Ananto The Great and Prince Consort Victor Martin-Ananto. Duke Victor briefly served as Prince Regent following the death of his sister, Empress Nicolette II Ananto, and passed the title to Prince Bjorn as he returned to Gaduridos. He and his wife, the Lourennais-born Duchess Carlota Ananto-Orleans expect to retire to their villa in Gaduridos and tour the world.

"I've always preferred the business world to the world of public administration," said Duke Victor, whose international commercial exploits have long contributed toward economic development around the world, and more closely tying the two Anantonese nations together. "Nicolette gave me every opportunity to do the thing I was most skilled at, and together we were able to turn that skill to the service of the Empire while benefitting the Gaduri people as well."

Duke Victor, having overseen nearly ₭500 Billion in private (mostly) Kalistani investment over the last four decades, now prepares to hand over the business operations of the House Ananto to his son Mark Ananto-Orleans. It is expected that the younger Ananto will be granted the Grand Duchy of Kalistan following the retirement of Grand Duchess Marta Greene Kalistan, who is herself in her mid 70s. This will technically tie the business operations of House Ananto more firmly to the Crown, as the future Grand Duke is also expected to be named Crown Prince and will hold that title until the Emperor marries and produces an heir. It will also make Mark Ananto-Orleans technically his father's boss.

"Mark Ananto shares the traits of his family," said Royal Watcher Xavier Delgado in Ciudad de Gadur. "He is charismatic, of course, but he is also very educated--He studied philosophy and marketing at university in Sulari. The Anantos fit their country well, you may say they are the embodiment of their regime. Conservative, almost reactionary to a fault, but very social minded, which comes from a haughty but not overbearing form of noblesse oblige that favors the poor and feels that the wealthy will manage well enough without much state intervention. Mark Ananto speaks Egelian as a first language and Vrassan with an accent, but is also slavishly loyal to his political masters in Kaliburg, to the point of even returning to Kalistan to do five years of national service.

Mark Ananto-Orleans, 36, will return to Kalistan for conferences with the Emperor this summer, and is widely expected to take a wife before assuming his position at the managing director of the operations of House Ananto. "Speculation in the capital is already growing as to who this will be," said Delgado. "There are several possibilities, but Ananto has so far kept his love life very private and well outside the range of cameras, and Anantos are known for selecting dark horses as well..." Who ever the future Grand Duke marries will quickly become one of the wealthiest and most influential women in Seleya, second only to whoever ends up Princess Consort of Kalistan. "Yeah, nobody even knows if the Emperor is ever planning to marry at this point," said Delgado. "The under is 20:1 at 10 years."