Clown prince who blagged his way into Kensington Palace... to present a gong to the Queen!
IT IS – on the face of it – a generous gift from one great royal house to another. But the presentation of a dazzling golden ceremonial chain to the Queen has emerged as an unprecedented breach of centuries of protocol, sparking concerns among courtiers.
The gift was presented not by a foreign head of state – as tradition dictates – but by Crown Prince Davit, a man who lays claim to the throne of Georgia. The nation has not had its own monarch since 1810, and his legitimacy is disputed by a rival Crown Prince.
Prince Davit visited Kensington Palace earlier this month to hand over the gift – formally called he Grand Collar of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ – to the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who accepted it on behalf of the Queen.
Buckingham Palace and the Foreign Office insisted there was nothing irregular about the award, but one insider said it was ‘extraordinary’ to break with tradition, and eminent historian Hugo Vickers spoke of his ‘concern’.
Prince Davit describes himself as rightful heir to the throne of Georgia and a member of the oldest royal dynasty in Europe, dating back to the Biblical King David.
He is also ‘sovereign head and grand master’ of the royal order of chivalry, from which the Grand Collar comes. The order is said to date from the 13th Century, but was revived only in 1939 by Prince Davit’s grandfather.
Davit, who has been romantically linked to Playboy model and erotic TV host Shorena Begashvili, has bestowed his honours to scores of pretenders to thrones across Europe, as well as members of the aristocracy and religious figures. He even awarded it to former NCP car parks chairman Sir Donald Gosling.
But Davit’s claim to his title has been disputed by Prince Nugzar, who claims Davit’s ancestors ‘were servants not rulers’ and stated that handing out orders damaged the good name of Georgian royalty. Mr Vickers said: ‘As far as I know, the Queen normally only accepts orders and decorations from heads of state, be it a king or a president, and it is usually in connection with a visit.’
Mr Vickers said that, as he was unaware of any planned trip by the Queen to Georgia, ‘I can’t see any reason for this order to be given’.
He also warned that it could trigger ‘an avalanche of royal pretenders wishing to adorn the Queen.
‘There are many reasons for honouring the Queen but usually these people are doing it for their purposes, not her purposes. I would say certainly there would be cause for a certain amount of concern about all this. I don’t think it is of huge importance, but unless there is very good reason why she should accept it I think it is a shame.’
Buckingham Palace said the award was received following consultation with the Foreign Office, which added it was received ‘in line with normal process and supported by the Georgian government’.
A spokesman added: ‘The offer was accepted in the spirit of the good relations between two close allies.’
‘This could trigger an avalanche of pretenders’