They did not ascend to the throne: how the descendants of the Romanovs, Napoleon and other monarchs live and do

In the 21st century, there are not so many countries where there is a monarchy anymore. In most cases, members of modern royal dynasties are not endowed with real power, but perform representative and ceremonial functions. Still, in European countries where the monarchy was abolished long ago, there are imperial and royal families with pretenders to a non-existent throne.

O awesome.club became interested in how the descendants of those who formerly ruled the fate of the world live today. We are talking about representatives of the most famous royal families, who today are heirs to virtual thrones.

Despite the execution of Nicholas II and his family in 1918, as well as the deaths of most other bearers of that name, the Russian royal family has many descendants. And they even discuss emigration among themselves over the question of the hypothetical inheritance of the throne. There are two important associations of descendants of the Romanov dynasty: the Russian Imperial House and the Association of Members of the Romanov Dynasty.

The Russian Imperial House is headed by Maria Vladimirovna Románova, the great-granddaughter of Alexander II. She was born and lives in Spain, graduated from the University of Oxford and has a son, Jorge Mijáilovich Románov, from her marriage to Prince Francisco Guillermo of Prussia. George Mijailovich, 38, is his mother’s heir to the Russian Imperial House🇧🇷 Royalists call him “the Sovereign Crown Prince and Grand Duke George Mikhailovich”. In fairness, it should be noted that some of the descendants of the Romanovs dispute the dynastic rights of George Mikhailovich.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna and her son take part in charitable and social actions in Russia and the post-Soviet territory. In 2009, the spokesman for Maria Vladimirovna announced the desire of the Russian Imperial House of Romanovs to return to Russia, receiving the status of a specific institution.

Another current that unites the descendants of the Russian royal dynasty is called the Romanov Family Association, headed by Olga Andreyévna Románova, the great-granddaughter of Alexander III. The organization makes no dynastic and material claims to the Russian government. In addition, its participants created a charitable foundation that provides assistance to hospitals, orphanages and nursing homes in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union.

The heir to the non-existent throne of the Romanov Family Association could have been Olga Andreyevna’s brother Andrés Andréevich Romanov. He is the great-nephew of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II, and genealogically the oldest living descendant of Alexander III.: your great-grandson. Andrés Andréevich is currently 96 years old. Born in London during World War II, he served in the British Navy as a simple seaman. After the war, he settled in the United States and changed professions several times: he was a real estate agent, designer, carpenter and jeweler. After retiring, he devoted himself to art, started drawing and became interested in fine art photography.

Andrés Andréevich was the first of the Romanovs to visit Russia after the revolution. This happened in December 1942, when he spent several days in Murmansk, as a sailor. From the 1990s, he traveled to Russia regularly to take part in different activities related to the Romanov family.

All over the world there are many scattered descendants of the Russian royal family who do not claim the virtual throne or any status in the associations of Romanov family members, but who proudly carry their surname and speak Russian. Among them is the Italian actress and model Nicoletta Romanoff, who is a descendant of Emperor Nicholas I on his mother’s side. His grandfather, Nicolás Románovich Románov, is the great-grandson of Nicholas I, in the male line. At birth, the girl received her father’s surname: Consolo. But later, she decided to adopt her mother’s surname and more than once admitted in interviews that she feels part of Russia and its history, and that she is proud of her roots.

Nicoletta Romanoff, great-great-granddaughter of Nicholas I.

In France there are at least 3 monarchist movements whose descendants claim the virtual throne: the Legitimists, the Bonapartists and the Orleanists.

the legitimists recognize the non-existent claim to the throne by the descendants of King Louis XIV, the oldest branch of the French Bourbons🇧🇷 Its last representative on the throne, Charles X, was overthrown in 1830, during the revolution. The pretender to the virtual throne of France of the Legitimists at the moment is Luís Afonso de Bourbon, whom they call Louis XX.

Born in Madrid in 1974, Luís Afonso is member of the Spanish royal family, great-grandson of the King of Spain, Alfonso XIII🇧🇷 In 1989, after the death of his father, he became the leader of the House of Bourbons🇧🇷 He is married to the heiress of a wealthy Venezuelan family. The couple has four children. Currently, Luís Afonso, pretender to the status of titular Duke of Anjou, titular king of France and titular king of Navarre, works in the banking sector. He does not intervene in French political life.

Another monarchical current in France are the Bonapartists, that is, the partisans of imperial power who arose under Napoleon Bonaparte🇧🇷 From 1926 to 1997, Bonapartists considered Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, the great-grandson of Napoleon Bonaparte’s younger brother, the Emperor of France, and called him Napoleon VI. Louis has lived in France since 1950, after the law on the expulsion of members of royalist families from the country was repealed. He died in 1997 and, in his will, handed over the leadership of the imperial household to his grandson, Jean-Christophe Napoleon, and not to his son, Charles Napoleon Bonaparte.

Charles Napoleon Bonaparte and Jean-Cristophe Napoleon.

Charles Napoleon, 68, who is actively involved in politics, and his 32-year-old son, Jean-Christophe, are vying for his right to the non-existent throne. Fortunately, the matter does not come down to hostility or litigation.

Supporters of the third monarchist movement in France, the Orleanists consider the descendants of King Louis-Philippe I of France to be heirs to the throne, which was overthrown during the 1848 revolution. Since January 2019, the leader of the house of Orleans is Juan Carlos Pedro María de Orleans. Orleanists call him Juan IV. Juan is 53 years old, a businessman, married and has five children with his wife.

Víctor Manuel de Savoia (center) with his wife and son.

The Italian royal family (House of Savoy) was one of the longest-ruling dynasties in history. Italians voted in favor of abolishing the monarchy after the end of World War II. This happened because the royal family supported the fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. All members of the House of Savoy were sent to Switzerland, and their descendants were only able to return to their country of origin in 2002.

At the moment, the head of the House of Savoia is Victor Manuel de Savoia, son of the last king of Italy, Umberto II. He is 92 years old and is the first candidate for the virtual throne of Italy, under the name of Victor Manuel IV. Victor Manuel is a businessman, married and has a son, Manuel Filiberto de Savoia.

Ferdinando Zvonimir of Habsburg-Lorraine.

The House of Habsburg-Lorraine is an imperial dynasty in Europe and its members are descendants of Francis I and Maria Theresa. The dynasty held the throne of the Holy Roman Empire from 1765 to 1806 and the throne of Austria (which later became Austria-Hungary) from 1780 to 1918. As a result of the 1918 revolution, the Habsburgs lost all their titles and lands. After the revolution, members of the imperial family had to recognize the republican form of government, officially and publicly renouncing the throne, saying that they did not consider themselves members of the Habsburg dynasty. No one opted for voluntary resignation, preferring emigration.

Only in 1996 did the Austrian parliament lift the ban on the entry of the heirs of the dynasty into the country. Until then, for almost 80 years, they had not set foot on Austrian soil. In 2011, the ban on the election of the heirs of the dynasty to the post of head of state was also lifted. The current head of the House of Habsburg is Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine, grandson of the last Austrian emperor, Charles I🇧🇷 He is 58 years old, lives in Salzburg and participates in politics. His son (pictured), the holder of the hereditary title of the Archduke of Austria, the Crown Prince of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, is a famous Austrian pilot.

Eduardo Pio, Duke of Bragança.

Manuel II, the last king of Portugal, was overthrown in 1910. He died in exile in 1932. The descendants of the Royal House of Braganza, which ruled the country, gained the right to return to Portugal in the 1950s. Eduardo Pio, Duke de Bragança, born in May 1945 in Switzerland, is the current head of the Portuguese Royal House.

Now aged 74, he leads an active political and social life. In particular, directs the Manuel II Foundation.

Constantine II with his wife Anna-Maria.

Constantine II was the last king of Greece from the Glücksburg dynasty, and ruled between 1964 and 1974. He is 78 years old and was the last Orthodox monarch to reign. In 1967, he spoke out against the junta of colonels, but was defeated and forced to leave the country. In 1973, a referendum was held, after which the monarchy in Greece was abolished and the republic proclaimed. The referendum was repeated after the fall of the junta, but the result remained unchanged: the people preferred the republic.

The law passed in 1994 stripped Constantine of Greek citizenship and property. The former monarch does not have a passport. To own it, according to the law, you must have a last name, but he doesn’t have it, there was never a surname in his dynasty. So he travels to Greece on a Danish diplomatic passport and on that document his name is Constantine of Greece. He is the great-grandson of Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna Románova and Grand Duke Constantino Nikolayevich Románov, which allows some Russian monarchists to speak of him as a candidate for the virtual throne of the Russian Empire.

In Germany, there are about 80 thousand descendants of noble families, whose members were princes, kings and dukes. Today, their titles have become part of their surname and do not grant any privileges. The monarchy ended in Germany in 1918. Then, as a result of the November Revolution, the last prince of the German Empire…