Two Bagrationi branches - Gruzinski and Mukhraneli – have converged

On 27 September, the day of Orthodox Christian celebration of Holly Cross Exaltation and simultaneously, the day when Sokhumi fell, another little Georgian was born in Madrid. Appearance of Giorgi, the first child of Georgian royal families – Ana Bagration-Gruzinski and David Bagration-Mukhraneli –stirred up the Georgian public. Some people wished sound health to the baby, while others forgot to bless him and said that times of princes have gone long ago and that the re-introduction of the royal rule is senseless today because everything ended 210 years ago when Russian Empire forcibly abolished Georgian Royal rule. Meanwhile, Bagrationi branches were happy with the development because it finally enabled convergence of the two Bagrationi branches - Gruzinski and Mukhraneli. That’s why little Giorgi bears the surname of Bagration-Bagrationi, not Bagration-Gruzinski or Bagration-Mukhraneli.
Ana and David got married on 8 February, 2009, the memorial day of Saint King Davit Aghmashenebeli who unified Georgia (he lived in 1089-1125) at the Sameba (Trinity) Cathedral. Initially, Patriarch of all Georgia was expected to conduct the wedding but suddenly he became unwell.
Parents of Giorgi have been living in Spain for a year. Rumors have it that they left their homeland for security reasons. If Bagrationi House will have no security guarantee, little Giorgi is likely to be kept away from Georgia for a long time and baptized abroad. On the other hand, even if baptized in Georgia, this fact would not be accompanied with as much hype as Ana’s and David’s wedding was. It turns out that Giorgi will be baptized by His Beatitude and Holiness Ilia II, Catholikos Patriarch of all Georgia.
Ana has two daughters from her first marriage. They live in Georgia with their grandfather – Nugzar Bagration-Gruzinski.
“We are glad that the House has been extended. In the last two hundred years the Bagrationi’s went through so many hardships that every child born to this world is an event of grat happiness. Just recall the year of 1924, when in a single night Bolsheviks executed more than two dozens of the Bagrationi House representatives, irrespective of their age and gender. the Talks about special upbringing of Giorgi should not irritate the public. It’s about reviving the tradition. For centuries not only the Bagrationi House, but other Georgian noblemen used to train their children in a special way. Why not restore Georgian traditions? It is too early to talk about revival of the Royal rule. Our public is not prepared for the transformation of our State into monarchy. Probably, it will take a long time before the enthronization of the royal house,” – explains Chancellor Simon Kopadze, a close person of the Royal House.
The Bagrationi family received congratulations on the birth of the heir from various royal families of the world. The first was Spanish King Juan Carlos, a relative of David Bagration-Mukhraneli by the side of the latter’s mother. The newly born Bagration-Mukhraneli was named after his grandfather by the father’s side. As it was said earlier, it was senior Giorgi Batonishvili (“Batonishvili”  translates as ‘Prince’ in English), who craved for the marriage of David and Ana. Unfortunately, he did not live to see their marriage. He passed away a year before the wedding. Giorgi Bagration-Mukhraneli was buried in Mtskheta (the ancient capital of Georgia), by the side of his distinguished ancestors.
Why some people see the marriage of David and Ana as an attempt to restore the royal rule? In the past, an interesting answer to this question was given by the former politician Vakhtang Rcheulishvili. He said that ‘the nation needs an apolitical but educated person. The best, shining example is his Beatitude. Sometimes it’s Patriarch ensuring the unity of a nation, and sometimes it’s the King who does it.” Well, we have no King. Talks about the birth of the Prince are premature because princes are born only to enthroned kings. Only the future will show if we are to have the Royal House and the King.