David Dewhurst
Lieutenant Governor
To all to whom these presents
shall come, Greetings: Know ye, that
this certificate is presented to
His Royal Highness
Prince Jean de France, Duc de Vendôme
This certifies that the Texas Flag herewith was flown
at the Capitol of the Sovereign State of Texas
in your honor and to hereby welcome you
to the great State of Texas as an
"Honorary Citizen"
on
April 25, 2011
Austin, Texas
Nice to see a Prince of France, 'joining the ranks'. However, I should hasten to point out, lest any legitimists get their feathers ruffled, this is a very common thing to give out. Almost anyone can apply and be given the same treatment for a number of reasons. However, I thought it was interesting, and I'm glad to see honorary citizenship extended to a prince. As regular readers will know, Texas and the Kingdom of France have a long history as can be seen by the Bourbon flag still flying proudly amongst the famous "Six Flags" of Texas.
How interesting. I wonder how many other royals have received similar honors in different states, or in Texas?
ReplyDeleteI don't know and I'm rather curious as to why this was done. My first guess would be that some friend arranged it as a gift. In Texas it is quite common, I don't know about other states though Kentucky does something similar where anyone with enough time on their hands or the right connections can get a certificate naming them a "Kentucky colonel".
ReplyDeletePope John Paul II was a Kentucky Colonel, among living royals, the Duchess of Cambridge is a recent recipient of the honor (honour?).
ReplyDeleteWith as many as they've awarded over the years, I'd wager there's a few more royals on the rolls for anyone wanting to do some digging.
Didn't know the Pope made the list! But yes, there are many, many politicians, celebrities etc who have been given the title. Let us not forget, however, perhaps the most famous all around the world: Colonel Harlan Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken!
ReplyDeleteOn his new website prince Jean writes about his trip to Texas in April this year:
ReplyDeletePrince Jean de France
Thanks for the link, in looking for a connection with the Orleanists particularly I had forgotten about King Louis Philippe recognizing the Republic of Texas early on. I don't know if he was the "first" as they say, I would think the U.S. would have been, but probably the first European power at any rate. Belgium and the Netherlands did so later, as did Great Britain "unofficially".
ReplyDeleteI wonder whois the rightful heir to the throne of France though...
ReplyDeleteIs it the Duke of Vendome or Louis Alfonso Duke of Anjou?
If a king has the right to deprive future heirs of their place in the succession then it is the Duc d'Vendome as he unquestionably is heir to the junior Orleanist line. If not, it is the Duc d'Anjou who is just as unquestionably the senior male line heir.
ReplyDeleteEach side would say they have the better right and there is nothing either of them can say to ever convince the other. So there it sits.