Grand Duke Valentianian III to attend Seylos Coronation!

[Pallamara]

Vrijpoort, July 19th, 2018

Today the Ministry of Palace Affairs has announced that Grand Duke Valentinian III will be attending the coronation of Prince Aidan of Seylos.  Word is that he'll be sailing on the royal yacht, the Eos, which makes it unlikely that the Ducal Consort, Lady Elani will be joining him, due to her delicate constitution and discomfort with extended sea voyages.  Attendance at the coronation will mark the first visit of state in recent years for the Grand Duke, who has been very busy with domestic matters.  At this point, further official details are unclear, though it has been announced that Crown Prince Karl will be acting as Head of State Pro Tempo during his father's absence. 

It is rumored that the Eos will likely be accompanied by the Training cruiser Pallamara as its escort.  This is a rather common practice, usually scarcely deserving of comment, but it should be noted that Princess Hannah, the Grand Duke's youngest daughter, serves aboard the vessel as Anti-Air Warfare Weapons Systems Instructor," making it possible that she'll attend in lieu of the Ducal Consort.  It also feeds rumor about the succession, with regard to which of his two children the Grand Duke actually favors to be next in line to rule Pallamara.  Unlike other monarchies, the reigning head of the House of Oranje chooses their heirs, and while historically, this has always gone to someone who is in the royal house, it hasn't always been handed down along lines of direct descent.  In contrast to Crown Prince Karl, who is very much a public figure, and who also serves as CEO of Oranje, the nation's largest shipping conglomerate, very little is known about Princess Hannah, other than some details of her naval career.  There is a rumor, however, that she is a lesbian, which may create future issues with the line of succession, were she to be the choice for next Grand Duchess, possibly making her a less than satisfactory candidate, thus keeping the rumor mills on the subject running.  At any rate, royal watchers are bound to carefully scrutinize the occasion for any conclusions that may be drawn from it.