Anastasia of Ghant
| Anastasia of Ghant | |||||
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| Duchess of Alier | |||||
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| Born | 1 April 1994 Empress Elena Hospital, Ghish, Ghant | ||||
| Spouse | Martin, Duke of Alier (m. 2019) | ||||
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| House | Gentry | ||||
| Father | Prince Richard of Ghant | ||||
| Mother | Matilda of Silingia | ||||
| Religion | Church of Ghant | ||||
| Ghantish Imperial Family |
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Extended imperial family
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Anastasia of Ghant (Anastasia Adalinda Roxanna Euphemia; born 1 April 1994) is the younger daughter of Prince Richard of Ghant and Matilda of Silingia, making her a member of the Ghantish Imperial Family. She is the wife of Martin, Duke of Alier, the heir apparent to the Electorate of Turenne.
Birth and Naming
Anastasia was born on 1 April 1994, at 12:00 PM in Empress Elena Hospital in Ghish, the fourth child of Prince Richard of Ghant and Matilda of Silingia, and fourteenth grandchild of Emperor Albert I of Ghant and Empress Grace of Langael. Her father was the fourth son of the Emperor and Empress, while her mother was the second daughter of King Peter II of Garima and Izara of Sydalon. She was baptised in the Imperial Chapel at Inperiala Palace on 1 August 1994, her godparents being: Donal of Langael (her grandmother’s brother); his wife Lady Mia Fegusa; Lord Jonothor Devlyn and his wife Lady Louisa Ecaz. The absence of any Silingian godparents was due to increased tensions between Garima and Ghant at the time of Anastasia’s birth. As a result, her parent’s choice of name was not announced until two weeks later, and was met with controversy.
Early Life and Education
Princess Anastasia spent the earliest years of her life at the court of her grandfather, Emperor Albert I of Ghant, where she grew alongside her elder cousins, including her older sister Cassandra, older brothers Bryan and Christopher, and the then Nathan, Crown Prince of Ghant, along with several others. The tensions between Ghant and Garima were such that her parents were not as close anymore nor involved in the lives of their children. Regardless, Matilda gave birth to a son, Cameron in 1996, their fifth and final child.
On May 19th, 1997, Emperor Albert died and was succeeded by Anastasia’s cousin Nathan, who became Emperor Nathan IV of Ghant. As he was only nine years old, he required a regency, during which time Anastasia’s uncle Albert, Prince of Ghant was appointed Regent by the Jauneketxea. Though some of her Imperial relatives departed court, Anastasia remained, as did her older sister Cassandra and the children of her uncle Prince Stephen: Princess Alysanne, Princess Eleanor, Princess Valora and Princess Frederica.
At the age of five, Anastasia was enrolled in the prestigious Ghish Girl’s Academy, following Cassandra, Alysanne, Eleanor, Valora and Frederica. Of the six, however, it was noted by instructors and tutors that Anastasia was the worst behaved and possessed the lowest grades. Anastasia was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of seven, though this information was not made public until she disclosed it at the age of eighteen.
It was in January 2006 during Anastasia’s final year at Ghish Girl’s Academy that her cousin Emperor Nathan attained his age of majority, and it was at that time that the overbearing presence of her uncle Albert ceased to be, as he had departed Ghish for his wife’s lands in Ziri. Anastasia, her sisters and her cousins experienced far more freedom, allowing Anastasia to explore creative interests such as painting and photography.
Anastasia advanced to the private all-girls preparatory Women’s School of Ghish, following in the footsteps of her older sister and cousins. Her grades steadily improved, and was a self-described “B average student.” Her areas of interest were drama, literature, photography and painting. Mounting tensions between Anastasia and her sister prompted the former not to follow the latter to the Women’s College of Ghish, instead choosing to enroll in the University of Abaza in 2013 following a gap-year in which she traveled Ghant.
The University of Abaza offered Anastasia freedom and creative outlets not available to her in Ghish. Although initially an undeclared major, Anastasia eventually chose to enroll in the Communications program, earning her undergraduate degree in 2016.
Activities
Abaza is well known for its association with nightlife, electronic dance music and for the summer club scene, all of which attract large numbers of tourists. Anastasia was a fixture at many social events, dabbling in stand-up comedy, performing as a disc jockey and taking photographs of various events in which she was in attendance. She made Abaza her permanent year-round home, and was absent from the Imperial Court throughout her duration in post-secondary school.
Anastasia achieved a notorious reputation due to her refusal to participate in any Imperial functions, refusal to allow herself to be courted or to engage in charitable causes, all of which she has been candid about in interviews and in her blog entitled “Abstract Anastasia.” On the matter of charity, Anastasia stated in her blog that “charity is something rich people do for poor people to feel better about themselves. Like for food donations, charities prioritize who the food goes to, most notably children. I hate that, because I believe that all hunger is wrong, that nobody should go hungry. The truth is, we have more than enough food to feed everyone, but the people who control the food would rather keep it and appear generous in giving it out, rather than address the problem of why people are hungry to begin with. So no, I’m not going to be a part of that, because I want to address the causes, not the symptoms.”
In the months leading up to the Ghantish Republic Referendum of 2014, Anastasia said in an interview that “eventually, people are going to wake up and realize that they don’t have to be second class citizens in their own country anymore. When that day comes, I hope my cousin the Emperor is ready to address the problems facing this country, instead of burying his head in the sand.” Anastasia’s liberal social views have been apparent in her social media posts.
Anastasia has also been especially open about her mental issues and social struggles in interviews and on her blog. “I’ve struggled with depression. I’ve struggled with anxiety. I’ve struggled with eating disorders. Once you realize that lots of people struggle with these things, you find solidarity. You can talk about them, make jokes about them, overcome them because you realize that you won’t allow those issues to rule your life.”
Courtship
Anatasia had for many years refused to entertain suitors, on the grounds of wanting to marry for love upon her own initiative. Having maintained a close relationship with her grandmother Izara, she often traveled to Garima and Sydalon to spend time with her. Anastasia often remarked in her blog how poor her relationship was with her various Sydalene relatives, and lacked any real interest in connecting with them due to differences in politics, religion and worldview.
However, her first known public relationship was with Aubin V, Duke of Philippopolis. The relationship was brief and came following a trip to Sydalon for the funeral of Jordan XI of Sydalon and the subsequent anointing of King Desiderius, in 2011. In 2015, Anastasia began dating Martin, Duke of Alier – heir to the Electorate of Turenne. While the two were thought to be in a relationship prior, it was confirmed after they were spotted spending time together at the wedding of Queen Melisende III and Michael of Dakmoor. Anastasia and Martin had known each other since their youth and mutual friends have cited that they have many shared interests. Over the course of their relationship, Anastasia and Martin have travelled to every continent in the world.
Marriage to Martin of Turenne
Marriage
On 20 January 2019, Anastasia married Martin at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Hauptburg, Silingia, Garima. The guest list was one of the largest for a non-royal Elector of Garima, including members of the Gariman Royal Family, Ghantish Imperial Family, members from all major Gariman noble houses, along with guests from nearby royal and noble families, such as Latium and Garza.
Since their marriage, Anatasia and Martin are noted for their frequent vacationing around the world.
Public life
As Duchess of Alier, Anastasia is very protective of her privacy, making only the occasional public appearance and participating in limited social engagements. It is rumored that there is conflict between her and members of the Turenne court, particularly her father-in-law, Alfons II, Elector of Turenne, regarding her continued online presence and use of social media, such as her Flitter account under the name ”UrAnas”.
Styles, titles, and honors
- 1 April 1994 – 20 January 2019: Her Imperial Highness Princess Anastasia of Ghant
- 20 January 2019 – present: Her Serene Highness The Duchess of Alier
Honors
Philippopolis: Lady of the Honorable Order of Southern Cross 
