Brunhild
Brunhild | |||||
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Queen of the Geatish Realm | |||||
Reign | 16 September 1970 – present | ||||
Predecessor | Vilhelm II | ||||
Heir apparent | Vilhelm | ||||
Premiers | See list
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Born | Freiburg Palace, Blåstad, Geatland | 16 April 1940||||
Spouse | Count Henrik of Brubunt (m. 1967) | ||||
Issue Detail | |||||
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House | Karla | ||||
Father | Vilhelm II | ||||
Mother | Queen Ingrid of Geatland | ||||
Religion | Church of Geatland |
Brunhild (Brunhild Alexandria Vilhelmina; born 16 April 1940) is the Queen of the Geatish Realm. She has held that position for fifty years and is the longest serving queen regnant in Geatish history.
Brunhild was born in Freiburg Palace, Blåstad as the first child of Prince Vilhelm, then the heir apparent to the Geatish throne, and Princess Ingrid. She spent most of her childhood at the Kirstenspalats in Esholm and was tutored as the heir presumptive. When her grandfather Otto IV died in 1949, her father Vilhelm became king. Vilhelm and Ingrid expected to bear a son that would succeed Vilhelm on the throne, but a car accident in 1951 left Ingrid infertile. At age 12, Brunhild discontinued her private education and enrolled in the Queen Christina Academy, the first heir in Geatish history to do so. On finishing her studies, Brunhild served in the Royal Geatish Navy for two years, after which she received a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1964 at the University of Montecara. That same year, she married Count Henrik of Brubunt, a Weranian nobleman. Brunhild suffered numerous miscarrages but was eventually able to have her fist child, Vilhelm, Prince of Blåstad, in 1968.
When her father died in 1970, Brunhild assumed the Geatish throne, choosing to keep her birth name rather than change it to Christina, which had been the traditional regnal name of Geatish queens. The first two years of Brunhild's reign were politically turbulent, though her deft handling of the 1972 Geatish constitutional crisis won her popular support and international acclaim. Brunhild's early reign coincided with FOLK Fever, during which she developed a close relationship with Premier Ebbe Afzelius, whom she would describe as her "chief mentor and advocate." Brunhild received further international attention for her charity work, in particular her contributions to alleviating food deserts in Bahia. She spearheaded the development of the Bahia Food and Water Initiative and served as the group's president from 1984 to 1990. A patron of the sciences, Brunhild established the Queen Brunhild Scholarship for Aspiring Scientists, which funded the education of disadvantaged students who showed exceptional talent in biology, chemistry, or physics. Originally established in 1991, the scholarship has provided services to students around the world since 2003. She celebrated her silver jubilee in 1995, her ruby jubilee in 2010, and her diamond jubilee in 2020.
Brunhild is the longest-serving current head of state in the world. Described as hard-working and dedicated, Brunhild has avoided many of the controversies that have afflicted other royal families. Her perceived devotion for duty, as well as her affability in public and her charitable work, have made her broadly popular with the Geatish people, though she had courted some criticism for commenting on contemporary political affairs and international relations. Brunhild has an average approval rating of 86% in Geatland, making her one of the most well-liked heads of state in the world.