Le Figaro Bordeaux
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I swear to govern with love and self-mockery," the new monarch promised. Fleurdelisé crown, wooden sceptre and ermine mantle, Vincent I was crowned Prince of Helianthis, Saturday, August 5 in the citadel of Blaye (Gironde), promising to prosper this imaginary kingdom dedicated to local heritage.
Dressed in black and red scarf slung over his shoulder, Prince Vincent took the oath in front of a hundred people and dignitaries from other micro-nations such as the Principality of Aigues-Mortes (Gard), the Republic of Saugeais (Doubs), the Grand Duchy of Kuragon (Marne) or the Principality of Shedingeh (Italy). On the red carpet rolled out in the nave of the convent of the Minims, a deconsecrated church of the seventeenth century, paraded about twenty of these unrecognized pseudo-states that swarm around the world to promote causes or territories.
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I swear to maintain the longevity of the principality of culture and humor, to govern with love, without moderation and self-mockery, to promote the beauty of our landscapes, "promised the sovereign, whose real name is Vincent Merchadou, a 28-year-old lawyer. Reigning since the creation of Hélianthis in 2013, after co-optation by the other members of the principality (his friends from high school), the prince was awarded the "regalia", insignia of the coronation designed by craftsmen from Blaye, a city of 5000,40 inhabitants <> kilometers north of Bordeaux.
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A solemn coronation but "not too serious"
In addition to the brass crown, enhanced with mosaics and bordered with ermine, "His Serene Highness" received the princely mantle, the ceramic orb and the sceptre decorated with golden bunches of grapes, allusion to the local vineyard, and surmounted by a carved watchtower, a nod to the walls of the Vauban citadel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The prince's gilded throne, stretched with crimson velvet, was surmounted by small watchtowers, these projecting sentry boxes built at the corners of fortresses.
The coronation, solemn but "not too serious", was preceded by a medieval concert paying tribute to the troubadour Jaufré Rudel, a figure of local history and nicknamed "the Prince of Blaye". "Long live the prince and long live the principality," said Emmanuelle Miller, winemaker and grandmaster of the Connétablissement des vins de Blaye who presided over the ceremony, to the applause of the audience.
The event was heralded with great fanfare as the "first micro-national coronation held in the presence of the public and other micro-nations." "King Charles has been a little ahead of usbut he has more budget!" joked Vincent I. At the end of the ceremony, which required two years of preparation and a "crazy job" according to the prince, the guests were invited to a cocktail in the cloister of the convent. On the menu: figs from Bourg, pralines from Blaye and, of course, wines from Blayais.
Prince Vincent I, drinking wine from a chalice, after swearing to defend the appellation of Blayais. ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP