Geerhardt I of Ganchelkas
Geerhardt I, Emperor of Ganchelkas (Geerhardt Napoléon Theodore Charles), (born February 28, 1972), is the head of the House of Hesoldtorp and the current ruler of the Empire of Ganchelkas. He is the eldest child, and only son, of Emperor Alexander I and his wife Empress Joséphine. He succeeded his father, Alexander I, as Emperor, taking the constitutional oath on the 7th of January, 2003. Before his accession he was known as the Prince of Saterno, a title which is reserved for the Heir Apparant to the Ganchelkean Throne, and which he had borne since May 26, 1982.
He is the head of the Armed Forces of all nations in the Imperial Confederation, with the title of "Colonel-General of the Imperial Forces".
Style of the Emperor of Ganchelkas
| Styles of Emperor Geerhardt I of Ganchelkas | |
| |
| Reference style | His Imperial Majesty |
|---|---|
| Spoken style | Your Imperial Majesty |
| Alternative style | Sire |
The full style and title of the present Emperor is: Geerhardt the First, Emperor of Ganchelkas and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Imperial Confederation (French: Gérard Premier, Empereur de Ganchelkas et de ses autres royaumes et territoires, Chef du Confédération Impériale). The title "Head of the Imperial Confederation" de jure belongs to the Imperial Crown and is not vested in the Emperor personally.
The monarch is known as "His Imperial Majesty" or "Her Imperial Majesty", though, in international treaties and on passports the form "His Imperial Majesty the Ganchelkean Emperor" or "Her Imperial Majesty the Ganchelkean Empress" is used to differentiate the Emperor of Ganchelkas from foreign rulers. Empresses-Consort (wives of Emperors) and Empresses Dowager (widows of Emperors) are also entitled to the style "Imperial Majesty". Unlike in most monarchies, husbands and widowers of female Emperors are also known respectively as Emperors-Consort and Emperors Widower, and are entitled to the style "Imperial Majesty" as well. However, there is no legal male equivalent for the title of Queen Mother.
The ordinal used for the monarch only takes into account monarchs since the Institution of the Empire. In Ganchelkas, monarchs are always officially known with an ordinal, even when they are the first of their name. So Emperor Alexander was "Emperor Alexander I", even though there has not yet been an "Emperor Alexander II". (This is contrary to the system of ordinals used in most modern monarchies.)
Traditionally, a monarch's signature includes only his or her regnal name (but not ordinal). Thus, Emperor Geerhardt I would sign official documents with "Geerhardt", although on more informal occasions he uses "Geerhardt of Ganchelkas" (or "Geerhardt I of Ganchelkas, depending on the nature of the document) as his signature. The same does not apply to the other members of the Imperial House, except for Crown Prince Alexander, who in his capacity as Prince of Saterno can use "Saterno" as his signature, though in practice this is rarely done. Traditionally, the Prince of Saterno only adds "Sat" to his signature. So, Crown Prince Alexander signs with "Alexander Sat".
