Prince Dimitri of Lovia

HRH King Dimitri I of Lovia (born April 13, 1991, Noble City) is the current ruling monarch of Lovia and a constitutional king. He is the sixth monarch of Lovia, the nephew of the late King Arthur III. He ascended to the throne on November 9, 2007. After a successful but short reign, he stepped down as King of Lovia in August 2008 citing personal reasons, thus leaving Lovia to the remaining government forces, which were incapable of governing properly for over a year. On November 9, 2009 however, Dimitri Noble returned and was crowned for the second time, leading the country to both political and economic success. In the past, he has been elected Governor of Sylvania as well as Mayor of Noble City, and he was active in several neighborhood projects.

Beside his political tasks, King Dimitri is a student, businessman, occasional producer and actor, sigillist and philanthropist. King Dimitri is known to be actively involved in Lovian politics and is one of the greatest contributors to the Constitution and Federal Law. The majority of all legal reform since 2007 has been initiated by him, and the Constitution is primarily written by him. His political engagement has earned him a reputation of "dictator" or "despot" among republicans, fascists  and communists. In 2010, the King himself and the leading political parties PD/CPL.nm legally reformed and downsized several aspects of the King's political power. It has been noted by both proponents of the government and opposition members that Lovia is governed more democratically than it was in 2007/2008.

In late 2009, HRH King Dimitri I announced to be in a relationship with Mary Elisabeth Nelson, a Lovian graduate student and university researcher. The couple has been engaged since December 3, 2009, and was originally planning to get married in October 2010. The marriage has been postponed since then, due to Mary Elisabeth's poor health. She would become the first Lovian queen since 1956.

Early life and education
Princess Sarah of Lovia gave birth to a son on April 13, 1991, in the Noble City General Hospital. Prince Thomas and his wife named the healthy son Dimitri Thomas Noble, and he became known to the public as Prince Dimitri. It is uncertain why the parents chose this name, which is rather unusual to the Lovian monarchy.

The family lived in one of the residential wings of the Old Royal Palace in King's Gardens, Noble City. In 1995, they moved to a house in Artista because the ill Princess Sarah needed rest and a healthier atmosphere. Prince Dimitri's younger brother Prince Alexander was born in 1995, just after moving to Artista. The family moved back to the Royal Palace in 1998. Princess Sarah died that year, having suffered from cancer since late 1995.

Prince Dimitri went to kindergarden and primary school in his native city. He was a clever child with a lively interest for art, books and society. As a child, he loved to draw and paint. As his studies became more demanding, these interests were partly put aside. His father taught him several languages, such as Dutch, French and some Spanish and German. King Dimitri is still known to be fluent in Dutch. Unfortunately, Prince Thomas died in a car accident in the fall of 2005.

Prince Dimitri skipped grades twice and at the age of sixteen he entered Nobel University. He has been studying English Philology and Literature at Nobel University (now Blackburn University) and has taken minors in both politics and the law. Having earned his bachelor's degree in 2010, King Dimitri will graduate in 2012.

Ruling Monarch (2007-2008)
Prince Dimitri's uncle and the then ruling monarch, King Arthur III of Lovia deceased in 2007, after a period of illness. Having no legitimate offspring and due to the dubious phrasing of the old Constitution, there was some doubt about who would succeed King Arthur. Eventually, Prince Dimitri, being most closely related to King Arthur III, was agreed upon. November 9, 2007, the Royal Advisor and Master of Ceremony Yuri Medvedev crowned Prince Dimitri ruling monarch.

King Dimitri I started his reign with the writing and signing of the new Constitution, which was able to substitute the former law. Congress was heavily reformed and now consisted of a drafting and voting chamber. He set up federal and state elections. On Inauguration Day 2007 Yuri Medvedev, a personal friend of the King's and his Master of Ceremony, was democratically elected Member of the Congress and Prime Minister. The two got together and chose which Members of the Congress would get a government position, which resulted in the Medvedev I Government.

On April 13, 2008, the 265th birthday of Thomas Jefferson, King Dimitri of Lovia celebrated his 17th birthday. He was surprized by many friends, including Lars Washington and Pierlot McCrooke.

Among King Dimitri's most significant contributions to Lovia in his first reign are:
 * the construction and re-organization of a well-functioning railway network;
 * restructuring of several Noble City neighborhoods;
 * Lovia leaving the UWN and entering a stage of absolute isolationism;
 * the Second Amendment explicitly stating the nation's unitarity;
 * the designation of Lovia's first national park on Bird Island;
 * the construction of a new royal palace after the former had burned down;
 * the Big Business Deal;
 * an attempt at founding the International Wiki Organization (IWO), which failed;
 * Nobel University was reformed into Blackburn University.

A major issue during his reign was the Hurbanova Crisis and the Alexandru Latin Trial following it. Recent sources have revealed the dubious nature of the trial. Prime Minister Yuri Medvedev, for example, was at same time Supreme Court Judge and involved in the case. Although the trial did end the Hurbanova troubles for a period, it also led to the King's abdication in August of the same year. In May 2010, King Dimitri called the trial "shameful" and expressed his sorrow about it. Since the January Declarations of 2010, the judicial system has taken a more independent road.

During King Dimitri's 2008 reign, he was the nation's most powerful person. At one time, King Dimitri held a wide combination of offices, including but not exclusively ruling monarch, Secretary of Finance, Governor of Sylvania, Mayor of Noble City, and chairman of several neighborhoods. During his second, current reign, he has refrained from combining major offices.

Abdication and absence
King Dimitri abdicated in August 2008, after he discovered secret plans to declare Hurbanova independent from Lovia again and to stage a coup. He stated he would leave the country for a while; he said he needed some rest after a hard period in the political world. Later on he announced a probable return "when the time is there", though not as king. He sometimes still visited the country, what brought happiness to everyone. So stated Lars Washington: "It looks like a big reunion here!".

Lovia went into deep recession, partly as a result of the financial crisis, in late 2008. The political landscape was even worse off: no general elections were organized at the beginning of 2009 and as of February 1, 2009, the country was officially ungoverned. Though Lovia had no legal authorities, there were little outbreaks of violence. In fact, the nation looked abandoned. In the Summer of 2009, former Prime Minister Yuri Medvedev staged a peaceful coup, which failed to restore the democracy. There were no elections in January 2009 and the former 2008 Congress was just re-appointed. No bills were passed under the republican Medvedev government. International press called Lovia "a failed state."

Second reign (since 2009)
In late 2009, King Dimitri re-entered Lovian public life. On general consensus, he was allowed by the people to to take up his political functions again. On November 9, 2009, Dimitri Noble was crowned for the second time, now at the Capitol.

Personal life
Having always been very keen about his privacy, very little was known about the King's personal life until short. His relationship with Mary Elisabeth Nelson, to whom HRH is now engaged, has brought about great media attention.

Relationship with Mary Elisabeth Nelson
November 12th, 2009, La Quotidienne announced the following: "Lovia has a Queen!" In the article, the author Alexandru Latin writes that sources say Mary Elisabeth Nelson, a young university assistant and researcher, aged 18, is engaged in a relationship with HRH. "Some sources say she'll be the King's bride" and "[...] other sources claim to have seen them frequently together." HRH would have responded by denying the rumors, saying "You know, I [...] am befriended to Mary Elly, nothing more, nothing less." The news appeared in Hurbanova Novine as well. The rumors began when a November 9 poll in La Quotidienne revealed the wish of many Lovians to have a queen.

It was November 14, 2009, when the same newspaper came up with the evidence of Mary Elisabeth's relationship with Lovia's most powerful man. In the afternoon, the newspaper published an article entitled Mary Elly admits: "Dimitri and I are in love". In the article, it is revealed that Miss Nelson was at the King's palace the day before, and they had been intimate in the Royal Gardens. A picture of the couple shot by one of the Quotidienne journalist accompanied the article. Miss Nelson would have admitted to "having a special connection" with the King to the journalists. Both The Noble City Times and Hurbanova Novine published the story within a short time.

On November 17, 2009, HRH King Dimitri officially recognized his relational involvement. In a press conference, he explained the situation and asked for respect and patience. On December 3rd, King Dimitri and Mary Elisabeth announced in The Noble City Times to be engaged. Initially, it was stated that the couple would get married in 2010 ; only in June it was revealed that the wedding would take place in October of that year. The wedding was then postponed to Mary Elisabeth's poor health, suffering from pneumonia. The wedding is now thought to take place in late December 2010 or early January of the next year.

Friendships
King Dimitri's friendship with two-time Prime Minister Yuri Medvedev is a public fact. Although their political views have slightly moved away from each other in recent years, they continue to cooperate intensively in politics, business and other projects. The two are often considered the motor behind all Lovian politics, and a sine qua non for a stable Congress.

Other personal friends include Arthur Jefferson, the current Supreme Court Judge and a political independent. Jon Johnson and Martha Van Ghent have also entertained a friendship with the King for some time. Many politicians entertain good relationships with the monarchy. There are frequent friendly contacts with the leading figures of Walden, being Van Ghent, Andy McCandless and Marcus Villanova. The King has often showed support for their cause. Others include Alyssa C. Red, Percival E. Galahad, Lars Washington and Pierlot McCrooke. King Dimitri's relatively positive contacts with the majority of Congress has led to the formulation of the Cabal Theory in early 2010 and several similar theories.

Although the King's relation with conservative politicians, especially those based in the south, is rather troublesome, there are long-standing positive contacts with some of them. Some inside sources cite Oos Wes Ilava, the incumbent Deputy Governor of Oceana, with whom the King has a good understanding. The two have established a number of projects, some with great success. Intense collaboration was sometimes followed with periods of non-collaboration. In this changing relation, the Alexandru Latin, who deceased in 2010, played a major role. Insiders noted crucially better contacts with the Oceana population during periods of Latin's absence.

Literature and arts
Since 2009, King Dimitri has embraced reading as a hobby. He has become well-read in classic works of modern and early modern literature. Among his favorite artists are many American writers, including Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, and many more. In recent years, the King developed an interest in medieval and early modern Dutch literature as well. There is a publication of his writings on the Renaissance writer and philosopher Anna Maria van Schurman pending, likely to be published in early 2011.

A enthusiastic admirer of art, the King has established an impressive collection of art at the Royal Art Gallery. The Fighting Téméraire, the famous Turner painting, is publicly known to be among his personal favorites. It has become one of the key symbols of the Dimitrian monarchy.

The King has a broad knowledge of several genres and ethnic music styles. According to friends and family, he has a keen interest in classical music as well as in popular genres. Among his favorite genres are rock, folk rock, country music and jazz. King Dimitri co-organized the successful jazz festival Jazz Portland in August 2010.

Democracy policy
As framer of the Constitution, Prince (at that time) Dimitri wanted to ensure democracy, freedom and a good separation of the powers, though that was more difficult due to the low population numbers. In the Constitution the different powers and their abilities were enshrined. The Ruling Monarch and the demoractically elected Prime Minister governed the nation (the executive branch), while the elected Congress was the legislative branch. Justice was a separate branch, though had some links to the executive branch, because the Supreme Court Judges were appointed by the Secretary of Justice and the Prime Minister. The Constitution was considered to be a good base for democracy, regarding the small possibilities of a low-populated nation. There had been much criticisms on the the power of the King, which was partly described in the democratic Constitution, and partly depended on the personal interpretation of the King.

UWN controversies
As early as 2007, there has been protest in other United Wiki Nations member states against King Dimitri's far-reaching power, causing great controversy. In Adlibita, Mäöres, and Libertas there have been outcries for another form of government in Lovia.

Cabal theories and republicanism
Republicans, mostly fascists, have supported the well-known Cabal Theory in early 2010. Their Anti-Cabalism movement believes that Lovia is or recently has been ruled by an established elite centered around King Dimitri, Prime Minister Yuri Medvedev and several other politicians.

Within republican circles the Cabal Theory is often refuted. There is however a strong notion of democracy and lowering the monarch's power in Lovia. The Alexandru Latin Trial and King Dimitri's power during his 2008 reign are often cited as sources of republican frustration.

During the 2010 Congress, King Dimitri held no other public offices, leading to dimishing support of the republican movement. Scholars have noted none of the democratization reforms came from republican Congressmen, but only from the progressive pro-monarchial politicians, as well as from King Dimitri himself.

Other
The King's atheism is a frequently cited source of frustration with Christian Lovians.

Legacy
Buildings, rooms and streets named after him:
 * Noble Buildings in Newhaven,
 * Noble Hall in the Lovian Museum for Modern Art,
 * Dimitri Street in King's Gardens,
 * King Dimitri Hotel in Downtown Noble City,
 * King Dimitri Foundation,
 * King Dimitri I fanfare.

Yuri Medvedev made two art works of HRH Dimitri I, based on his pictures.

Ancestry

 * Note: Lavender colored boxes: Ruling Monarch of Lovia
 * Note: Cornsilk colored boxes: civilian