Prince Juan Jorge de Bagration-Mukhrani (born 18 August 1977) is a Spanish-born Georgian prince and member of the House of Mukhrani of the Bagrationi dynasty and a distant relation to the

Spanish royal family The Spanish royal family consists of King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, their children (Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía of Spain), and Felipe's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. The royal family lives at Zarzuela Palace i ...

Early life and family

Prince Juan Jorge de Bagration-Mukhrani was born on 18 August 1977 in Madrid to Prince Bagrat de Bagration y de Baviera and Doña María del Carmen de Ulloa y Suelves. His paternal grandfather, Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani, was exiled from Georgia during the invasion of the Red Army, living in Germany, Italy, and finally settling in Spain. His paternal grandmother, Infanta María de las Mercedes of Spain was a member of the

and the German

House of Wittelsbach The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate ...

; she was the daughter of

Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria Prince Ferdinand Maria of Bavaria (Ferdinand Maria Ludwig Franz von Assisi Isabellus Adalbert Ildefons Martin Bonifaz Joseph Isidro; 10 May 1884 – 5 April 1958) was a prince of the House of Wittlesbach and Infante of Spain, the eldest son and c ...

, granddaughter of

Alfonso XII of Spain Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 1885 ...

, and niece of

Alfonso XIII of Spain Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...

. His maternal grandfather was Gonzalo Maria de Ulloa y Ramírez de Haro, Marqués de Castro-Serna, Count de Adanero. Prince Juan's parents divorced in 2005 and his father remarried in 2009 to Françoise Cazaudehore. Prince Juan is a member of the House of Mukhrani, a branch of the Bagrationi dynasty that ruled Georgia from the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century, when Georgia was annexed into the Russian Empire. The family was recognized as part of the

Russian nobility The Russian nobility (russian: дворянство ''dvoryanstvo'') originated in the 14th century. In 1914 it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members (about 1.1% of the population) in the Russian Empire. Up until the February Revolution ...

until the rise of communism in Russia. Prince Juan studied at

Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil, known more informally as Beau Soleil, is a private boarding school in Switzerland. Founded in 1910, it is located above sea level on the Swiss Alps of Villars-sur-Ollon. The college provides a full boardi ...

, a boarding school in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland and was a schoolmate and childhood friend of Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez.

Personal life

Prince Juan met Kristine Dzidziguri, a Georgian model, in 2014. They were married a few months later in a civil ceremony on 10 May 2014 in

Ronda, Spain Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...

. The couple began planning a religious ceremony but were delayed due to social and political conflicts within Georgia and because of Prince Juan's father's declining health. His father died on 20 March 2017, and the couple decided to mourn for one year before organizing a religious wedding ceremony. On 2 June 2018 Prince Juan and Dzidziguri received a blessing from Ilia II of Georgia, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. On 3 June 2018 they were married in a

Georgian Orthodox The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...

ceremony at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in

Mtskheta Mtskheta ( ka, მცხეთა, tr ) is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti province of Georgia. It is one of the oldest cities in Georgia as well as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. Itis located approximately north of T ...

. Their wedding reception was held at the

Palace of Mukhrani Palace of Mukhrani ( ka, მუხრანის სასახლე) was a seat of the princely House of Mukhrani. It is located in Mukhrani, in the eastern part of Georgia. History The main building was designed in 1873 by the French archi ...

. After their wedding the couple honeymooned in Indonesia, where they attended the Tomohon International Flower Festival. While in Indonesia they also made an official visit to the

Agung Rai Museum of Art The Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) is a museum located in Ubud on Bali, Indonesia. Literature * See also *List of museums and cultural institutions in Indonesia A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: ...

. Later during their Indonesian tour, Prince Juan and Princess Kristine attended a gala lunch focused on establishing a cultural relationship between Indonesia and Georgia. Prince Juan is the founder of the Georgian Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes Georgian culture. He has dual Spanish and Georgian citizenship. In October 2019 he launched a wine brand called Prince Ioane Bagrationi wines.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagration-Mukhrani, Prince Juan de Living people 1977 births Georgian princes House of Mukhrani Members of the Georgian Orthodox Church Nobility from Madrid Winemakers Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil alumni