Fairytale royal wedding

It's a fairytale wedding in a country in need of a boost: two strands of a dynasty that once ruled Georgia are joining together to end centuries of division in one of Europe's oldest royal houses.

The wedding of Prince David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli and Princess Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky on Sunday is expected to bring an end to feuding over who is the rightful heir and to boost a campaign to transform this republic buffeted by wars and unrest in recent years into a constitutional monarchy. Despite having spent his entire life in Spain and not speaking Georgian, David settled in Tbilisi in 2003 and obtained dual citizenship. His bride-to-be, Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, is the daughter of Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, a Tbilisi theatre director. Spanish-born David, 32, and Anna, 31, have kept a low-profile ahead of the ceremony, refusing to grant interviews.

Still, even Georgia's most ardent monarchists admit it's unlikely the country will have a king or queen soon after Sunday's ceremony.

"This marriage will eliminate any eventual doubts concerning the existence of a legitimate heir to the Georgian throne," said Marika Lortkipanidze, a historian with Georgia's National Academy of Sciences.

Critics say too much power is concentrated in the hands of the presidency and that the system needs more checks and balances.

More than 3,000 guests, including President Mikheil Saakashvili and representatives of Europe's aristocratic families, are expected at the ceremony in Tbilisi's Trinity Cathedral.

But many Georgians are nonetheless captivated. The Georgians must look forward to the future instead of the past. This is a historic event of Georgia to redefine its troubled history in the modern world. This is just a legend talk about a monarchy in the past to 21st century Georgia.

Georgians are largely disappointed with the presidential republic. This is why the idea of a constitutional monarchy emerged and has gained significant support within society.

Claiming descent from the biblical King David, the Bagrationi dynasty ruled a large chunk of present-day Georgia from at least the 9th century until the country was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the early 19th century.

A noble family in Tsarist Russia, many of the Bagrationis were scattered across Europe after the Bolshevik Revolution and the Soviet takeover of Georgia in 1921 following a brief period of independence. Many of those who stayed were killed or thrown into Soviet concentration camps.

Various branches of the family have laid claim to the ancient Georgian throne, with the Mukhraneli and Gruzinsky branches considered the most likely contenders.

David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli is the son of Jorge de Bagration y de Mukhrani, a prominent racing driver whose branch of the family settled in Spain after World War II. A cousin of Spain's King Juan Carlos, the father died in 2008 after settling in Tbilisi.

The two houses have long feuded over their claims to the throne and historians say any children from the marriage would resolve the dispute.

The influential patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Ilia II, has promoted the restoration of the monarchy and a recent phone-in survey on Georgian Public Television showed more than 40 percent of callers supporting the idea.

Georgian political analyst Tornike Sharashenidze said that many Georgians are frustrated with the presidential system adopted after the country gained independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Akaki Asatiani, the leader of Georgia's small Monarchist Party, said many Georgians are resistant to the idea of a constitutional monarchy and do not understand how it would work.

"The 200-year gap in the royal tradition is an issue and most Georgians lack understanding of the constitutional monarchy system," he said. "But sooner or later people will realise that this constitutional model is a guarantee for democracy and stability."