Prince Davit Bagration-Mukhrani

Prince David Bagrationi Mukhrani (Mukran-Batoni []) of Georgia, David Bagration de Moukhrani y Zornoza, or Davit Bagrationi-Mukhraneli (; born 24 June 1976), is the Head of the Princely House of Mukhrani, a branch of the Georgian Bagrationi dynasty and claims by primogeniture the headship of the Royal House of Bagrationi, which reigned in Georgia from the medieval era until the early 19th century.

His family is related to the House of Bourbon-Anjou, the House of Wittelsbach, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and the House of Romanov. Prince Davit succeeded his father Prince Giorgi (Jorge) Bagration Mukhrani as claimant to the Georgian throne upon his death on 16 January 2008.

Prince Davit returned his family to Georgia in 2003, ending decades of exile resulting from the 1921 Red Army invasion of Georgia. He married Princess Ana Bagration-Gruzinsky, a member of the genealogically junior Gruzinsky branch of the Bagrationi, in 2009, divorcing in 2013. Their son Prince Giorgi, born in Georgia in 2011 as the Pretender Crown Prince of the Mukhraneli also became Pretender Crown Prince of the Gruzinsky branch in 2025, after his maternal grandfather Nugzar Bagration-Gruzinsky died and Ana became Pretender Queen of the Gruzinsky branch, due to its extinction in the male line.

Early life Bagrationi was born to the Georgian émigré family as the second son of Spanish race car driver, Prince George Bagrationi-Mukhraneli, by his first wife María de las Mercedes Zornoza y Ponce de León (1942–2020) in Madrid, Spain. He has an older sister, Maria-Antonietta, and brother, Irakly, and a younger half-brother, Gourami (Ugo). Bagrationi is also a cousin of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, head of the Russian Imperial House, as her mother was born Princess Leonida Bagration of Mukhrani.

In January 2008, Bagrationi announced his father's death, declaring himself to be his father's successor as the patrilineal head of the Georgian royal family while his elder brother, Irakly, continued to reside in Spain. As such his supporters recognize him as Royal Prince of Kartli and Hereditary Prince of the sovereign principality (satavado) of Mukhrani. Bagrationi's paternal grandfather, Prince Irakly Bagration-Mukhransky, had claimed headship of the Bagrationi dynasty in 1957 and, as such, the additional designations of Prince and Head of the Royal House of Georgia, of Kartalia, and of Mukhrani, Duke of the Lasos, Sovereign Head and Grand Master of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and of the Order of the Queen-Saint Tamara, styles which his grandson also claims.

During the Russia–Georgia war over South Ossetia in August 2008, Bagrationi accompanied Georgian soldiers to the front-line to render moral support. He commented afterwards that he regretted Georgia "had to pay such a high price to show the world the true face of Russia," and issued a message to the Georgian nation. Bagrationi believes that restoration of monarchy in Georgia is not an option at this time because of ongoing Russian occupation of parts of the country; and it is up to the people of Georgia to decide when the monarchy should be restored. On 16 December 2018 Prince David was invited to the inauguration of Georgia's first female President, Salome Zourabichvili, Prince David has been involved in numerous Georgian cultural and other broadly humanitarian charities, including one of the largest fundraisers in GoFundMe history, when the joined arms with massively popular Instagram influencer Tommy Marcus (aka meme activist Qarantino) and UNWTO ambassador Shiv Shanker Nair\ raised $7 million to rescue some 2000 death marked Afghan reformers from the Taliban. Prince David was the "First Godfather" at the marriage the last Russian "Tsar's Heir, Grand Duke George of Russia to Victoria Bettarini. David's grandfather and George's grandmother were siblings. The October 1, 2021 religious ceremony was widely covered by the international media and was attended by many European royal families and other notables.

Marriage and divorce

Prince David Bagration of Mukhrani married Princess Ana Bagration-Gruzinsky on 8 February 2009 at the Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral. Without naming any preferred claimant, prior to Prince David and Princess Ana's wedding, Patriarch Ilia II had emphasized the need to prepare the populace for restoration of the monarchy, "and elect a Bagration, to be educated from childhood" to take the crown. while Ana's father, Prince Nugzar Bagration-Gruzinsky, is the only remaining prince who descends in male line George XII, the last king to reign over the united Kartli and Kakheti kingdom. However it was rumoured by the Georgian press that the couple had reconciled and was expecting their first child.

The couple are said to have retaken their marital vows in a civil ceremony on 12 November 2010 in Madrid.

The couple's only child, a son, Giorgi, was born in Madrid on 27 September 2011 and baptized by Patriarch Ilia II at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta on 3 November 2013.

On 15 December 2013, the official statement from Bagrationi posted on the website "Royal House of Georgia" confirmed his divorce from Anna. Giorgi remains the only son of David and Ana, who have both not married again.

Following Prince Nugzar's death in 2025, David's former wife Ana became his rival Pretender due to the Gruzinsky branch going extinct in the male line. Their son Prince Giorgi subsequently became Heir Apparent to both of his parents, which makes the ultimate reconciliation of the rival claims almost certain, since he can only be displaced from either succession by his death.

Ancestors

Honours Dynastic orders of knighthood Bagrationi Dynasty (Royal House of Georgia): Grand Master of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia Bagrationi Dynasty (Royal House of Georgia): Grand Master of the Order of Queen Tamar Royal House of Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa House of Petrovic-Njegos, Montenegro: Knight Grand Cross of Order of Prince Danilo I Royal House of Savoy: Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Imperial House of Ethiopia: Grand Cross of the Order of the Seal of Solomon Royal house of Sulu: Grand Cordon of the Royal and Hashemite Order of the Pearl

Other Spain (military, Civil Guard): Medal of the Centennial of the Virgen del Pilar - Medalla del Centenario de la Virgen del Pilar United States (Veterans and Hereditary Association): Military Order of Foreign Wars United Kingdom (Charitable Order): Badge of the Order of Mercy Ecumenical Patriarchate: Gold medal of the Metropolis of the Princes' Islands Centre for Development of Šajkaška: Cross of Vozhd Djordje Stratimirovich Spain (military): Knight of the Order of the Spanish Legion Grand Commander of the Grand Order of the Amaranth Protector of the Royal Corps of the Nobility of the Principality of Asturias Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Lazarus, Malta-Paris Obedience.