A curious French connection for the weekend: Balthazar Napolean de Bourbon, a lawyer/farmer in Bhopal, India, has been identified as possibly being in line for the lost throne of the Bourbon royal family of France.
He is not hugely interested in pressing his claim, though it may earn him a trip to Paris and a few other perks of a passport with the name Bourbon on it:
"Balthazar Napoleon de Bourbon, a jovial Indian lawyer and part-time farmer, has always been fascinated by France. Framed pictures of the Eiffel Tower and the palace of Versailles implausibly decorate his house in a dusty, bustling suburb of the central Indian city of Bhopal. He gave his children French names even though he has never set foot in France.
But he may soon make his first trip to Paris, after he was visited by a relative of Prince Philip, who told him that he is the first in line to the lost French throne…..
From his home in the Bhopal suburbs, Mr Bourbon, 48, said he would be glad to take a DNA test, but remained stoical about the "hypothetical question" of whether he was heir to the throne. Conscious of the bloody outcome for royals in France, he felt royal status could bring "trouble", not to mention questions from skeptical historians.
Still, he has long had a brass plaque above his front door reading "House of Bourbon" with the fleur-de-lis crest of the French monarchy. His wife runs the neighbouring school for local children, called the Bourbon school. The family is Catholic and keeps Bourbon relics, including a sword, in their home. He said he felt "a sense of pride" when contemplating the picture of Versailles on his wall.
But he is aware that his family’s fortunes waned in Bhopal long ago. He describes the Indian branch of the family as Bourbons on the rocks.
"From the day I was born, I was made to understand that I belonged to the family of the Bourbons," he said.
"I may be from a royal family but I live my life as a commoner. I didn’t have time to learn French as a teenager because my father’s death meant I had to work to look after my mother and sisters. Life has been very tough for me."
"When his sister went to France on holiday she visited a castle once owned by Bourbon kings. It was closed to the public but she showed her Indian passport with the Bourbon name and was allowed in."- The Guardian.
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