When I first wrote Murmur of Love and realized I’d feature a prince, I thought long and hard about the country I’d use. A European or Mediterranean kingdom seemed to be the answer, but I wanted something different.
And so the Kingdom of Andraste was born. Before you say ‘Andras— what?’, here is my reasoning.
Andraste (pronounced Ahn-drah-stay) means invincible. And Andraste existed. Well, as much as a mythical being could exist. She was an Icenic war goddess invoked by Boudica in her fight against the Roman occupation of Britain in AD 60. Sounds so … well, romantic, and perfect for my literary kingdom.
Some fun facts about the Kingdom of Andraste …
Geographically, the Andrastian Isles is an archipelago and set 200 km off the coast of Portugal. Andraste comprises five main islands, with a multitude of smaller ones. For research, I’m using the Azores as a reference. Ideally, an exploratory trip to the Azores would be perfect, but we don’t live in an ideal world, so Google will have to do.
It has a Celtic history, and although English is the official language, many still speak the Celtic tongue, Andish. The Andish pound is the currency used.
The House of Lennox was formed in the 11th century, and is the oldest, continuous reigning monarchy in history. The current king is King Gustav, and his heir, following the death of Prince Edmund, is Princess Marielle.
In years gone by (before the constitution), the main islands were ruled by clans descended as far back as the first population in AD60. After the House of Lennox was formed, the clans converted to dukedoms. These dukes formed part of the council with the monarch as head. The dukes were stripped of vetoing political power when the constitution came into being in the 20th century.
Although it is a constitutional monarchy, the king (or queen) wields political power and has the right to veto any political decision deemed harmful to the country.
As the monarch can only reign until the age of 75, Princess Marielle has 5 years to prepare herself to ascend the throne.
And find a husband to stand beside her.
Oh, yes. The Kingdom of Andraste has a trio of princes: Princes Gabriel, Leopold and William. I smell a spin-off series in the making …