An honorary military commission is considered by some to be the American equivalent of being knighted. The honorary title of Colonel is conferred by some states in the United States of America. The origins of the titular colonelcy can be traced back to colonial and antebellum times when men of the landed gentry were given the title for financing the local militia without actual expectations of command. This practice can actually be traced back to the English Renaissance when a colonelcy was purchased by a lord or prominent gentleman but the actual command would fall to a lieutenant colonel, who would deputize for the proprietor. It has come to be associated in popular culture with the image of the aristocratic Southern gentleman, not least because of one of the most famous Kentucky Colonels, Harland D. Sanders.

Some states bestow other military commissions. The highest honour of the State of Nebraska is that of Nebraska Admiral (or in full, Admiral of the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska), bestowed personally by the Governor of Nebraska. The title is deliberately tongue-in-cheek; Nebraska is landlocked, and the diploma makes humorous reference to the command of tadpoles and goldfish. The Great Navy of the State of Nebraska was created in 1931 when the Acting Governor appointed twenty or so prominent Nebraskans as Nebraska Admirals. Today, recipients are considered to qualify on the basis that they have “contributed in some way to the state, promote the Good Life in Nebraska, and warrant recognition as determined by the Governor”.

Since the 1930s, the Governor of Texas has bestowed the honour of Honorary Texan upon any person who, in his or her opinion, is worthy of the qualities of the Lone Star State but has not had the good fortune to be counted among its citizens.

The award of Honorary Texan has frequently been bestowed by the Governor on foreign visitors to Texas and for foreigners who have provided assistance to Texas businesses doing business in a foreign country. Another category of recipients is children of native Texans when those children have been born outside the boundaries of Texas. While the honour is understood no longer to be bestowed on foreign nationals today, two notable British recipients in the past few decades have been Lord Hague of Richmond (in 1999, when leader of the Conservative Party; he was quoted as saying “I might be persuaded to wear the boots, but I’m certainly not going to wear the hat”) and musician Phil Collins (in 2015).

I was delighted to be commissioned an Honorary Texan in 2014.

The Tennessee Squire Association was established in February 1956 by the famous Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Following World War II, the demand for Jack Daniel’s whiskey was higher than production could keep up with and their first National Sales Manager, Winton Smith, was looking for a way to keep customers around the country happy while supplies were low. He decided that loyal fans who had written the Distillery saying they could not get any Jack Daniel’s whiskey would instead receive a plot of land, a square inch of unrecorded property on the Distillery’s grounds. This would make them part owners, or Squires, and the first members inducted into the Tennessee Squire Association.

Today, the Tennessee Squire Association is an exclusive club, with many prominent members from the worlds of government, business and entertainment. To become a member, you must be nominated by an existing Squire. By tradition, however, each Squire can only nominate one member in his or her lifetime (thank you, Zackary). There is a secret room reserved for Squires at the Lynchburg Distillery, and not even the tour guides are allowed to mention it.

Ownership of a square inch of the Distillery land is generally unproblematic. From time to time, others request to graze their cattle on it, and occasionally there is trouble with skunks or possums. By and large, however, peace reigns.

The honour of Tennessee Squire is probably one of the more unusual distinctions around today. It goes without saying that it is the more valued because the quality of the product it commemorates remains second to none.

An honorary military commission is considered by some to be the American equivalent of being knighted. The honorary title of Colonel is conferred by some states in the United States of America. The origins of the titular colonelcy can be traced back to colonial and antebellum times when men of the landed gentry were given the title for financing the local militia without actual expectations of command. This practice can actually be traced back to the English Renaissance when a colonelcy was purchased by a lord or prominent gentleman but the actual command would fall to a lieutenant colonel, who would deputize for the proprietor. It has come to be associated in popular culture with the image of the aristocratic Southern gentleman, not least because of one of the most famous Kentucky Colonels, Harland D. Sanders.

Today, Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honour bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, USA. Commissions for Kentucky colonels are given by the governor and the secretary of state to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments, contributions, and outstanding service to community, state, or the nation. The Governor of Kentucky bestows the honor of a colonel’s commission, through the issuance of letters patent. The commission is a legal act of the Office of the Governor and lifetime appointment. At the time I received my commission in 2014, it was only possible for a person to be nominated for the honour by an existing Kentucky Colonel.

The International States Parliament for Safety and Peace (ISPSP) was founded in December 15, 1975 by a letter of the Constitution of the International Legislative Assembly. It was juridically recognized by the International Law and the first nations to recognize it were the United States and Italy. It was a parallel organization to the United Nations and, like the United Nations, had representative ambassadors from all nations. The headquarters of the ISPSP was in Italy. The Lord President of the Parliament was the late Archbishop Viktor Busa, President of the Council of the States. In 2005, he received the Grand Cross of the Order of Independence of Equatorial Guinea and also the Decoration of Diplomatic and Humanistic Merit “Mahatma Gandhi”. Msgr. Viktor Busa was in 2007 appointed as Vice President of the Council of State Security and of the Committee of World Culture and Sports (DUMA), as well as Expert Counselor in Problems of National Security of Russia.

Msgr. Viktor Busa was an activist devoted to the cause of peace, defense of life, and human rights. He was engaged in the struggle for these causes for almost 30 years, without a break, since the creation of the ISPSP. His visionary dream for peace in the world and respect for human beings makes his life really remarkable. Two years after the creation of the ISPSP, his partner and co-founder of the ISPSP and its first General Secretary, Archbishop Makarios III (President of Cyprus), died. Msgr. Viktor Busa went ahead alone, as the chair of the ISPSP, until Dr. Spyros Kyprianou (then new President of the Republic of Cyprus) was elected Vice President International of ISPSP. Working together with his new partner, he created the Assembly of the Parliament, and in 1987, signed a convention with President Rodrigo Carazo, at the University of Peace of the United Nations, in Costa Rica.

After looking for the concurrence of all of the nations in the world, through their representative governments, the Parliament counted some 400 senators, 800 deputies, ambassadors and ministers, who contributed, like their President and General Secretary, with their volunteer work, to the cause of peace.

The work of the delegates and ministers of the ISPSP towards peace and enforcement of the respect for life and human rights included rendering help and support to all of the people of the world, observing the right of safety and peace in all aspects: moral, political, diplomatic, cultural, religious, economic and social. This was provided free of charge to the governments. ISPSP organized commissions to send to the country in need, with the participation of volunteer ministers and parliamentary diplomats, who travelled and worked free of charge in order to resolve conflicts and help to re-establish security and peace. Following the re-establishment of safety and peace, the ISPSP presented, as an incentive, Peace Trophies to the head of the places or countries where the commission worked.

Some recipients  of the ISPSP Peace Trophy
1989 – Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the USSR
1990 – Mobuto Sese Seko, President of Zaire
1995 – Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa
1995 – Carlos Menem, President of Argentina
2002 – Lansana Conté, President of Guinea
2004 – Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea
2004 – Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela
2006 – Omar Bongo Omdimba, President of Gabon

The work of the agents of the ISPSP paid off with good results in many places. Once a year, there was a congress of the ISPSP, where Delegates presented their reports. Victorious interventions were worked out and reported from the Diplomatic Crisis between Turkey and Cyprus; the crisis between Somalia and. Ethiopia; between Iran and Iraq, Ecuador and Peru, and the conflict in Uganda. The ISPSP also made a contribution of diplomatic intervention in wars of several countries and places, as in the Middle East, in the civil war in Sri Lanka, in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, in Rwanda, Congo, Angola and Mozambique. Diplomats from the ISPSP worked in South Africa, Moldavia, Russia and Chechenya. In support of the United Nations, Msgr. Busa and the ISPSP participated in the Conferences of Addis Ababa and Vienna.

As observers, the ISPSP sent diplomats to the general elections in Congo. The democratization of the Republic of Congo started in 1990. In this process, Archbishop Viktor Busa cooperated with the Congolese government in order to give the people assurance of security and to admit the need for immediate peace. ISPSP organized a local sub-division with several Congolese members of different categories, notable jurists, high functionaries, ministries, etc. to negotiate peace with aggressors from the borders of DRC. When the aggression intensified, Archbishop Busa himself organized a series of international conferences, in order to gather international support. This contributed to the acceleration of the United Nations’ resolution in sending in the “Blue Berets” and in assisting in the reconstruction of the nation. There is evidence of recognition from the authorities of several countries, who sent to Msgr. Busa their letters, memoranda, and other tokens of their gratitude for the Parliament services.

In 1985, Archbishop Viktor Busa personally got involved with the creation of the World Organization of the Indigenous and Aborigines Peoples. Several ministers of the ISPSP worked at the front of the Andean Movement for re-culture of the Inca countries. The movement started in Arequipa, Peru and in Cusco, where several ISPSP volunteer diplomats worked directly with the Inca natives in order to achieve a new interpretation of the past history of Peru, including the Inca past. It was a wonderful movement with the creation of schools, workshops, festivals, etc.

In December 2004, the representative of the ISPSP in Chennai, state of Tamil Nadu in India, activated a force of 400 volunteers to assist the “Tsunami” victims. All of the ISPSP representatives all over the world contributed financially to help the people who suffered because of the underwater earthquake in South Asia.

(The information above is adapted from an article by former ISPSP Senator Teresinka Pereira)

Several nations gave official diplomatic recognition to the ISPSP and its representatives, who were issued with diplomatic passports.

Some of the governmental recognitions of the ISPSP:
>>Colombia
>>Ecuador
>>Gabon
>>The Gambia
>>Guinea
>>Niger
>>São Tome e Principe
>>Somalia
>>Venezuela
>>Zimbabwe

Archbishop Viktor Busa was the Patriarch of Byelorussia in the American World Patriarchs, in communion with the Apostolic Episcopal Church, and episcopally consecrated my adoptive father, Prince Kermit of Miensk. After his death, several of his clergy, who were mostly based in Brazil, joined the Byelorussian Patriarchate of St Andrew the First-Called Apostle which I inherited from Prince Kermit.

Archbishop Busa received many honours and was granted various noble prerogatives. The full explanation of these sometimes complex authorities is outside the scope of this article, though it would provide a fascinating study in its own right. Some sources incorrectly state that the ISPSP was responsible for granting titles of nobility. Archbishop Busa granted some titles of nobility in exercise of his prerogatives, but these were done in his personal capacity as a fons honorum, not by the ISPSP. Likewise, some sources claim that the offices and passports of the ISPSP were available for money. During my decade-long involvement with the ISPSP, I was never asked for any donation or payment of money for anything. I did, however, quickly become aware that fraudsters had produced imitations of the ISPSP’s passports, official documents and website, and were profiting from these.

In 2003, I was appointed as a Deputy Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the ISPSP for Great Britain.

The ISPSP had a significant interest in the support of educational projects, and showed itself willing to support non-traditional education. In 2008, it issued a Parliamentary Charter and Decree  of Accreditation and Recognition to European-American University (Dominica) which was under my presidency.

My ISPSP passport issued in January 2010

In May 2010, I was promoted within ISPSP to the position of Vice Minister Political Undersecretary of the Department for Problems of Ethnicity, Race and Religion.

During this period, I worked closely with a friend who was a senior official in the ISPSP and we discussed the steps necessary to put the Parliament on a stronger footing, to realise the immense unrealized potential that it had, and to address some of the problems and criticisms it had faced. In our analysis, the major issue was not Archbishop Busa himself, who was a somewhat unworldly man utterly dedicated to the ISPSP, but rather that some of those who had attached themselves to the ISPSP and to Archbishop Busa had not had the best interests of the Parliament at heart. There were problems with fraudsters, damaging internal conflicts, and even a fake country that had managed to work its way in. Our work was therefore to clean things up. In this mission, we made progress, but we also made enemies.

I had advised the ISPSP regarding the withdrawal of its accreditation from several “educational” institutions that in my view did not meet an acceptable standard, and to form a proper committee for the exercise of its educational functions with published standards. My advice had been well received by Archbishop Busa and was being acted upon. This did not make me popular in certain quarters and the operators of the institutions in question were not slow to exert their influence on Archbishop Busa in an attempt to get rid of me.

There was also increasing factionalism as some Italian members of ISPSP came to see non-Italians as hostile parties and to oppose their involvement in ISPSP affairs. Amid all of this, Archbishop Busa was growing older and more frail. The Italians intended to control the succession and were determined to oust any rivals.

In November 2010, I received several communications, purporting to act in the name of the Parliament, that were couched in insulting and threatening terms. My letter to Archbishop Busa protesting at this treatment included the following passage:

For several years now I have worked together with Ambassador H.E. Dr ——– ——— to seek to address the issue of the International Parliament accrediting unsuitable organisations, and the negative publicity that has resulted from those associations. I have investigated these matters and provided advice which I understand Dr. —- has passed to you and you have then acted upon. Without my advice the Parliament would still have been accrediting the degree mill Weston Reserve University, the International University of Fundamental Studies with its expired government license, and several other “institutions” which are little more than diploma mills operating on the edges of the law and which have seriously damaged the reputation of the Parliament…

I believe we are entitled to expect courtesy and respect in the light of my expertise which has been placed freely at your service, not the defamatory accusations and threats made by Signor ——–.

I believe that the present developments risk serious and potentially devastating consequences for the International Parliament. We cannot stand by while Signor ——- threatens us and seeks to harm those who have been unquestioning supporters of the International Parliament, not to mention our students, graduates and faculty. It is further obvious both from Signor ———’s refusal to respond to my request that he provide proof of his authority, and his communications with Dr. —— that we have seen and enclose, that he is not prepared to commit to a co-operative working relationship with his Parliamentary colleagues, and intends to destroy the progress we have made in the past years.

In protest at the situation, I withdrew European-American University from all connection with the ISPSP and resigned from all the offices I held personally. The response that I received from Archbishop Busa on 19 November was confused and contradictory; it at once gave support to my opponents, but also stated that Supreme Council of the Presidency had refused to accept my resignations.

Archbishop Busa died in 2013 and the ISPSP did not survive him. The immediate aftermath became mired in legal conflict, with the succession to Archbishop Busa being impossible to determine. For my part, whatever claims may be made, I do not recognize any organization as being the legitimate continuation of the ISPSP today.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award was established by Executive Order of President George W. Bush in 2003. The award was established to honour volunteers that give hundreds of hours per year helping others through the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. The award can be granted to individuals, families and organizations. Depending on the amount of service hours completed, individuals can receive the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and/or the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award (now referred to as the Call to Service award). The President’s Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious, and it has been awarded sparingly. Awardees may receive a personalized certificate, an official pin, medallion, and/or a congratulatory letter from the President depending on the award earned.

In 2014, I was surprised and greatly honoured to receive the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama.

I have been honoured by the Polish Collegium Heraldicum Concordiae. The CHC was founded in 2009 to promote traditional and conservative values within society.

The Medal “Pro Probitas” was instituted in 2010 and is awarded in three classes: gold, silver and bronze. It is awarded to those who have promoted conservative values. The obverse design of the medal depicts Adam Jerzy Czartoryski (1770-1861), while the reverse bears a quotation “CONVENIT DIMICARE PRO LEGIBUS, PRO LIBERTATE, PRO PATRIA” (it is fitting to fight in defense of rights, freedoms and country) taken from “Tusculan Disputations” by Marcus Tullius Cicero. The ribbon depicts the national colours of Poland and of France.

I have received the Medal “Pro Probitas” in gold (Class I) which is the highest award of the CHC.

Additionally, I have received the CHC Medal commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the birth of the late Archduke Otto von Hapsburg. The reverse of the medal depicts a quotation from Vergil, “Semper honoris nomenque laudesque manebunt tuum” (Your honour, name and glory will remain forever)

The chairman of the CHC is Dr Norbert Wojtewicz, who is a Knight Officer of the Order of the Crown of Thorns. Dr Wojtewicz, who earned his first two degrees from the Papal Theological Faculty in Wroclaw and his PhD from the University of Wroclaw, is the former Keeper of the Laws of the Association of Polish Monarchists. Among his many chivalric offices, he is Grand Herald and member of the Grand Chapter of the Order of Saint Stanislaus, and is author of the official history of the Order. He is photographed below with the late Prince-Bishop Juliusz Nowina-Sokolnicki, Grand Master of the Order of Saint Stanislaus, who was briefly Assistant Bishop to me in my capacity as Archbishop of Great Britain in the Apostolic Episcopal Church.

The International Music Examinations Board (IMEB) was founded in Australia in 1998 in response to many requests from teachers of music, speech, drama and theatre arts looking for an alternative examination system.

IMEB examinations are perceived to be more flexible and user-friendly than some other examination systems. All examiners are highly qualified and experienced teachers and therefore have a good understanding of the problems faced by both teachers and students.

Being an international board of examiners, IMEB delegates can be found around the globe, such as in Hong Kong, Dubai and Indonesia.

In 2013, I was nominated for the award of a Fellowship in Music Performance honoris causa by IMEB. The citation reads “in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Music and Education in the community.” The award was made in conjunction with the former Australian International Conservatorium of Music.

The Byzantine Rangers were established by my late adoptive father, Prince Kermit Poling de Polanie-Patrikios, who was a direct descendant of a number of the Byzantine emperors. It was a body dedicated to the preservation of the natural environment, particularly mountainous and riparian locations, and to the understanding of the earth as a gift from God.

The Illustrious Society of Lords and Ladies of Memphis, Descendants of the Pharaoh Ha’a’ib.Re’ (H’o’phra, Apries or Wahibre) is a lineage society established by my late adoptive father, Prince Kermit Poling de Polanie-Patrikios, in his capacity as Chief Lord of the Society and Prince of Mennof-Ra. The Pharaoh Wahibre ruled Egypt for ten years around 1670 BC.

The subject of descent from antiquity was a great interest of Prince Kermit, and was given added impetus by the work and publications of the Unit for Prosopographical Research at Linacre College, Oxford, and in particular the work of Christian Settipani on the descent from antiquity of Charlemagne.

With regard to this particular lineage society, see in particular A 4000–Year Old Descent from Antiquity: From the 12th Egyptian Dynasty to the Capetians and Beyond compiled by F.A. Doria with analysis by Chris Bennett and comments by Christian Settipani and N. Taylor (2001). Further studies of antiquity that traced this lineage back to the 13th Egyptian Dynasty established the descent from the Pharaoh Wahibre, which was set out in a publication by Prince Kermit.

I have been appointed as a Knight Majus in the Byzantine Order of Leo the Armenian. The Order is a house order of the Dynastic House Polanie-Patrikios, whose head is the Most Revd. Prince Kermit Poling de Polanie-Patrikios. Prince Kermit is the senior living member of the San Luigi Orders, having been admitted to all three Orders by Prince-Abbot Edmond II, and traces his ancestry to several of the Byzantine Emperors.

The Constantinople Orthodox Institute was established by my late adoptive father, Prince Kermit Poling de Polanie-Patrikios, in his capacity as Head of the Royal House Polanie-Patrikios, on 1 January 2006. It is a study society established to foster interest in Byzantine faith, history and culture, which was particularly encouraged through directed self-study. Various issues of The Excubitor, the journal of the Byzantine Order of Leo V, contained resources for students of the Institute.

The Institute conferred honorary degrees only, and in 2012 I was honoured to receive an honorary Doctor of Byzantine Studies.

The Order of the Sacred Cup is a fraternal fellowship of Christian men. While chivalric in its character, it is not an Order of Chivalry in the classical definition of that term. It acknowledges Jesus Christ, Son of God, as its Grand and only Master. These knights exalt the Sacred Cup and defend the symbolic meaning of the elements of the Last Supper as representing the broken body and shed blood of Jesus. The Order gives forth no code of conduct except that which is handed down through the teachings of Holy Scripture.

The Order of the Sacred Cup was founded in Grafton, West Virginia, USA, on 1 August 1970, with the main purpose to be that of helping and aiding needy children. It still pursues this goal on a selected basis. The order also functions as an honorary award given in recognition of outstanding service to the Church of Jesus Christ.

The Order is truly Ecumenical in nature. The founders and original officers were mostly drawn from Protestant churches. Its original religious charter was bestowed by Patriarch Peter II Zhurawetsky of Miensk, and the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Benedict I, conferred Apostolic Blessings on the Order. His successor Patriarch Diodoros likewise extended his Patriarchal Blessing to the Knights of the Sacred Cup. In 1988 Prince Kermit William of Miensk became Grand Knight Chancellor and held that position with distinction, building up the work and membership of the Order. He appointed me as a Knight of the Order in September 2012. On his death in 2015 he was succeeded by me as his adopted son and heir.