Prince of Saint Catherine

Prince of Saint Catherine is the official title granted to the heir apparent of the King of Lower Columbia. The Prince is simultaneously the viceroy of the state of Saint Catherine until he produces an heir or accedes to the kingship, whichever happens last. The current Prince of Saint Catherine is Prince Michael, the eldest son of King Zachary.

Roles and responsibilities
Like all state viceroys in Lower Columbia, the Prince of Saint Catherine primarily serves as a representative of the King in the state, and only rarely exercises any of his reserve powers. However, as the heir apparent to the Crown, the Prince may also serve in a ceremonial capacity at various national events, including state visits and international summits. In fact, it is common for the Prince to represent the King at such events if the latter is unable to attend personally.

History
The princeship of Saint Catherine originated with the former Russian colony's declaration of independence, at which time it chose to become a monarchy. A total of five princes ruled over Saint Catherine while it was independent, culminating in the accession of Princess Elena. Her subjects were dissatisfied with having a princess regnant, especially because Elena was unmarried at the time. Faced with growing unrest, the young princess sought to marry a royal in the nearest monarchy to her realm, which happened to be Lower Columbia. The ensuing treaty negotiations resulted in her realm being united with Lower Columbia as its newest state, in exchange for her marriage to King Tristan's heir apparent, the future King Michael II, and her future offspring's guaranteed inheritance of her title.

Investiture
While investiture is not required for the heir apparent's creation as Prince of Saint Catherine due to the title being automatically passed to the King's eldest son, it has been traditional to invest the Prince when he is at least 13 years old. Investiture ceremonies are held in front of Yekaterindvorets, in Saint Catherine's capital at Yekateringrad, as a continuation of the coronation ceremonies held when the principality was sovereign. The current Prince of Saint Catherine was invested there in 2003, shortly after his 13th birthday. During the investiture ceremony, the letters patent creating the Prince are read in both English and Russian, respectively by the federal Minister of Religion and the Premier of Saint Catherine, after which the insignia of the principality are bestowed upon the Prince.