Before it was subsumed into national legislation, the Business Names Act (NSW) (or at least a ministerial order pursuant to it) prohibited registration of business names that erroneously suggested “connection with a royal family” or “royal patronage”. HRH Prince Alan Djamirze (of Castle Hill, NSW) was not happy with the decision to refuse registration of his name as a business name and sought a review of the decision in the ADT (see Djamirze v Director General,  [2012] NSWADT 17).

HRH asserted that he was a Circassian Prince and gave evidence of his family history and provided a family record of the Circassian Royal House of Dja Mirze. He contended that “Djamirze” has a meaning comparable to “Prince of the blood royal”. He submitted (at [17]):

“The title “Mirze/Mirza” is only for those who belong to Royal clans. Title of HRH Prince Alan Djamirze is not a “created” title; it is a social hereditary title, which cannot be established by peerage patents as is not the cultural practice of the Circassians. The Circassians had no kings and Sovereigns of Circassia were the Princes. HRH Prince Alan Djamirze is a prince of Circassia. The social rank is a part of the monarch’s name, as is the case of HRH Prince Alan Djamirze, “Dja-Mirze” Dja being the geographical distinction of the prince and Mirze pronounced “MIRZA” the title signifying prince of the blood royal the only hereditary title in Islamic nations …”

and the decision continued:

[18] His evidence is that he, along with large numbers of Circassians, lives in exile. His family has sought refuge in Australia because of communist oppression that caused many deaths of Caucasian nobles at the hands of the communists including many members of the Djamirze clan have been assassinated or sent to Siberian labour camps. He stated that he is reluctant to approach the Ukrainian government for documentary evidence to support his asserted royal lineage. [I am sure that is the real reason] However, he relies on a number of documents for that purpose.

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald on 13 February 2012, Circassia ceased to exist in 1864 when it was taken over by the Russians. Also according to the SMH, Prince Djamirze’s father at one stage entered a $4b deal (with Alan Bond) to buy a cache of violins and several kilograms of osmium-187, a weapons-grade radioactive isotope used in the manufacture of stealth bombers. Hmmm.

Creative commons acknowledgement for the photograph.