Duke of Ravencroft
His Grace, the Duke of Ravencroft, Philip Karns, is a member of the Peerage of Westarctica.
| His Grace The Duke of Ravencroft | |
|---|---|
| Marquis de Merovingi Knight in the Order of Merit
| |
| |
| Reign | 16 January 2006 - 2008 |
| Preceded by | Grand Duke Travis |
| Successor | Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence |
| In Office | September 2004 - 16 January 2006 |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Successor | Baron of Bastanchury |
| Consort | Position Vacant |
| Grand Duchess | Grand Duchess Melinda (m. 1998; div. 2017) |
| Issue | Raven Donnivan Rhiannon Catherine Lillian Jessica |
| Father | ? |
| Mother | ? |
| Born | 1976 |
He held the title Grand Duke of Westarctica from 2006 - 2008, ruling as Grand Duke Philip. He also served as Minister of Information from 2004 - 2006.
Life before Westarctica
Philip was born in rural Pennsylvania and excelled in painting and drawing during his teenage years. After graduating from college with a degree in art and design, he befriended Grand Duke Travis, having become acquainted through their mutual friend, the Viscount of Whitmore. Their friendship quickly grew and the Grand Duke and Viscount served as ushers at Phillip's wedding.
Early Career in Westarctica
In 2005, Grand Duke Travis was looking for someone to assume responsibility for Westarctica's official website and Philip offered to accept the role of Minister of Information. He quickly redesigned the website to look more professional and user-friendly and was given the title Marquis de Merovingi, which was raised to Duke of Ravencroft shortly thereafter.
In his role as Minister of Information, Philip handled updates to the website and also served as a close advisor to the Grand Duke, taking a leadership role in the Grand Ducal Cabinet.
Reign as Grand Duke
Following the January 2006 abdication of Grand Duke Travis, Philip ascended the throne as Travis' successor and became the new Grand Duke of Westarctica. There was significant consternation among the ministers of the Grand Ducal Cabinet as they had not been consulted or even informed of the pending abdication and were wholly unprepared for the sudden change in leadership.
In the resulting chaos, several ministers resigned their posts. However, Grand Duke Philip was able to organize the remaining ministers and continued to run the government in an effective manner, for some time.
Major Accomplishments as Grand Duke
- Released the second issue of Westarctica Quarterly.
- Supervised the issues of multiple coins, including one bearing his name.
- Organized face-to-face meetings with members of the Grand Ducal Cabinet.
- Consolidated ministries to increase efficiency.
Abdication from the throne
Despite his many accomplishments, Grand Duke Philip began experiencing health and financial issues in 2007 and as a result, was unable to communicate with foreign leaders and members of the cabinet. Eventually, he let ownership of the Westarctica Domain Name lapse and fall into the hands of a domain parking service, effectively eliminating Westarctica's presence on the internet.
These challenges, as well as his weariness with running the nation, led to his decision to abdicate the throne in favor of the Duke of Moulton-Berlin. This was done on the advice of the former Grand Duke Travis, who stepped in to counsel the government and guide the 2008 Transition of Power.
Post-reign life
Following his abdication, the Duke of Ravencroft retired from public life and focused on his art and design business.
In 2010, following Grand Duke Travis' return to power, the Duke returned to his position as a confidant to the crown and occasional advisor to the government, but has no official role in the Royal Council.
Honors
Knight in the Order of Merit, 2005