LLOYDMINSTER — Sir Brent Adair Habetler - a man who claims to be third cousin to Queen Elizabeth II - now finds himself under the scrutiny of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, accused of committing indecent acts at the local swimming pool.
According to police, Sir Habetler had willfully and intentionally committed these acts in the presence of one or more persons, with the apparent intent to insult or offend. The Lashburn man was also charged with willfully obstructing, interrupting or interfering with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of the community swimming pool.
Is Sir Brent Habetler true royalty as he claims? Did he descend from the noble lineage of kings and queens?
After spending countless hours pouring over family trees, digging through dusty archives, and trying to find any evidence that would prove Sir Habetler's Royal lineage, we came up empty-handed.
SASKTODAY.ca made seven attempts to contact Sir Brent Habetler and his lawyer for comment. Neither Sir Brent Habetler nor his lawyer responded to SASKTODAY.ca's requests for comment.
Claim to Royalty
Sir Brent Habetler said that in April 2019 the German Historical Institute of London confirmed he descended from royalty. He then legally changed his name from Brent Adair Habetler to Sir Brent Adair Habetler and his wife legally changed her name to Lady Maria Habetler.
In August 2019, while I was living in Edmonton, Alta., a seasoned criminal lawyer had called asking me to meet him in person at his downtown Edmonton law firm to discuss a job he said may interest me.
Sitting in his office, he revealed that he had a client who needed a publicist. His client, he said, is related to Queen Elizabeth II. The lawyer showed me an email from Prince William that Sir Brent Habetler had forwarded to him, supposedly proving his royal lineage.
On Aug. 16, 2019, in a phone conversation that lasted for almost two hours, Sir Brent and Lady Maria Habetler told me about their royal lineage and shared their plans for the future.
Prince William had called Sir Brent, said Lady Maria. Other Royal phone calls coached them on all things regal, how to behave, and how to develop impeccable manners, said Sir Brent and Lady Maria Habetler.
Before acting as their publicist, I had asked the Habetlers for proof of their Royal lineage. They sent me a PDF genealogy chart titled, Habetler Nobility Lineage, Sir Brent Habetler’s birth certificate, and both of their driver licenses, all of which had been changed to their new-found titles.
Sir Brent Habetler’s Nobility Lineage listed Baron Frederick Von Habetler and Archduchess Hermine of Austria as marrying and having had a child.
Genealogy expert, Xenia Stanford from Family Roots Tracer in British Columbia, however, said that she couldn’t find any records that Baron Frederick Von Habetler existed. She also said there was no historical evidence that Archduchess Hermine of Austria had any children. Instead, historical records revealed that Archduchess Hermine of Austria died at age 24 - without ever marrying or having children. She was prone to disease as a child, say historical accounts.
Sir Brent Habetler’s lineage claimed that Baron Frederick Von Habetler and Archduchess Hermine of Austria had a son named Baron Ferdinand Von Habetler in 1838, in Horvatlovo, Vas, Austria-Hungary.
Stanford, however, said that Baptismal records from Hungary show that Sir Brent Habetler’s ancestor, Ferdinand Habetler, was born in 1838 in Horvatlovo, Vas, Austria-Hungary. It shows that Ferdinand Habetler’s parents were György Habeller or Habetler and Anna Rackovácz.
The Habetlers also included an Ancient Arms of Habetler with their lineage document but Stanford said that Coat of Arms is sold commercially and doesn’t mean that a person descends directly from those who originally had the Coat of Arms.
In addition, a typewritten section at the bottom of the lineage that Sir Brent Habetler produced said the genealogy lineage was confirmed on Feb 1, 2019, by Andreas Gestrich, Director at the German Historical Institute of London. Stanford, however, said that Gestrich was no longer the director in February 2019.
This raised many questions.
Did Archducess Hermine of Austria secretly marry someone named Baron Frederick Von Habetler that the history books don’t reveal? Why aren’t there any documents of a Baron Ferdinand Von Habetler being born in Horvatiovo, Vas, Austria-Hungary? Is there proof that Archduchess Hermine of Austria had a child?
In August 2019, I emailed the press secretary at Buckingham Palace asking if Sir Brent Habetler was third cousin to Queen Elizabeth. I got an email reply from the Royal Communications | Private Secretary’s Office of Buckingham Palace saying that their correspondence team has my enquiry and will be in touch in due course.
In September 2019, I received a follow up email from the Royal Communications | Private Secretary’s Office of Buckingham Palace requesting a mailing address so they could send their official response.
I received a letter through Canada Post from Buckingham Palace that was stamped “Royal Mail Postage Paid N4047,” Buckingham Palace SW1A1AA. The front had a red large capital E, smaller II centred, and then a large capital R. Above that was a red Crown. The back of the envelope was sealed with a thick, red Royal stamp. The post mark said Royal Mail Mount Pleasant Mail Centre.
Buckingham Palace was non-committal and wouldn’t confirm that Sir Habetler was third cousin to Queen Elizabeth II.
Sir Brent Habetler also said that he was contacted by the Governor General of Canada regarding his Royal status. I contacted the Governor General of Canada. Governor General Julie Payete’s office responded but were non-committal regarding Sir Brent Habetler’s alleged Royal status.
Not close enough relationship
Archduchess Hermine of Austria is from The House of Habsburg-Lorraine, whereas Queen Elizabeth II's thirteenth great-grandmother was from the House of Hapsburg. This is not a close relationship between Archduchess Hermine and Queen Elizabeth II, said Stanford.
Sir Brent Hableter talks about descending from King Leopold.
King Leopold the Second, Emperor of the Holy Roman Emperor was born in 1747 in Vienna, Austria, and was the grandfather of Archduchess Hermine of Austria [The Royal House of Habsburg-Lorraine]. King Leopold I of Belgium was born in 1790 [House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha] and was father to Leopold the second born in 1835.
“Although this Leopold I of Belgium is a 4th great-granduncle and his son Leopold II of Belgium is a first cousin four times removed of Queen Elizabeth, they are not closely related to Archduchess Hermine of Austria,” said Stanford.
Stolen valour
In August 2019, Habetler told me he was a sniper and a weapons tech in the military. He said after being recognized as third cousin to Queen Elizabeth II, he represented the Monarchy at a military event in Wainwright, Alta.
To find out if Sir Brent Habetler was representing the Monarchy at military events, in September 2019 I called the Wainwright military base and asked if Sir Brent Habetler was participating in formal services at the base, wearing a military uniform, and saying that he was representing the British Monarchy. The Wainwright military base declined to comment.
The following month, in October 2019, information about . Stolen Valour said Habetler claimed to have served in the Canadian Army from 1999-2003, and was a member of 1 PPCLI / Joint Task Forces 1 & 2 [weapons tech and sniper]. He claimed to have been deployed to the Balkans, Africa, Middle East and Central America and retired on a “quarter pension” as a Master Corporal. He claimed to have a secret knighthood for his combat service in JTF2 on operations in Venezuela.
Stolen Valour said that the reality was “Sir Brent doesn’t have a single day of CF service.”
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