Royal Profile: Princess Michael of Kent
Princess Michael of Kent was born Baroness Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz on 15 January 1945 as the younger child of Baron Gunther von Reibnitz & Marianne, Countess Szapary, Baronenss von Reibnitz {Source}. She has an older paternal half-sister and full brother, a brother-in-law and sister-in-law and several nieces and nephews{Source}:
She has been married twice, firstly to English banker Thomas Troubridge, in the early 1970s. That marriage did not last. They were separated in 1973, and divorced by 1977, and the marriage was annulled by the Catholic church in 1978. A month after the annulment took place, she wed in a civil ceremony in Vienna, Austria to Prince Michael of Kent, who was the youngest son of Prince George, Duke of Kent. Upon marriage, she assumed the style and title of HRH Princess Michael of Kent, the female equivalent to her husband's title; because she was not born a princess, she is not entitled to be styled Princess Marie Christine. After receiving Pope John Paul II's permission, the couple later married in a Roman Catholic ceremony on 29 June 1983, at the Archbishop's House, London.
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have two children, a daughter-in-law, a future son-in-law, and two granddaughters:
Princess Michael of Kent has attended several Catholic related events over the years, including Pope Benedict XVI’s state visit to the UK in 2010, where she was personally involved in the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman during the Pope’s visit.
Princess Michael's primary royal duty is to support her husband when he is called upon by his cousin to perform duties. However, on the occasion she represents the Firm on her own. She represented her 1st cousin in law, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh during the launching ceremony of theGreen Pilgrimage Networkthat was organized by Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in Italy in 2011.
Over the years she has led a variety of careers ranging from interior designer to author. The Princess is an accomplished author, having penned three books, Crowned in a Far Country: Eight Royal Brides, and Cupid and the King – Five Royal Paramours and The Serpent and The Moon.
Prior to her Royal Marriage, she was an interior decorator. In a report from The Observer’s Pendennis column in 2007, she began decorating again with her own company SZAPAR DESIGNS. She also served as President of Partridge Fine Art for a few years. In 2008, she became a consultant for the Swiss art gallery, Galerie Gmurzynska.
Like most royals, she has not led a life without controversies. She has made claims against her cousin in law, stating to an American fashion magazine that she had "more royal blood in her veins than any person to marry into the royal family since Prince Philip". She is also reported to have said she was "probably the first tall person to marry into the clan" (also true if males are discounted; Princess Michael stands about six feet (1.83 m) tall). The Queen reportedly has referred to her as "Our Val", a reference to the warrior-like Valkyries, and – sarcastically – as "a bit too grand for" the rest of the royal family. In 2004, she was in New York, NY USA, in a restaurant where she allegedly told a group of black diners to "get back to the colonies" when complaining about their noise. This was an accusation she denied, though it made headlines around the world. Her account of the story was that she remarked to one of her fellow dinner guests that she would be glad to go back to the colonies in order to escape her noisy neighbors. She later described her accusers as a "group of rappers". This was untrue; the group consisted of an investment banker, a music mogul, a reporter, a television fashion correspondent, and a lawyer. In 2005, she gave a series of interviews to promote her book, in one interview where she claimed that the British media were "excited" by Prince Harry's decision to wear a swastika for a fancy dress party because "of the ownership structure" of the British press. She claimed that the press would not have been so concerned had he worn a hammer and sickle, which "stands for Stalin and gulag and pogrom and devastation". In 2005, she was taken by News of the World after their reporter, Mazher Mahmood gained her confidence and claimed that she made numerous self-indulgent remarks, including referring to her 1st cousin 1x removed’s former wife as “bitter” and “nasty”. She also created a controversy when she heard of the research of Dorothy Cheney and Robert Seyfarth that seemed to indicate that rank among female baboons is hereditary, the Princess said, "I always knew that when people who aren’t like us claim that hereditary rank is not part of human nature, they must be wrong. Now you’ve given me evolutionary proof!" In 2017, she again raised eyebrows wearing a racially offensive broach that is a piece of blackamoor jewelry which has images depicting slavery on her coat at arrival to her husband's cousin's annual Christmas luncheon to meet her husband's distant cousin Prince Harry's biracial fiancee Meghan Markle {Source}.
- Baroness Margarita von Reibnitz (1924-2012)
- Charles Jacques Francisco
- Christopher Francisco
- Fritz Alexander Francisco
- Charles Francisco
- Baron Friedrich Johannes László Diprand Alfred Maria von Reibnitz (1942)
She has been married twice, firstly to English banker Thomas Troubridge, in the early 1970s. That marriage did not last. They were separated in 1973, and divorced by 1977, and the marriage was annulled by the Catholic church in 1978. A month after the annulment took place, she wed in a civil ceremony in Vienna, Austria to Prince Michael of Kent, who was the youngest son of Prince George, Duke of Kent. Upon marriage, she assumed the style and title of HRH Princess Michael of Kent, the female equivalent to her husband's title; because she was not born a princess, she is not entitled to be styled Princess Marie Christine. After receiving Pope John Paul II's permission, the couple later married in a Roman Catholic ceremony on 29 June 1983, at the Archbishop's House, London.
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have two children, a daughter-in-law, a future son-in-law, and two granddaughters:
- Lord Frederick Windsor(1979)
- Sophie Winkleman aka Lady Frederick Windsor (1980)
- Miss Maud Elizabeth Daphne Marina Windsor (2013)
- Miss Isabella Alexandra May Windsor (2016)
- Lady Gabriella Windsor (1981)
- Thomas Kingston (anticipated marriage at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in spring 2019)
Princess Michael of Kent has attended several Catholic related events over the years, including Pope Benedict XVI’s state visit to the UK in 2010, where she was personally involved in the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman during the Pope’s visit.
Princess Michael's primary royal duty is to support her husband when he is called upon by his cousin to perform duties. However, on the occasion she represents the Firm on her own. She represented her 1st cousin in law, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh during the launching ceremony of theGreen Pilgrimage Networkthat was organized by Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in Italy in 2011.
Over the years she has led a variety of careers ranging from interior designer to author. The Princess is an accomplished author, having penned three books, Crowned in a Far Country: Eight Royal Brides, and Cupid and the King – Five Royal Paramours and The Serpent and The Moon.
Prior to her Royal Marriage, she was an interior decorator. In a report from The Observer’s Pendennis column in 2007, she began decorating again with her own company SZAPAR DESIGNS. She also served as President of Partridge Fine Art for a few years. In 2008, she became a consultant for the Swiss art gallery, Galerie Gmurzynska.
Like most royals, she has not led a life without controversies. She has made claims against her cousin in law, stating to an American fashion magazine that she had "more royal blood in her veins than any person to marry into the royal family since Prince Philip". She is also reported to have said she was "probably the first tall person to marry into the clan" (also true if males are discounted; Princess Michael stands about six feet (1.83 m) tall). The Queen reportedly has referred to her as "Our Val", a reference to the warrior-like Valkyries, and – sarcastically – as "a bit too grand for" the rest of the royal family. In 2004, she was in New York, NY USA, in a restaurant where she allegedly told a group of black diners to "get back to the colonies" when complaining about their noise. This was an accusation she denied, though it made headlines around the world. Her account of the story was that she remarked to one of her fellow dinner guests that she would be glad to go back to the colonies in order to escape her noisy neighbors. She later described her accusers as a "group of rappers". This was untrue; the group consisted of an investment banker, a music mogul, a reporter, a television fashion correspondent, and a lawyer. In 2005, she gave a series of interviews to promote her book, in one interview where she claimed that the British media were "excited" by Prince Harry's decision to wear a swastika for a fancy dress party because "of the ownership structure" of the British press. She claimed that the press would not have been so concerned had he worn a hammer and sickle, which "stands for Stalin and gulag and pogrom and devastation". In 2005, she was taken by News of the World after their reporter, Mazher Mahmood gained her confidence and claimed that she made numerous self-indulgent remarks, including referring to her 1st cousin 1x removed’s former wife as “bitter” and “nasty”. She also created a controversy when she heard of the research of Dorothy Cheney and Robert Seyfarth that seemed to indicate that rank among female baboons is hereditary, the Princess said, "I always knew that when people who aren’t like us claim that hereditary rank is not part of human nature, they must be wrong. Now you’ve given me evolutionary proof!" In 2017, she again raised eyebrows wearing a racially offensive broach that is a piece of blackamoor jewelry which has images depicting slavery on her coat at arrival to her husband's cousin's annual Christmas luncheon to meet her husband's distant cousin Prince Harry's biracial fiancee Meghan Markle {Source}.
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