Royal Profile: Prince Michael of Kent

Prince Michael George Charles Franklin of Kent was born on 4 July 1942, the younger son of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Mariana, Duchess of Kent{Source}.

He has two older siblings, two siblings-in-law, two nieces, three nephews{Source}:

1. Prince Edward (now The Duke of Kent) (1935)
1. Katharine Windsor, The Duchess of Kent (1933, m 1961)
1. George Philip Nicholas Windsor,The Earl of St. Andrews (1962)
1. Sylvana Windsor, The Countess of St. Andrews (m. 1987)
1. Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick (1988)
2. Lady Marina Charlotte Windsor (1992)
3. Lady Amelia Windsor (1995)
2. The Lady Helen Marina Lucy Windsor (1964)
1. Mr. Timothy Taylor (1963, m. 1992)
1. Mr. Columbus George Donald Taylor (1994)
2. Miss Eloise Olivia Katherine Taylor (2003)
3. Miss Estella Olga Elizabeth Taylor (2004)
3. Lord Nicholas Windsor (1970)
1. Paola, The Countess Doimi de Lupis (m. 2006)
1. Master Albert Louis Philip Edward Windsor (2007)
2. Master Leopold Ernest Augustus Guelph Windsor (2009)
3. Master Louis Arthur Nicholas Felix Windsor (2014)
2. Princess Alexandra of Kent, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy (1936)
1. Sir Angus James Bruce Ogilvy (1928–2004,m 1963)
1. James Robert Bruce Ogilvy (1964)
1. Julia Caroline Rawlinson(m. 1988)
1. Miss Flora Alexandra Ogilvy (1994)
2. Mr. Alexander Charles Ogilviy (1996)
2. Marina Victoria Alexandra Ogilvy (1966)
1. Paul Julian Mowatt (1962, m. 1990-1997, div)
1. Zenouska May Mowatt (1990)
2. Christian Alexander Mowatt (1993)

 

 

 

Unlike his brother and sister, who were 6 and 7 years old at the time, he more than likely has little to no memories of his father, as he was only 6 weeks old when he died in a plane crash {Source}. Only a few weeks prior to his father's death was he christened with the following as his godparents:

• King George VI (his paternal uncle, father of Queen Elizabeth II)
• King Haakon VII of Norway (his great-uncle)
• Prince Henry, The Duke of Gloucester (paternal uncle)
• Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands
• Franklin D. Roosevelt {Source}
• Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven (his grandfather's cousin)
• Queen Fredrica of Greece
• Lady Patricia Ramsay (his grandfather King George V's cousin)

His first official major royal duty was at the age of five, when he acted as a page boy in the wedding of his cousins, Princess Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh. He is a first cousin paternally of Queen Elizabeth and a maternal first cousin 1x removed from The Duke of Edinburgh (his father was a brother of Princess Mariana's father).

 

He attended Sunningdale School and Eton College before entering the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in 1961{Source}. Prince Michael represented the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in rowing, and was part of the team that won the Maiden Fours at Bedford in 1961 {Source} In 1963, he entered the military officially as a commissioned officer for the 11th Hussars, where he took tours of duty in Germany, Hong Kong and Cyprus. He served a 20 year service in the military, undertaking various tasks, and retired in 1981 as a Major. In 1994, his cousin appointed him an Honorary Commodore (now known as Honorary Rear Admiral) for the Royal Navy Reserve, and Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Benson (and was promoted again in 2012 to honorary Air Marshal).

In 2009, he was appointed Honorary Regimental Colonel of the Honourable Artillery Company.

He is also colonel-in-chief of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment in Canada.

 

Unlike his siblings, he receives no money from the British government. However, when he married in 1978, his cousin gave him an apartment in 1978, of which he and his wife only paid for utilities up until recently.

 

Both Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have been the focus of negative news stories in the media in the past. These have centred on accusations that the couple exploit their royal status for commercial gain.  When it was claimed that the couple pay a rent of only £69 per week (some sources quote £76) for the use of their apartments at Kensington Palace, a committee of British MPs demanded they be evicted {Source: Picknett, Prince, Prior & Brydon, p. 311.}

 

He has represented his cousin at state occasions in various countries and supports numerous organizations.

In April 2013, Prince Michael paid a visit to Jamacia.

He married Baroness Marie-Christine von Riebnitz, the daughter of a Silesian nobleman an Hungarian wife. At the time of their marriage, she was not only Catholic, but a divorcée, and the succession rules barred her husband from succession.  However, with the rule changes in 2013, neither factor matters, and once it goes into effect Prince Michael regained his place in line for the throne. They have two children{Source}:

1. Lord Fredrik Windsor (1979)
1. Lady Fredrik Windsor (Sophie Lara Winkleman) (1980, m. 2009)
1. Miss Maud Elizabeth Daphne Mariana Windsor (2013)
2. Miss Isabella Alexandra May Windsor (2016)
2. The Lady Gabriella Windsor (1980)

 

 

He is currently 44th in succession for the British throne {Source}.

 

He has his own official website. He is a Patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce {Source}

Through three of his grandparents, he is related to Tsar Nicholas II {Source}

 

In 1998, he was given an Honorary Doctorate Plekhanov Economics Academy {Source}.In 2002, Prince Michael was awarded the International Man of the Year Award by the Plekhanov Economics Academy {Source}.In 2003, the youngest cousin of Queen Elizabeth II was awarded the ’Glory of Russia’ by the Plekhanov Economics Academy {Source}. Also in 2003, he was made an Honorary Professor of the Sinerghia Economics and Finance Institute {Source}.

 

He was named for:

• Michael: Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia (a cousin of his three grandparents)
• George: for his uncle and godfather, King George VI as well as his own father
• Charles: not a clue
• Franklin: For his godfather, Franklin D. Roosevelt {Source}

Prince Michael has represented Queen Elizabeth on several occasions throughout his life{Source}:

• The state funeral of the President of India in 1977
• The state funeral of the President of Cyprus in 1977
• The signature of the Treaty of Friendship with Brunei in January 1979
• The independence celebrations in Belize in September 1981
• The state funeral of King Sobhuza II of Swaziland in 1982
• The Coronation of King Mswati II of Swaziland in 1986
• The 150th Anniversary of the Crimean War in the Ukraine, September 2004

His interests are in autosport, aviation and travel {Source}. In addition to English, he also speaks Russian and French {Source}.

He also has working knowledge of German and Italian{Source}.

 

He is five years junior to Queen Sonja of Norway (1937)

Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand is 15 years his junior

Princess Rayet bint Al Hashim of Jordan was born when Prince Michael turned 66 years old.

Prince Michael of Kent is president of{Source}:

• The Royal Life Saving Society
• Royal Automobile Club

He is a Patron of {Source}:

• The National Eye Research Centre
• Thames Rowing Club

His Fellowships include those of the Institute of the Motor Industry, the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Institute of Linguists{Source}. He is Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons and Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Middlesex{Source}.

Prince Michael represented Great Britain as a bobsleigh driver for many years and was a reserve for the 1972 Olympics{Source}. As a vintage car enthusiast, he was part of the team in 1992 that broke the 1,000-mile record for cars over 5,000cc in a 1929 Bentley Special{Source}.

A competitive rally driver, he is also a qualified pilot of both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters{Source}.

He is president of the following organizations{Source}.:

• Motor Sports Association
• The Brooklands Museum Trust
• The Light Aircraft Association
• Founder Patron of the Genesis Initiative {Source}.

Because he doesn't recieve a government allowance, he and his wife are free to pursue their own living {Source}. From 1st January 2009 until the end of December 2012, Prince Michael carried out over 1000 engagements for his various associations {Source}

 

He is a godfather to{Source}:

• Michael James Douglas Campbell-Grove (1970, the son of Commander Peter Colin Drummond Campbell-Groveand Lady Moyra Kathleen Hamilton)

His astrological sign is cancer.

His life path number is 9.

His ancestry consists of British, Danish, German and Russian lines.

He holds honors from:

Russia

Peru

His UK honors include:

• Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) (1992){Source}
• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) (2003) {Source}
• Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ) (2001)

Prince Michael has been under close scrutiny by the media for financial assistance given to him by Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky{Source}. In May 2012, The Sunday Times reported that the Prince had received £320,000 during a six-year period from 2002 to 2008 into a family business owned by the prince's secretary, from a fund controlled by Berezovsky, in which 56 payments of between £5,000 and £15,000 were sent through offshore companies {Source}.