Prince Michael of Kent facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prince Michael |
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Portrait by Allan Warren, 2014
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| Born | 4 July 1942 Coppins, Iver, Buckinghamshire, England |
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| Spouse |
Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz
(m. 1978) |
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| House | Windsor | ||||
| Father | Prince George, Duke of Kent | ||||
| Mother | Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark | ||||
| Signature |  |
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| Education |
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| Military career | |||||
| Service/ |
British Army | ||||
| Years of active service | 1961–1981 | ||||
| Rank | Major (active service) | ||||
| Unit | 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own) The Royal Hussars (Prince of Wales's Own) | ||||
| Battles/wars | Cyprus dispute | ||||
Prince Michael of Kent (born Michael George Charles Franklin on 4 July 1942) is a member of the British royal family. He is currently 53rd in line to the British throne. Prince Michael is the younger son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. This means he is a grandson of George V and a first cousin to the late Elizabeth II. He is also a second cousin and first cousin once removed to Charles III.
Prince Michael sometimes represented Queen Elizabeth II at events in countries that are part of the Commonwealth realm. He also runs his own business and works on various projects around the world. He has even made TV shows about royal families in Europe.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Prince Michael was born on 4 July 1942, at Coppins, a home in Iver, Buckinghamshire. He was the third child of Prince George, Duke of Kent. His father was the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. This made Michael seventh in line to the British throne when he was born. His mother was Princess Marina.
Prince Michael was baptized on 4 August 1942 at Windsor Castle. Many important people were his godparents, including his uncle, the King, and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. Just seven weeks after Michael was born, his father died in a plane crash in Scotland. When he was five years old, Prince Michael was a page boy at the wedding of his cousins, Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.
Education and Military Service
Prince Michael went to Sunningdale School and Eton College. He speaks French very well and knows some German and Italian. He was the first member of the royal family to learn Russian and is a trained interpreter for the language.
In 1963, Michael joined the British Army. He served in different places like Germany, Hong Kong, and Cyprus. In Cyprus, his group was part of a United Nations peacekeeping team. He worked in the military for twenty years, including roles in intelligence. He left the Army in 1981 with the rank of Major.
After leaving active service, he held several honorary military roles. These included Honorary Rear Admiral in the Royal Naval Reserve and Honorary Air Marshal of RAF Benson. He also became the Royal Honorary Colonel of the Honourable Artillery Company.
Activities and Support for Charities
Prince Michael is the third child of a younger son of King George V. This means he was not expected to do many official royal duties. However, he has carried out duties in Commonwealth countries outside the UK and has represented the Queen abroad.
Unlike his older brother and sister, Prince Michael has never received money from the government for his royal duties. He has used an apartment at Kensington Palace since his marriage in 1978.
Prince Michael has represented the Queen at state funerals in India, Cyprus, and Swaziland. He and his wife also represented the Queen at independence celebrations in Belize.
He supports many charities and organizations. Some of these include the Kennel Club, Children's Burns Trust, and the Royal Automobile Club. In June 2022, as he turned 80, he announced he would be stepping back from public life.
Marriage and Family Life
On 30 June 1978, Prince Michael married Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz in Vienna, Austria. Marie-Christine was a Roman Catholic and had been married before. Because she was Catholic, Prince Michael lost his place in the line of succession to the throne. However, he was put back in the line of succession on 26 March 2015, when a new law called the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 came into effect.
Prince Michael and Marie-Christine have two children. Both were raised in the Church of England, so they have always been in the line of succession:
- Lord Frederick Windsor, born on 6 April 1979. He married Sophie Winkleman in 2009. They have two daughters, Maud and Isabella.
- Lady Gabriella Kingston, born on 23 April 1981. She married Thomas Kingston in 2019.
In 2014, Prince Michael was treated for prostate cancer and recovered successfully.
Personal Interests
Business and Languages
Prince Michael runs his own business that works with companies around the world. He is also a skilled interpreter of Russian.
Russia Connections
Prince Michael speaks fluent Russian and has a strong interest in Russia. He is related to the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, through several of his grandparents. When the remains of the Tsar and his family were found, a DNA sample from Prince Michael helped identify them. He attended their burial in St Petersburg in 1998. He is also involved with organizations that have ties to Russia, like the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce.
Finland Visits
Prince Michael of Kent has visited Finland several times. In 2017, he visited cities like Helsinki and Tampere to help improve trade and business between Britain and Finland. He visited Finland again in 2022 during British Week, attending events and visiting places like the Nokia Arena.
Sports
Prince Michael has a background in sports. He was part of a rowing team that won a competition in 1961. He also competed in the 1971 World Bobsleigh Championships for Great Britain. He was a reserve for the 1972 Winter Olympics. He even took part in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally.
Titles, Styles, Honours and Arms
Titles
Official
As the child of a younger son of a British ruler, he is known as His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent.
Other Titles
Calabar, Nigeria
- 2017–present: A person of honour and high standing in the Efik Eburutu Kingdom.
Honours
2 June 1953: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
6 February 1977: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
18 January 2001: Knight of Justice of the Most Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ)
6 February 2002: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
2 June 2003: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)
6 February 2012: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
19 October 2015: Recipient of the Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)
6 February 2022: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal
6 May 2023: Recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal
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Foreign Honours
UN: Recipient of the United Nations Medal for UNFICYP (1971)
Russia: Member of the Order of Friendship (2009 – 2022)
Peru: Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun (1994)
Honorary Military Appointments
Colonel-in-Chief, The Essex and Kent Scottish (Canada)
Honorary Vice Admiral, Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Honorary Colonel, Honourable Artillery Company
Honorary Air Marshal of RAF Benson
Arms
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Issue
| Name | Birth | Marriage | Issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Frederick Windsor | 6 April 1979 | 12 September 2009 | Sophie Winkleman | Maud Windsor Isabella Windsor |
| Lady Gabriella Kingston | 23 April 1981 | 18 May 2019 | Thomas Kingston | |
See also
In Spanish: Miguel de Kent para niños
- List of British princes
