Prince Michael of Kent

:"Prince Michael" redirects here. For other people named Prince Michael, see Prince Michael (disambiguation)."Infobox British Royalty|royal
name =Prince Michael
title =Prince Michael of Kent

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imgw =150
caption =Prince Michael's coat of arms
spouse =Princess Michael of Kent
issue =Lord Frederick Windsor
Lady Gabriella Windsor
full name =Michael George Charles FranklinAs a titled royal, Michael holds no surname, but, when one "is" used, it is Windsor]
titles ="HRH" Prince Michael of Kent
royal house =House of Windsor
father =Prince George, Duke of Kent
mother =Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
date of birth =Birth date and age|1942|7|4|df=yes
place of birth =Coppins, Iver, Buckinghamshire
date of christening =4 August 1942
occupation =Consultancy (prev. Military)|

Prince Michael of Kent (Michael George Charles Franklin; born 4 July 1942) is a member of the British Royal Family, a grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary.

Prince Michael of Kent does not officially carry out royal duties on behalf of his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, although he has represented the Queen in some functions abroad. Instead, he manages his own consultancy business, and undertakes various commercial work around the world. He has also presented some television documentaries on the royal families of Europe. He is named after Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, his paternal grandfather's murdered first cousin.

Early life

Prince Michael of Kent was born on 4 July 1942, at Coppins, Iver, Buckinghamshire. His father was The Duke of Kent, the fourth-eldest son of George V and Queen Mary, who died in an aeroplane crash near Caithness, Scotland on 25 August 1942, a few weeks after his son was born. At the time of his birth he was sixth in the line of succession to the British throne.

His mother was The Duchess of Kent (née Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark), a daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia. As a grandchild of a British sovereign, he was styled as a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the prefix "His Royal Highness", thus styled "His Royal Highness" Prince Michael of Kent.

At his christening, on 4 August 1942, his godparents were Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then President of the United States of America; King George II of Greece; King Haakon VII of Norway; Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands; Lady Patricia Ramsay; The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven; The Crown Princess of Greece; and The Duke of Gloucester. Because of the war, newspapers did not identify the actual location of the christening, and said instead that it took place at "a private chapel in the country".The Times, 5 August 1942]

At the age of 5, Prince Michael was a page boy at his cousin, The Princess Elizabeth's wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh [http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page6118.asp Royal.gov.uk – 60 Facts, Fact 9] ] .

Education and military service

Educated at Sunningdale School and Eton College, Prince Michael entered the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in January 1961, where he was commissioned into the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own), in 1963. He saw service in Germany, Hong Kong, and Cyprus, where his squadron formed part of the UN peacekeeping force of 1971. Subsequent tours of duty, during a military career that spanned twenty years, included a number of appointments on the Defence Intelligence Staff. He retired from the army, with the rank of Major, in 1981.

In 1994, Prince Michael was made Honorary Commodore of the Royal Naval Reserve and, in 2002, he was made Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Benson. In addition, Prince Michael is President of SSAFA (Soldiers', Sailors' & Airmen's Families' Association) Forces Help, and of the Royal Patriotic Fund. He is also Colonel-in-Chief of the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment in Canada.

Career

Royal duties

As the third child of George V's fourth son, it was not expected that Prince Michael of Kent would undertake royal and official duties. Prince Michael has never received a parliamentary annuity, or an allowance from the Privy Purse. Despite this, both his elder brother, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and his sister, Princess Alexandra, carry out official royal duties, and receive parliamentary annuities. As a member of the Royal Family, however, the Prince does receive VIP treatment wherever he goes. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office arranges for the Prince to receive VIP welcomes whenever he travels abroad, and he has use of British Embassy staff when required. The Prince was also given a grace and favour apartment at Kensington Palace upon his marriage in 1978.

Nevertheless, Prince Michael of Kent has represented the Queen at state funerals in India, Cyprus and Swaziland and, with his wife, Princess Michael of Kent, represented the Queen at the independence celebrations in Belize, and at the Coronation of King Mswati III of Swaziland.

Prince Michael also supports a large number of different charities and organisations, including acting as the Commonwealth President of the Royal Life Saving Society.

His patronages include:
*the Harefield Research Foundation,
*the Children's Fire and Burns Trust,
*First Gear and
*the World Monuments Fund (UK).
*SSAFA Forces Help,
*the National Eye Research Centre
*the RAC Foundation,
*The Kennel Club
*Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
*Brooklands Museum Trust
*the British Business & General Aviation Association (BBGA)
*Notchlezhka
* London School of Business and Finance

Commercial

Given that the Prince does not receive any income from his royal duties, he has the Queen's permission to earn a living from commercial enterprise. As such Prince Michael manages his own consultancy business, and undertakes business throughout the world. He is also a qualified interpreter of Russian.

Masonic

Prince Michael is also involved with various aspects of Freemasonry - mainly as both the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons [ [http://www.markprovinceoflondon.org/grand_lodge.htm Grand Lodge ] ] , and Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Middlesex. [ [http://www.middlesexfreemasons.org.uk/pages/titles/pgm.htm pgm ] ]

Marriage

On 30 June 1978, Prince Michael was married, at a civil ceremony, at the Rathaus, Vienna, Austria, to Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz, the only child of the Silesian nobleman Baron Gunther Hubertus von Reibnitz, and his Hungarian-born wife, Maria Anna Carolina Franziska Walpurga Bernadette, Countess Szapáry de Muraszombath, Széchysziget et Szapár.

The Kents' marriage was controversial because the Baroness was not only a Roman Catholic, but also a divorcée. She was previously married to banker Thomas Troubridge; they separated in 1973, divorced in 1977, and had their marriage annulled by the Roman Catholic Church a year later, two months before her marriage to Prince Michael. Under the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, which governs the laws of the succession to the British Throne, Prince Michael forfeited his place in the line of succession through marriage to a Roman Catholic. [Picknett, Lynn, Prince, Clive, Prior, Stephen & Brydon, Robert (2002). "War of the Windsors: A Century of Unconstitutional Monarchy", p. 271. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 1-84018-631-3.]

However, his wife became, and remains, a Princess of the United Kingdom, and is styled Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent (not "Princess Marie-Christine", since she is not a princess in her own right, but only by right of marriage). Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have two children, both of whom remain in line to the throne because they are not Roman Catholics, having been raised as members of the Church of England:

* Lord Frederick Windsor, born 6 April 1979
* Lady Gabriella Windsor, born 23 April 1981

Controversy

Both Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have received 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 (although other sources state the figure as £76) for the use of their apartments at Kensington Palace, a committee of MPs demanded they be evicted. [Picknett, Prince, Prior & Brydon, p. 311.] The British Monarchy Media Centre, however, refutes these controversial reports and states that, "The Queen is paying the rent for Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's apartment at a commercial rate of £120,000 annually from her own private funds. [...] This rent payment by The Queen is in recognition of the Royal engagements and work for various charities which Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have undertaken at their own expense, and without any public funding." [ [http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page3956.asp Corrections to inaccurate media stories about the Royal Family] ]

Russia

Prince Michael has a strong interest in Russia, and is noted for his remarkable physical resemblance to Tsar Nicholas II. When the Tsar and his family were re-buried in Russia, it was Prince Michael who represented Britain. Prince Michael speaks fluent Russian, and holidays there frequently. In the novel "Icon", by Frederick Forsyth, the monarchy in Russia is restored, with Prince and Princess Michael as Tsar and Tsarina.

He has been reported to have enjoyed trips to Russia sponsored by Russian entrepreneurs. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3177619.ece "David Linley wooed by ‘Kremlin’s cashier’. Billionaire friend of Putin set to buy stake in viscount’s furniture business."] Nick Fielding The Sunday Times 13 January 2008.]

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

*4 July 1942–: "His Royal Highness" Prince Michael of Kent

Honours

*KCVO: Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, "4 July 1992"
**GCVO: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, "2 June 2003"

Honorary military appointments

Canada
*Colonel-in-Chief, of flagicon|CAN The Essex and Kent Scottish

United Kingdom
*Honorary Rear Admiral, of the Royal Naval Reserve
*Commodore-in-Chief, of the Maritime Reserves

Arms

Prince Michael's personal coat of arms are the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, with a five point label- the standard differentiation for a male-line grandchild of a British monarch. The first, third and fifth points bear a red cross, and the second and fourth points bear a blue anchor.

Ancestry

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boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
1= 1. Prince Michael of Kent
2= 2. Prince George, Duke of Kent
3= 3. Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
4= 4. George V of the United Kingdom
5= 5. Mary of Teck
6= 6. Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark
7= 7. Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia
8= 8. Edward VII of the United Kingdom
9= 9. Princess Alexandra of Denmark
10= 10. Francis, Duke of Teck
11= 11. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
12= 12. George I of Greece
13= 13. Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
14= 14. Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia
15= 15. Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
16= 16. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
17= 17. Victoria of the United Kingdom
18= 18. Christian IX of Denmark
19= 19. Louise of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)
20= 20. Duke Alexander of Württemberg
21= 21. Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde
22= 22. Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge
23= 23. Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)
24= 24. Christian IX of Denmark (= 18)
25= 25. Louise of Hesse-Kassel (= 19)
26= 26. Grand Duke Konstantine Nicholaievich of Russia
27= 27. Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg
28= 28. Alexander II of Russia
29= 29. Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine
30= 30. Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
31= 31. Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz

Patrilineal descent

HRH Prince Michael of Kent's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son.

His patrilineal descent (the principle behind membership in Germanic royal houses) can be traced back through the generations -- which means that if Prince Michael were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Wettin, as all his male-line ancestors have been members.

The line diverges from the British royal line at Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, and from then on follows his paternal ancestors.

Descent before Conrad the Great is taken from [http://fabpedigree.com/s056/f354285.htm fabpedigree.com] and may be inaccurate.

House of Wettin
#Burkhard I, Duke of Thuringia, d. 870
#Burchard, Duke of Thuringia, 836 - 908
#(possibly) Burkhard III of Grabfeldgau, 866 - 913
#Dedi I, Count in the Hessegau, 896 - 957
#(probably) Dietrich I, Count of Wettin, d. 976
#(possibly) Dedi II, Count in the Hessegau, 946 - 1009
#Dietrich II of Wettin, 991 - 1034
#Thimo I, Count of Wettin, d. 1099
#Thimo II the Brave, Count of Wettin, d. 1118
#Conrad, Margrave of Meissen, 1098 - 1157
#Otto II, Margrave of Meissen, 1125 - 1190
#Dietrich I, Margrave of Meissen, 1162 - 1221
#Henry III, Margrave of Meissen, c. 1215 - 1288
#Albert II, Margrave of Meissen, 1240 - 1314
#Frederick I, Margrave of Meissen, 1257 - 1323
#Frederick II, Margrave of Meissen, 1310 - 1349
#Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia, 1332 - 1381
#Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, 1370 - 1428
#Frederick II, Elector of Saxony, 1412 - 1464
#Ernest, Elector of Saxony, 1441 - 1486
#John, Elector of Saxony, 1468 - 1532
#John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony, 1503 - 1554
#Johann Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, 1530 - 1573
#John II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, 1570 - 1605
#Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha, 1601 - 1675
#John Ernest IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1658 - 1729
#Francis Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1697 - 1764
#Ernest Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1724 - 1800
#Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, 1750 - 1806
#Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 1784 - 1844
#Albert, Prince Consort, 1819 - 1861
#Edward VII of the United Kingdom, 1841 - 1910
#George V of the United Kingdom, 1865 - 1936
#The Prince George, Duke of Kent, 1902-1942
#Prince Michael of Kent, 1942-

ee also

* List of British princes

References

External links

* [http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page5565.asp Royal.gov.uk Prince and Princess Michael of Kent]
* [http://www.princemichaelofkent.org.uk Prince Michael of Kent's homepage]
* [http://www.middlesexfreemasons.org.uk Provincial Grand Lodge of Middlesex]
-! colspan="3" style="background: #ccffcc;" | Order of precedence in Northern IrelandPersondata
NAME=Kent, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Windsor, Michael George Charles Franklin
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Grandson of George V
DATE OF BIRTH=4 July 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH=Iver, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=