Prince Michael of Kent Biography

Childhood & Early Life

Prince Michael of Kent was born Michael Charles George Franklin, on July 4, 1942, in Iver, Buckinghamshire, to Prince George, Duke of Kent and his wife, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. He was the third and the youngest child in the family and grew up with an elder brother named Prince Edward and a sister named Princess Alexandra.

Michael’s father was the younger son of King George V and Queen Mary. Michael was seventh in the line of succession to the throne when he was born.

His baptism ceremony took place on August 4, 1942, at ‘Windsor Castle’s private chapel. He had many godparents, such as the king of England, the queen of Netherlands, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the king of Norway, and the duke of Gloucester. The Second World War was raging back then. To ensure their safety, the exact location of the baptism ceremony was not disclosed to the print media. The people were told that the ceremony would be taking place at a “private chapel.”

Michael was born at a time when there was tremendous international turmoil, as the Second World War was at its peak, with England participating in the war wholeheartedly. Tragedy struck the family 7 weeks after he was born, as his father passed away in a plane crash in Scotland.

Being a member of the royal family, Michael received the best education possible. He initially attended a boarding school named ‘Sunningdale School,’ located in Berkshire, near London. He later attended ‘Eton College’ in Berkshire.

He was a language enthusiast and had become fluent in French. He also spoke workable German and Italian. He was also the first member of the British royal family who spoke fluent Russian. He also turned into an interpreter of the Russian language later.

Career

In 1961, Prince Charles joined the ‘Royal Military Academy,’ where he was trained as an army man. Following this, in 1963, he was commissioned into the ‘11th Hussars’ (‘Prince Albert’s Own’). The ‘10th Royal Hussars’ and the ‘11th Hussars’ were amalgamated into one unit in 1969 and thus became ‘The Royal Hussars.’ Prince Michael served them for the next few years.

The squadron was part of the ‘United Nation’s peacekeeping force in 1971. As part of the force, Michael was sent on missions to Germany, Cyprus, and Hong Kong. His stint also included a number of appointments on the ‘Defence Intelligence Staff.’ After serving the British military for close to 20 years, he retired in 1981. By then, he had reached the rank of major.

He then began his own consultancy business. He thus tried to carve his own path, away from the royal family. He also undertook many business operations outside the United Kingdom. He also worked as a Russian interpreter.

He is an actively working ‘Freemason.’ He is said to be working as a grand master at the ‘Grand Lodge’ of Mark Master Masons. He also serves the ‘Provincial Grand Lodge’ of Middlesex, as a grand master.

The prince has been quite conscious about his fitness, too. Much of the credit for this goes to his involvement in the royal military. He also happens to be a sports enthusiast and a former member of the ‘Royal Military Sandhurst’ rowing team. In 1961, he was part of the team that won the ‘Maiden Fours’ in Bedford. He also excelled in the game known as bobsleigh and was on the non-traveling reserves team for the 1972 ‘Winter Olympics.’

He participated in the ‘London to Mexico World Cup Rally’ in 1970. However, despite trying hard, he was unable to complete the rally.

Nobody expected him to take on engagements on behalf of the royal family, as he himself is a member of the British royalty. Despite this, he has represented his cousin, Queen Elizabeth II, on many occasions and at countless events in the ‘Commonwealth’ countries, the former colonies of the British Empire. For instance, when the Queen was unable to attend a state funeral in India in 1977, Prince Michael appeared on her behalf.

However, unlike other members of the British royal family, who receive a parliamentary annuity and allowance from the ‘British Privy Purse,’ Michael does not receive any monetary support. The allowance is paid to the royal family members who carry out their royal duties.

He also often remains busy with national and international charitable endeavors. Some of the charities he is associated with are the ‘Children’s Fire and Burns Trust,’ the ‘Life-Saving Society,’ the ‘National Eye Research Centre,’ and the ‘Kennel Club.’

He has also organized many fundraising events and rallies over the years. Known for his lavish lifestyle, he once organized and led a rally of ‘Bentley’ cars from the U.K. to Moscow, Russia. The rally took 10 days, and £25,000 were thus collected for the ‘Children’s Fire and Burns Trust.’ He has been associated with more than 100 charities across the country and all over Europe.

Personal Life

Prince Michael of Kent married Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz in 1978. She is also known as Princess Michael of Kent and is the daughter of a Silesian nobleman named Baron Gunther von Reibnitz and his Austro-Hungarian wife, Countess Maria Szapáry de Muraszombath.

However, the marriage was an unusual affair for a British royal family member, as his wife was a divorcee. She was formerly married to a banker named Thomas Troubridge. The couple had divorced in 1977, a year prior to Marie’s marriage to Prince Michael.

She is a Roman Catholic. Thus, complying with the ‘Act of Settlement 1701,’ Michael forfeited his claim to the royal throne. However, he was reinstated in the line of succession in 2015, after the ‘Succession of the Crown Act 2013’ came into the picture. He thus became the 48th person in the line of succession to the British throne in June 2018.

He and Marie had two children, Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Kingston. Both his children were raised as members of the ‘Church of England.’