Prince Michael of Kent is a representative of the royal British family. Elizabeth II is his cousin. An interesting fact is that the prince is the grand-nephew of Nicholas II himself. And Michael of Kent received his name in honor of the Russian prince Mikhail Alexandrovich. The prince was the younger brother of Nicholas II and the cousin of the prince's grandfathers and grandmothers.
The prince, like most of the members of the great family, is very noble and still does not forget about his roots. He often happens in Russia, plays a role in the cultural life of our country.
Prince biography and personal life
Michael of Kent was born July 4, 1942 in the family of the Duke of Kent and Princess Marina. Unfortunately, Michael was unable to remember his father, who died in a car accident when the boy was only a month and a half. The prince also has a brother Edward and a sister, Alexander. By the way, US President Franklin Roosevelt became Michael's godfather, as the boy was born on Independence Day of the United States.
Michael enrolled at Sandhurst Military Academy and received a military translator diploma. The Prince speaks good Russian, albeit with a great accent. As Michael of Kent himself admits, his Russian becomes much better when he communicates with Russian-speaking people for a long time.
In 1978, the prince married a Catholic - baroness Marie-Christine von Reybnits, at that time already divorced. Since, according to royal laws, marriages with Catholics were prohibited, the ceremony was held in Vienna. Because of this union, the Prince lost the right to inherit the throne, but in 2013 this ban was lifted and the prince returned to succession (he takes 43 lines in the list in the list).
In the marriage with the Baroness, the prince had two children: Lord Frederick and Lady Gabriella Windsor.
The history of the new dynasty
Interestingly, the Windsor dynasty is relatively young. It appeared during the First World War, when German troops approached England and reached almost to the center of powerful Britain - Albion. At one point, the people, tired of the hostilities and the constant bombing, began to panic and resent. The fact is that King George of England had a mixture of German and Danish blood. And his grandmother, Queen Victoria, belonged to the Hanoverian dynasty. All this exacerbated the situation, so it was decided to rename the English dynasty.
In the photo in the article there is a personal coat of arms of the British dynasty, which the family received after renaming.
The name of the dynasty was coined by Lord Stamfordgam, who was the personal secretary of the king. The king had a summer residence - Windsor Castle. This name sounded very English and should have been safely reflected in the dynastic family. The decision was made - in 1917 a law was passed that stated that the royal dynasty was renamed the Windsor, and the name "Saxe-Coburg-Gotha" goes into oblivion. The king’s decision improved the situation in England, and the differences between the people and the monarchs were settled. And the dynasty has its own new personal emblem, which can be seen in the photo in this article.
Windsor charity
Prince Michael of Kent is a famous person in the world of charity. He leads his extensive activities in many non-profit organizations related to various areas of entrepreneurship. The prince of Kent holds a special role and position in Russia. In 2004, he founded the Prince Michael of Kent Charity Foundation, which finances social and cultural events: healthcare, education, and the country's historical and cultural heritage.
Among his merits, one can distinguish:
- help to the Moscow hospital to them. Speransky for the treatment of children with burn injuries;
- sponsors a student exchange project between the School of Business at Oxford University and Plekhanov University;
- finances the Nochlezhka program in St. Petersburg.
Michael of Kent is the patron of such organizations as the Russian National Orchestra, the London School of Business and Finance, and the British Education Center in Russia. In addition, Michael is considered an honorary doctor of the Russian Academy of Economics. Plekhanov.
