Yahoo News The Queen’s funeral: Who is Prince Michael of Kent?
The Queen’s extended family gathered today at Westminster Abbey for Her Majesty’s funeral - including Prince Michael of Kent.
Unlike most of his family, Prince Michael of Kent is not a working royal, and does not receive an allowance or parliamentary annuity for his work representing the Queen.
Here’s what you need to know about this lesser-known royal.
Who is Prince Michael of Kent?
Prince Michael of Kent is a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, making him Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin.
At the time of writing, he is 51st in the line of succession.
He was born on July 4, 1942, in Buckinghamshire to Prince George, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina, of Greece and Denmark.
Born during the Second World War, several weeks after his birth, his father was killed in a plane crash near Dunbeath in Scotland.
Aged five, the Prince was a page boy for the then Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, the late Duke of Edinburgh.
The Prince’s bloodline also extends to the Romanovs, the last imperial family of Russia.
His grandmother was first cousin to Nicholas II, making Michael a first cousin twice removed of the last Russian Tsar.
The 80-year-old is married to Princess Michael of Kent, formerly known as Baroness Marie Christine von Reibnitz.
When the pair first met, they couldn’t marry, because the princess was previously married to someone else and a Catholic.
Due to the Act of Settlement of 1701, which blocked anyone who married a Catholic from succeeding to the throne, Prince Michael of Kent, who was 15th in line to the throne, had to give up his right to the succession in order to marry her.
The princess’s first marriage was annulled by the Pope in 1978 and she married Prince Michael of Kent a month after her divorce.
They have two children together - Lady Gabriella Windsor and Lord Frederick Windsor.
Their family does not receive public funds but take on some public duties to represent the Royal Family, when necessary.
Other than the occasional royal appearance, Prince Michael has had a long military career and suported around 100 charities and organisations. He is also a qualified Russian interpreter.
