Princess Michael of Kent

Princess Michael was born Freiin (Baroness) Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz,{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/10517728/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-life-beneath-the-tiara.html|title=Princess Michael of Kent: life beneath the tiara|newspaper=The Telegraph|first=William|last=Langley|date=15 December 2013|access-date=23 March 2018|url-access=subscription|archive-date=20 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520100424/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/10517728/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-life-beneath-the-tiara.html|url-status=live}} on 15 January 1945, in Karlovy Vary in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, then officially Karlsbad in the German-populated Sudetenland, now in the Czech Republic. She was born at the family estates of her Austrian maternal grandmother, Princess Hedwig von Windisch-Graetz (1878–1918).

By birth she is a member of the {{Interlanguage link|Reibnitz family|de|Reibnitz (Adelsgeschlecht)}}, uradel Silesian nobility who can trace their noble ancestry from 1288. The ancestral seat of the family was Rybnica in present-day Poland. On her father's side, Princess Michael is a descendant of the Burggrafen of Dohna, Herrand III von Trauttmansdorff and Nostitz family, who are also ancestors of Queen Elizabeth II.van de Pas, Leo (2005). Sinners and Saints: A Biographical Introduction to the Ancestors of HRH Princess Michael of Kent. {{ISBN|0-646-45007-7}}.

She is the younger daughter of Freiherr Günther Hubertus von Reibnitz (1894–1983) by his second wife, Countess Maria Anna Carolina Franziska Walburga Bernadette Szapáry von Muraszombath, Széchysziget und Szapár (1911–1988), who was the daughter of Count Friedrich Szapáry von Muraszombath, Széchysziget und Szapár, the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to Saint Petersburg at the outbreak of the First World War.Graydon A. Tunstall Jr., 'Austria-Hungary', in Richard F. Hamilton & Holger H. Herwig (eds.), The Origins of World War I, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2003, p. 119.

Princess Michael's father was a Nazi Party member and served as a cavalry officer in the Waffen-SS during the Second World War.{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E5DD1239F935A25757C0A963948260 |title=SS Officer the Father Of a British Princess |work=The New York Times |date=16 April 1985 |access-date=22 May 2010 |archive-date=9 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240309172145/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/16/world/ss-officer-the-father-of-a-british-princess.html |url-status=live }} In response to the advances of the Red Army near the end of the war, the family abandoned their estates and moved to Bavaria, which was part of the American-occupied zone of Germany.{{cite web |url=https://www.theawl.com/2013/01/the-miraculous-exploits-of-princess-michael-of-kent/ |title=The Miraculous Exploits Of Princess Michael Of Kent |work=The Awl |first=Emma |last=Garman |date=9 January 2013 |access-date=6 January 2022 |archive-date=3 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603204902/https://www.theawl.com/2013/01/the-miraculous-exploits-of-princess-michael-of-kent/ |url-status=live}} Her parents divorced in 1946 and, along with her mother and elder brother Baron Friedrich von Reibnitz (born 1942), Princess Michael moved to Australia, where she was educated at Convent of the Sacred Heart, Rose Bay (now Kincoppal-Rose Bay). In the early 1960s, she lived with her father on his farm in Portuguese-ruled Mozambique. She then went from Vienna to London to study History of Fine and Decorative Art at the Victoria and Albert Museum.{{cite web |url=http://www.atlanticspeakerbureau.com/hrh-princess-michael-of-kent/speaker |title=HRH Princess Michael of Kent |publisher=Atlantic Speaker Bureau |access-date=27 May 2018 |archive-date=6 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606220302/http://www.atlanticspeakerbureau.com/hrh-princess-michael-of-kent/speaker |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://princessmichael.org.uk/books/a-cheetahs-tale/ |title=A Cheetah's Tale |work=HRH Princess Michael of Kent |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=17 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617003502/https://princessmichael.org.uk/books/a-cheetahs-tale/ |url-status=live}}

Her first husband was the English banker Thomas Troubridge (1939–2015), younger brother of Sir Peter Troubridge, 6th Baronet. They met at a boar hunt in Germany and were married on 14 September 1971 at Chelsea Old Church, London. The couple separated in 1973 and were civilly divorced in 1977. The marriage was ecclesiastically annulled by Pope Paul VI in May 1978.

One month after the annulment, on 30 June 1978, at a civil ceremony in Vienna, Austria, she married Prince Michael of Kent, the son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. Prince Michael is a grandson of King George V. Marie-Christine has named Lord Mountbatten as their matchmaker.{{cite web |url=https://theguardian.com/books/2005/oct/16/historybooks.features |title=An audience with Princess Michael |work=The Guardian |first=Tim |last=Adams |date=15 October 2005 |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=11 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211024011/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/oct/16/historybooks.features |url-status=live}}

Michael presented Marie-Christine with a two-stone sapphire-and-diamond ring made from stones that belonged to his mother, Princess Marina.{{cite web|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/celebrity/british-royal-engagement-rings-15117|title=A Very Thorough History Of British Royal Engagement Rings|publisher=Harper's Bazaar Australia|first=Mahalia|last=Chang|date=27 November 2017|access-date=15 May 2018|archive-date=16 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516103732/https://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/celebrity/british-royal-engagement-rings-15117|url-status=live}} For the ball held after the wedding, she wore the City of London diamond fringe tiara and a cream dress from Bellville Sassoon.{{cite web|url=http://www.harpersbazaar.com.sg/life/celebrities/gorgeous-royal-wedding-tiara-moments-ever/?slide=12|title=The 22 Most Gorgeous Royal Wedding Tiara Moments of All Time (slide 13)|publisher=Harper's Bazaar Singapore|date=28 March 2018|access-date=15 May 2018|archive-date=16 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516103235/http://www.harpersbazaar.com.sg/life/celebrities/gorgeous-royal-wedding-tiara-moments-ever/?slide=12|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/weddings/royal-wedding-dresses-iconic-168159|title=The most iconic Royal wedding dresses|publisher=Marie Claire UK|date=27 April 2018|access-date=15 May 2018|archive-date=6 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406070817/https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/weddings/royal-wedding-dresses-iconic-168159|url-status=live}} Upon their marriage, she was accorded the style and title of Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent, the female equivalent to her husband's title. After receiving Pope John Paul II's permission, the couple later received a blessing of their marriage in a Roman Catholic ceremony on 29 June 1983 at Archbishop's House, London.

Since the Act of Settlement 1701 prohibited anyone who married a Roman Catholic from succeeding to the throne, Prince Michael of Kent (at that time, 15th in the line of succession) lost his succession rights upon marrying Marie-Christine.Picknett, Lynn, Prince, Clive, Prior, Stephen & Brydon, Robert, War of the Windsors: A Century of Unconstitutional Monarchy (2002), p. 271. Mainstream Publishing. {{ISBN|1-84018-631-3}}. Prince Michael was reinstated to the line of succession to the British throne on 26 March 2015 with the passing of the Succession to the Crown Act 2013. Their children are members of the Church of England and have retained their rights of succession since birth.

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have two children:

• Lord Frederick Windsor, born 6 April 1979 at St Mary's Hospital, London. He married Sophie Winkleman on 12 September 2009 and they have two daughters: Maud (born 15 August 2013) and Isabella (born 16 January 2016).
• Lady Gabriella Kingston, born 23 April 1981 at St Mary's Hospital, London. She married Thomas Kingston on 18 May 2019. Her husband shot himself on 25 February 2024 in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, leaving her widowed at 42 years old.{{cite news |last=Coughlan |first=Sean |title=Thomas Kingston: Royals mourn Prince Michael of Kent's son-in-law |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68413546 |access-date=28 February 2024 |work=BBC News |date=27 February 2024 |archive-date=27 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227235002/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68413546 |url-status=live }}

Marie-Christine was linked romantically by the press to John Warner and tycoons Ward Hunt and Mikhail Kravchenko.{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-07-08-8502130983-story.html |title=2D Scandal Taints British Princess |work=Chicago Tribune |date=8 July 1985 |access-date=6 January 2022 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405182304/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-07-08-8502130983-story.html |url-status=live}} She also had a friendship with John W. Galbreath and Peter de Savary, the latter of whom gifted her a £150,000 parcel of land on Antigua.

File:HRH Princess Michael of Kent 2 Allan Warren.jpg

Before her marriage to Prince Michael, she worked as an interior designer. According to a report in The Observer's Pendennis column in September 2007, the Princess resumed decorating under her original company, Szapar Designs.{{cite web|url=https://www.princessmichael.org.uk/interior-design/|title=Interior Design|work=princessmichael.org.uk|access-date=17 May 2012|archive-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325143817/http://princessmichael.org.uk/interior-design/|url-status=live}} In 1986, her first book Crowned in a Far Country: Portraits of Eight Royal Brides was published, after which she faced allegations of plagiarism and reached an out-of-court settlement with another author. Her second book Cupid and the King: Five Royal Paramours faced the same issues, which the Princess attributed to the researcher, who had allegedly submitted notes without due attribution. The book was to be published by Michael Joseph, but after the draft was submitted several months late, it was rejected and published by HarperCollins. From 2007 to 2011, the Princess served as president of Partridge Fine Art, a gallery in London's New Bond Street until it went into administration having suffered substantial multi-year losses.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/5880047/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-risks-being-another-statistic-of-the-recession.html|title=Princess Michael of Kent risks being another statistic of the recession|newspaper=The Telegraph|first=Tim|last=Walker|date=21 July 2009|access-date=23 March 2018|archive-date=6 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406000841/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/5880047/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-risks-being-another-statistic-of-the-recession.html|url-status=live}} In 2008, the Princess was engaged as a consultant by Galerie Gmurzynska in Switzerland,{{cite web|url=https://www.princessmichael.org.uk/art/|title=Art|work=princessmichael.org.uk|access-date=17 May 2012|archive-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325143149/http://princessmichael.org.uk/art/|url-status=live}} and later became their international ambassador. She also served on the board of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and goes on lecture tours around the world where she talks about historical subjects at universities, museums and galleries to promote her books and endorse her charities. Marie-Christine, whose husband has a strong interest in Russia, was reportedly taking Russian lessons as of May 2012.{{cite news|last=Walker|first=Tim|date=21 May 2012|title=Princess Michael of Kent talks her way into new Russian front|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/9278393/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-talks-her-way-into-new-Russian-front.html|access-date=23 March 2018|newspaper=The Telegraph|archive-date=3 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603221512/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/9278393/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-talks-her-way-into-new-Russian-front.html|url-status=live}}

• {{cite book| title=Crowned in a Far Country: Portraits of Eight Royal Brides| year=1986| isbn=0-297-79010-2| publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson}}
• {{cite book| title=Cupid and the King: Five Royal Paramours| year=1991| isbn=0-00-223911-6| publisher=HarperCollins| url=https://archive.org/details/cupidking0000mich}}
• {{cite book| title=The Serpent and The Moon: Two Rivals for the Love of a Renaissance King| year=2004| isbn=0-7432-5104-0| publisher=Simon & Schuster| url=https://archive.org/details/serpentmoon00mich}}
• {{cite book| title=The Queen of Four Kingdoms| year=2013| isbn=978-1472108456| publisher=Constable}}
• {{cite book| title=Agnès Sorel: Mistress of Beauty| year=2014| isbn=978-1472119131| publisher=Constable}}
• {{cite book| title=Quicksilver| year=2015| isbn=978-1472123060| publisher=Constable| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/quicksilvernovel0000mich}}
• {{cite book| title=A Cheetah's Tale| year=2017| isbn=978-1784770693| publisher=Bradt}}

File:Princess Michael of Kent (Armistice Day 2008).jpg

Prince and Princess Michael represented the Queen at the Belize independence celebrations and at the coronation of King Mswati III of Eswatini. Prince Michael also supports a large number of charities and organisations, and Princess Michael supports him in his work.{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/PrinceandPrincessMichaelofKent/Activities.aspx |title=Prince and Princess Michael of Kent – Activities |publisher=Royal Household |access-date=25 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402013753/http://www.royal.gov.uk/ThecurrentRoyalFamily/PrinceandPrincessMichaelofKent/Activities.aspx |archive-date=2 April 2015 }}

Since she was a teenager, Princess Michael has held a long and enduring passion for the conservation of cheetahs and she is international royal patron for the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia.{{cite web|url=https://www.princessmichael.org.uk/books/a-cheetahs-tale/|title=A Cheetah's Tale|publisher=Princess Michael of Kent's official website|website=www.princessmichael.org.uk|access-date=25 October 2017|archive-date=17 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617003502/https://princessmichael.org.uk/books/a-cheetahs-tale/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://cheetah.org/press-release/royal-highness-princess-michael-kent-joins-fight-save-wild-cheetahs-cheetah-conservation-funds-first-royal-patron/|title=Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent Joins Fight to Save Wild Cheetahs as Cheetah Conservation Fund's First Royal Patron|date=4 June 2017|access-date=25 October 2017|publisher=Cheetah Conservation Fund|archive-date=30 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030004742/https://cheetah.org/press-release/royal-highness-princess-michael-kent-joins-fight-save-wild-cheetahs-cheetah-conservation-funds-first-royal-patron/|url-status=dead}} She is a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, a learned society dedicated to natural history and taxonomy.{{cite web |title=Address Book |url=https://members.linnean.org/members/addressbook |website=Linnean Society |access-date=15 July 2022 |location=Burlington House, London |url-access=subscription |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404235434/https://members.linnean.org/members/addressbook |url-status=live }}

Prince Michael has never received a parliamentary annuity or an allowance from the Privy Purse. The couple have had the use of a five-bedroom, five-reception grace and favour apartment at Kensington Palace. Queen Elizabeth II had paid the rent for the apartment at a market rate of £120,000 annually from her own private funds with the couple paying the nominal amount of £70 per week. The rent goes to the Grant-in-aid, provided by the Government for the maintenance of the Occupied Royal Palaces. The rent is based on the current rate for commercially rented properties at Kensington Palace, and is recorded in the overall figures for commercial rents in the Grant-in-aid annual report. 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", according to a statement released by the British Monarchy Media Centre.{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page3956.asp |title=Corrections to inaccurate media stories about the Royal Family |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174815/http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page3956.asp |archive-date=3 March 2016 }}

In 2008, it was announced that it had been agreed that Prince and Princess Michael would pay rent of £120,000 a year from their own funds from 2010.{{cite news |title=Prince and Princess Michael of Kent to pay £120,000 rent for Kensington Palace flat |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=6 October 2008 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/3146789/Prince-and-Princess-Michael-of-Kent-to-pay-120000-rent-for-Kensington-Palace-flat.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130064450/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/3146789/Prince-and-Princess-Michael-of-Kent-to-pay-120000-rent-for-Kensington-Palace-flat.html |archive-date=30 January 2011 |location=London |first=Lucy |url-status=dead |last=Cockcroft}}{{cite news |title=Comment on Queen's grace-and-favour apartments |work=The Mirror |date=14 June 2002 |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columnists/routledge/2002/06/14/comment-on-queen-s-grace-and-favour-apartments-115875-11950679/ |access-date=2 April 2018 |archive-date=17 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917194558/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columnists/routledge/2002/06/14/comment-on-queen-s-grace-and-favour-apartments-115875-11950679/ |url-status=live}} Members of Parliament on the public accounts committee had demanded the change after the Kents' rent had come to light. The Kents have lived in the apartment since 1979, paying only their utility bills prior to 2002.

Princess Michael of Kent is a Roman Catholic, and attended several events during Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010.

She attended Mass in Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, 18 September, where she was seated in the first row among other dignitaries, including Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor, the Duke of Norfolk and former Prime Minister Tony Blair; the Pope gave them an audience after Mass.{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2010/09/18/papal-visit-2010-westminster-cathedral-homily-%E2%80%93-full-text/|title=Papal Visit 2010: Westminster Cathedral homily – Twitter Feed|work=Catholic Herald|date=18 September 2010|access-date=23 March 2018|archive-date=1 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301003900/http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2010/09/18/papal-visit-2010-westminster-cathedral-homily-%E2%80%93-full-text/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11354357|title= Papal visit: Pope expresses his 'deep sorrow' for abuse|work= BBC News|date= 18 September 2010|access-date= 20 June 2018|archive-date= 2 August 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230802063559/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11354357|url-status= live}}

On the last day of the Pope's visit, 19 September, she attended the open-air Mass of beatification for Cardinal John Henry Newman at Cofton Park, Birmingham. Princess Michael was personally involved in the beatification process{{cite web|url= http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/Catholic-Church/media_centre/local_news/translation_of_remains_of_cardinal_newman_at_his_birmingham_oratory|title= Translation of remains of Cardinal Newman at his Birmingham Oratory|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100921205334/http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/Catholic-Church/media_centre/local_news/translation_of_remains_of_cardinal_newman_at_his_birmingham_oratory|archive-date= 21 September 2010|df= dmy-all|publisher=The Catholic Church in England and Wales}} and attended several other celebrations relating to his beatification before and after the Cofton Park Mass, including a commemorative concert of the Dream of Gerontius at Birmingham Town Hall on 18 September.

She also attended a civic dinner with invited dignitaries and bishops in Birmingham, before attending the Mass and meeting the Pope.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/catholicherald|title=Pope has just met Princess Michael of Kent, Lord & Lady Nicholas Windsor, the Duke of Norfolk, and dignitaries.|work=Catholic Herald|via=Twitter|access-date=21 September 2014|archive-date=15 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415005815/https://twitter.com/CatholicHerald|url-status=live}} Previously, in November 2008, the Princess attended the translation of remains of Cardinal Newman at Birmingham Oratory along with other guests of honour, including Francis Campbell, HM Ambassador to the Holy See; the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and Lady Mayoress; Sir Ivor Roberts, President of Trinity College, Oxford, and formerly British Ambassador to Italy; and Sir Derek Morris, Provost of Oriel College, Oxford. After the Translation Mass, Princess Michael was shown round Cardinal Newman's Room and Chapel and visited Newman's library.

Princess Michael of Kent represented the Duke of Edinburgh at the launching ceremony of the Green Pilgrimage Network in Assisi, Italy, on 1 November 2011. It was organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), founded by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1995, in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), of which Prince Philip was formerly President. The Princess spoke on behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh and led the opening procession.{{cite news|url= http://www.arcworld.org/news.asp?pageID=493|title= PRESS RELEASE: Green Pilgrimage Network launches with joy, hope, faith and practical plans|work= ARC|date= 8 November 2011|access-date= 9 November 2011|archive-date= 9 March 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120309062738/http://www.arcworld.org/news.asp?pageID=493|url-status= dead}}

On 2 July 2024, The Times published a letter to the editor, co-signed by Princess Michael of Kent and other Catholic and non-Catholic public figures, calling upon the Holy See to preserve what they describe as the "magnificent" cultural artifact of the Catholic Church's Traditional Latin Mass.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/1836658d-5527-49a6-853c-059ddafef12b?shareToken=6252b61cdfb9c755f3eb1c3eed1c5551|title=Letters to the editor|work=The Times|date=2 July 2024 |access-date=4 July 2024}}

File:Princess Michael of Kent.jpg

The Princess has a controversial history of statements and actions that have been accused of being racist.{{cite web |last=Hubbard |first=Lauren |date=30 July 2019 |title=Who Is Princess Michael of Kent |url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a26577385/princess-michael-of-kent-facts/ |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=Town & Country |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009190621/https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a26577385/princess-michael-of-kent-facts/ |url-status=live}}

The media claim she once declared to an American fashion magazine that she had "more royal blood in her veins than any person to marry into the royal family since Prince Philip". After being told about Princess Michael's lineage by Lord Mountbatten, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly joked that she was "a bit too grand for us".{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3757203.stm |work=BBC News |title=Faces of the week |date=28 May 2004 |access-date=22 May 2010 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215191008/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3757203.stm |url-status=live }}

In 2004, she was accused of racially insulting black diners at a restaurant in New York. A spokesperson acknowledged that the Princess had been angry at the group, who were seated at a table near her, but denied that she had told them to "go back to the colonies".{{cite news|last=Usbourne|first=David|date=27 May 2004|title=Princess accused of making racist remark in New York restaurant|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/princess-accused-of-making-racist-remark-in-new-york-restaurant-564879.html|access-date=13 June 2020|archive-date=25 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325034857/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/princess-accused-of-making-racist-remark-in-new-york-restaurant-564879.html|url-status=live}} In an interview with a newspaper she reflected on her encounter with "a group of rappers", which in fact included the TV reporter A. J. Calloway as well as a banker, a lawyer, and a music mogul.

In February 2005, she gave a series of interviews to promote her book, in one of which she said that Britons should be more concerned about the bloodlines of their children, and claimed that the British media were "excited" by Prince Harry's decision to wear a swastika for a fancy dress party because of the British press' "ownership structure".{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/feb/17/monarchy.lukeharding | work=The Guardian | title=Princess Michael defends breeding, Botox – and Harry | date=17 February 2005 | first=Luke | last=Harding | access-date=24 April 2017 | archive-date=5 April 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405184943/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/feb/17/monarchy.lukeharding | url-status=live }} She claimed that "nobody would have got excited" had he worn the hammer and sickle.

In September 2005, she talked to Mazher Mahmood, a News of the World journalist posing as a fake sheikh and potential buyer for Nether Lypiatt Manor, Princess Michael and her husband's country home at the time.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-fake-sheikh-and-his-greatest-hits-310570.html|title=The fake sheikh and his greatest hits|work=The Independent|date=6 September 2005|access-date=10 December 2022|archive-date=24 May 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-fake-sheikh-and-his-greatest-hits-310570.html|url-status=live}} The Princess shared her opinions on Diana, Princess of Wales, describing her as a "bitter" and "nasty" woman. She went on to say that Charles, Prince of Wales, was "jealous" of his former wife's popularity, and that he had effectively married a "womb". She also added that the Prince's Duchy Originals jams were not homemade: "He's got factories. It's just got his name on it."

On hearing that research by Dorothy Cheney and Robert Seyfarth seemed to indicate that rank among female baboons is hereditary, the Princess is reported to have said: "I always knew that when people who aren't like us claim that hereditary rank is not part of human nature, they must be wrong. Now you've given me evolutionary proof!"{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09babo.html?em&ex=1192075200&en=567eb5f609c7a6c8&ei=5087%0A |work=The New York Times |title=How Baboons Think (Yes, Think) |first=Nicholas |last=Wade |date=9 October 2007 |access-date=22 May 2010 |archive-date=11 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211020831/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09babo.html?em&ex=1192075200&en=567eb5f609c7a6c8&ei=5087%0A |url-status=live }}

In January 2014, the Princess was interviewed by Conrad Black.{{cite web|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/456121/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-says-old-Royals-are-boring-and-Princess-Diana-was-uneducated|title=Princess Michael of Kent says old Royals are 'boring' and Princess Diana was 'uneducated'|work=Daily Express|date=26 January 2014|access-date=11 January 2017|last=Dampler|first=Phil|archive-date=11 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211020839/https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/456121/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-says-old-Royals-are-boring-and-Princess-Diana-was-uneducated|url-status=live}} She described the older generation of the royal family as "boring for most people". Princess Michael also said that she was "very fond of" Diana, Princess of Wales, but also stated that she had "little education", and both she and Sarah, Duchess of York, were abandoned by their mothers at a young age, which made it hard for them to deal with their status as royal figures.

In September 2015, the Princess was in the news for stating publicly that animals do not have rights because they do not pay taxes, have bank accounts or vote.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/11898752/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-says-animals-do-not-have-rights-because-they-cannot-pay-taxes.html |title=Princess Michael of Kent says animals do not have 'rights' because they cannot pay taxes |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=29 September 2015 |access-date=6 January 2017 |last=Furness |first=Hannah |archive-date=3 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603221512/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/11898752/Princess-Michael-of-Kent-says-animals-do-not-have-rights-because-they-cannot-pay-taxes.html |url-status=live }}

In December 2017, the Princess was criticised for wearing a blackamoor brooch with a stylised figure of an African man to a Christmas banquet at Buckingham Palace. Meghan Markle, later the Duchess of Sussex, a mixed-race American woman of African and European descent, and at the time the fiancée of Prince Harry, was present at the dinner.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/22/princess-michael-apologises-wearing-racist-jewellery-meghan-markle-christmas-lunch|title=Princess Michael of Kent apologises for wearing 'racist jewellery'|last=Greenfield|first=Patrick|date=22 December 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=23 December 2017|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=28 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828070924/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/22/princess-michael-apologises-wearing-racist-jewellery-meghan-markle-christmas-lunch|url-status=live}} A spokesperson for the Princess later said that she "is very sorry and distressed that it has caused offence".{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42462724|title=Princess Michael of Kent sorry for wearing 'racist' brooch|publisher=BBC|date=23 December 2017|access-date=19 March 2021|archive-date=11 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230611151448/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42462724|url-status=live}}

In April 2018, her daughter's former partner, Aatish Taseer, alleged that the Princess had owned a pair of black sheep that she named after Venus and Serena Williams.{{cite magazine|last=Fowler|first=Danielle|date=29 April 2018|title=A royal ex has made further allegations of racism against Princess Michael of Kent|magazine=Harper's Bazaar|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a20095720/royal-ex-boyfriend-aatish-taseer-racist-allegations-princess-michael-kent/|access-date=13 June 2020|archive-date=4 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604154711/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a20095720/royal-ex-boyfriend-aatish-taseer-racist-allegations-princess-michael-kent/|url-status=live}}

In 1985, Marie-Christine was hospitalised for one week to undergo treatments for "nervous exhaustion". In 2002, she was treated for skin cancer.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/princess-of-wales-cancer-diagnosis-break-from-royal-tradition|title=The Princess of Wales's Decision to Share Her Cancer Diagnosis Represents a Powerful Break From Royal Tradition|magazine=Vogue|first=Rebecca|last=Cope|date=22 March 2024|access-date=30 March 2024}} In May 2021, it was reported that Princess Michael was suffering from blood clots after being diagnosed with COVID-19 six months earlier.{{cite web|url=https://royalcentral.co.uk/uk/kent/princess-michael-of-kent-unwell-with-blood-clots-six-months-on-from-contracting-covid-19-160048/|title=Princess Michael of Kent unwell with blood clots six months on from contracting Covid-19|work=Royal Central|first=Charlie|last=Proctor|date=16 May 2021|access-date=17 May 2021|archive-date=5 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405182323/https://royalcentral.co.uk/uk/kent/princess-michael-of-kent-unwell-with-blood-clots-six-months-on-from-contracting-covid-19-160048/|url-status=live}} She is known to have suffered from lung issues in her childhood. In late 2024, she fell down stairs at her Kensington Palace apartment and broke both wrists ahead of a Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace hosted by Charles III.{{cite news |last1=Henni |first1=Janine |title=Royal Family Member Breaks Both Wrists in Fall Down Kensington Palace Stairs |url=https://people.com/royal-family-member-breaks-both-wrists-fall-kensington-palace-stairs-8764831 |access-date=25 December 2024 |date=20 December 2024}}

File:Royal Monogram of Princess Michael of Kent.svg

Prior to her marriage to Prince Michael, she was known as The Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz.{{cite book |last1=Lane |first1=Peter |title=Princess Michael of Kent |date=1986 |publisher=London: Hale |isbn=0881621668 |page=64 |url=https://archive.org/details/princessmichaelo0000lane_y0z1/page/n69/mode/1up |access-date=12 April 2025}} Since her marriage to Prince Michael, Marie-Christine has been styled as Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent.{{cite web |title=About Prince and Princess Michael of Kent |url=https://www.royal.uk/princeandprincessmichaelofkent |website=royal.uk |date=29 October 2015 |access-date=17 September 2020 |archive-date=14 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114220304/https://www.royal.uk/princeandprincessmichaelofkent |url-status=live }}

{{see also|List of honours of the British royal family by country}}

• 45x45px 6 February 2012: Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal{{cite web |title=Image: Michael.jpg, (2197 × 1463 px) |url=http://www.royalinsight.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Michael.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924092331/http://www.royalinsight.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Michael.jpg |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=23 September 2015 |publisher=royalinsight.net |df=dmy-all}}

• {{flagicon|Sovereign Order of Malta}}: 45px Dame Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta{{cite web|url=https://www.princessmichael.org.uk/charities/religion/|title=Charities & Organisations – Religion|work=Princess Michael's official website|access-date=23 March 2018|archive-date=30 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160330024259/http://princessmichael.org.uk/charities/religion/|url-status=live}} (September 2010)
• {{flagicon|Vatican}}: Dame of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy{{cite web|url=https://www.princessmichael.org.uk/the-princess/|title=The Princess|work=Princess Michael's website|access-date=23 March 2018|archive-date=5 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705232117/https://princessmichael.org.uk/the-princess/|url-status=live}}
• {{flagicon|Austria-Hungary}} House of Habsburg: 45px Dame of the Order of the Starry Cross
• {{flagicon|Two Sicilies}} House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (Castroan branch): 45px Dame Grand Cross of Justice of the Two-Sicilian Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (GCJCO){{cite web|url=http://www.constantinian.org.uk/members-of-the-sacred-military-constantinian-order-of-saint-george/|title=Members of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George|work=Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George|date=28 January 2013|access-date=8 March 2015|archive-date=6 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506034612/http://www.constantinian.org.uk/members-of-the-sacred-military-constantinian-order-of-saint-george/|url-status=live}}

;Other

• Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners
• Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Weavers
• Honorary Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
• Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (FLS)

{{Emblem table

|image = Coat of Arms of Marie Christine von Reibnitz, Princess Michael of Kent.svg

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|notes = Arms of Princess Michael of Kent, depicting her husband's arms impaled with her patrilineal von Reibnitz coat of arms.

|coronet = Coronet of a Grandchild of the British Sovereign

|year_adopted =

|crest =

|torse =

|helm =

|escutcheon = Prince Michael of Kent's arms impaled with her paternal arms, viz: Argent, two bars Gules

|supporters = The Royal Supporters differenced with a like Coronet and Label.

|compartment =

|motto =

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|banner =

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|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;

|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;

|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;

|1= 1. Princess Michael of Kent

|2= 2. Günther Hubertus, Baron von Reibnitz

|3= 3. Countess Maria Anna Szapáry de Muraszombat, Széchysziget et Szapár

|4= 4. Hans, Baron von Reibnitz

|5= 5. Baroness Ida von Eickstedt

|6= 6. Frigyes, Count Szapáry de Muraszombat, Széchysziget et Szapár

|7= 7. Princess Maria Hedwig of Windisch-Grätz

|8= 8. Ernst, Baron von Reibnitz

|9= 9. Emilie Neumann

|10= 10. Hugo-Julius, Baron von Eickstedt

|11= 11. Ida Nadezda Krohn

|12= 12. László, Count Szapáry de Muraszombat, Széchysziget et Szapár

|13= 13. Countess Marianne von Grünne

|14= 14. Alfred III, Prince of Windisch-Grätz

|15= 15. Princess Gabriele of Auersperg

}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://www.princessmichael.org.uk/ Princess Michael of Kent's official website]
• [https://www.royal.uk/princeandprincessmichaelofkent Prince and Princess Michael of Kent] at the Royal Family website
• {{NPG name}}

{{S-start}}

{{S-prec|uk}}

{{S-bef|before=The Duchess of Kent}}

{{S-ttl|title=Ladies
HRH Princess Michael of Kent |years=}}

{{S-aft|after=Lady Sarah Chatto}}

{{s-end}}

{{British princesses by marriage}}

{{UK Order of Precedence (Ladies)}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Michael, Princess Of Kent}}

Category:1945 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century British writers

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Category:Austrian baronesses

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Category:Dames of Malta

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Category:Von Reibnitz family

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