The Prince is the Queen’s first cousin on her dad’s side, meaning their shared grandparents were Queen Mary and George V. The first cousin of the Queen is not a working royal, but he frequently appears at public events with the family.
Prince Michael of Kent was born on July 4, 1942, to Prince George, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. As a fellow grandson of King George V and Queen Mary of Teck, he is Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin. While he was seventh in line to the throne at birth, he has since fallen much further down the order of succession.
In addition to being a member of the British royal family, Prince Michael is also distantly related to the Romanovs, the last imperial family of Russia.
His grandmother was the first cousin to Nicholas II, making Michael a first cousin twice removed of the last Russian Tsar. In fact, he travelled to St Petersburg in July to mark the 100th anniversary of the execution of the Tsar, Tsarina, and their children.
Prince Michael of Kent and his family do not receive public funds, but they are still close relatives of the Queen and attend royal celebrations from time to time. Much like Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, they also take on some public duties to represent the Queen when necessary.
Other than the occasional royal appearance, Prince Michael had a long military career. According to his biography on the royal family’s website, he served in Germany, Hong Kong, and Cypress, and now owns a consultancy business.
Additionally, he is involved in about 100 charities and organizations and is a qualified Russian interpreter.
What is the latest scandal involving Prince Michael of Kent?
On Saturday, the Prince, who speaks fluent Russian and was a regular visitor to the country before COVID-19, was reported to have offered to “sell access” to Vladimir Putin’s representatives for more than £143,000.
The report, published by The Times, was based on Zoom call footage of Prince Michael and the Marquess of Reading filmed by undercover reporters.
The prince later told the newspaper he had not been in contact with the Russian president since 2003.
Between 2002 and 2008, the Prince was given financial help by Boris Berezovsky, a Russian oligarch and vocal critic of Vladimir Putin who lived in the U.K until his death in 2013.
The money, which totalled £320,000, was another issue over which Prince Michael faced scrutiny, but speaking to The Sunday Times at the time, his benefactor insisted: “There is nothing underhand or improper about the financial assistance I have given Prince Michael. It is a matter between friends.”
