The son of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and Princess Francoise of Orleans, Prince Micheal was born only a year before Prince Christopher passed away in 1940, shortly before he and his mother one tot spend the Second World War at Larache in Morocco, but due to political differences and financial troubles, they later settled at the Hotel Miramar in Malaga in 1944. In 1948, Princess Françoise and Prince Michael moved to Paris, after not being allowed to go to Greece due to the civil war and being barred from settling in England. The Princess became a recluse and quite depressed, passing away in 1953, while Prince Michael became a ward of his uncle, the Count of Paris.
Through his parents, Prince Michael was the first cousin of, among others, King George II, King Alexander and King Paul of Greece, Queen Helen of Romania, the Duchess of Aosta (the short-lived Queen of Croatia), the Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Margarita, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Princess Cecile, Grand Duchess of Hesse, Princess Theodora, Margravine of Baden, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, Princess Paul of Yugoslavia, Princess Sophie of Greece and Hanover, Princess Eugenie of Greece, and Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, the Count of Paris, Princess Margherita, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Princess Diane, Duchess of Württemberg, Princess Anne, Duchess of Calabria, and Princess Claude, Duchess of Aosta. Following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, he was the was the last surviving grandchild of King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia while he was only the last surviving great-grandchild of King Christian IX of Denmark for only eleven days.
Prince Michael only returned to Greece after he came of age and was embraced by King Paul and Queen Frederica, becoming a working member of the Greek Royal Family, and was quite close to the late King Constantine II of Greece, Queen Sofia of Spain, and Princess Irene.
In 1965, Prince Michael married a well-known painter and sculptor, Marina Karella, giving up his rights to the Greek Throne, but still remaining a beloved member of the Royal Family. Prince and Princess Michael had two daughters; Princess Alexandra of Greece and Princess Olga, Duchess of Apulia, and five grandchildren.
Prince Michael become a biographer and historian and wrote several biographies about members of ruling dynasties, those about contemporaries often including accounts and anecdotes attributed to his royal relatives. He regularly gave interviews relating to his royal heritage and also wrote an interesting blog, with stories of his travels and family. Last year, Prince Michael published his autobiography and shared his private photo albums.
A revelatory tour through the private photo albums of Prince Michael of Greece—as dashing a prince as ever lived, whose remarkable life traveling between traditional royals and iconic figures of art and style redefined our vision of royalty.
Diamond Floral Tiara
Van Cleef and Arpels Parure
Greek Emerald Parure
Greek Ruby Parure
Khedive of Egypt Tiara
Antique Corsage Tiara
Pearl and Star Tiara
Diamond Stars
Aquamarine Pendant
Diamond Sautoir
Modern Diamond Necklace
Sapphire Necklace
Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace
Van Cleef & Arpels Suite
Diamond Earrings
Diamond Pendant
Emerald Pendant
Amethyst Brooch
Diamond Swan Brooch
Seed Pearl Brooch
Bow Brooch
Diamond Clip Brooches
Seed Pearl Brooch
Greek Royal Tiaras
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Happy Birthday to Prince Michael of Greece! The son of Prince Christopher of Greece and Princess Francoise of Orleans, Prince Micheal is the first cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh, the late Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, Princess Paul of Yugoslavia, Queen Helen of Romania, the Duchess of Aosta, Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Princess Theodora, Margravine of Baden, Grand Duchess Cecile of Hesse, and Princess Sophie of Hanover, and the Count of Paris. Orphaned at quite an early age, Prince Micheal lived with his maternal family before moving to Athens after reaching the age of majority, and performing official duties for King Paul and King Constantine. In 1965, he married a well-known painter and sculptor, Marina Karella, giving up his rights to the Greek Throne. Prince Michael is one of my favorite authors, with books like The White Night of St. Petersburg (2000) and Sultana (1983). He regularly gives interviews relating to his royal heritage and also writes an interesting blog, with stories of his travels and family. Prince and Princess Michael have two daughters (including the Duchess of Apulia) and five grandchildren. They live between Paris and Greece.
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I have read his stories and seen videos with his comments about royalty. They are fascinating because he gives you an insider’s view of things. Like the story of why King Pedro I of Brazil found it difficult to find a wife after the death of his first wife P. Maria Leopoldina. He tells the kind of things you don’t ordinarily find in history books. I wish him joy!
Please, he’s a lazy, horrible writer. No sources, writes drivel, and never backs up anything. What kind of man uses “-” in his writing? Check out Amazon – there’s some crack comments about his terrible writer and unsubstantiated sources.
He’s a HORRIBLE writer – a very lazy, unaccomplished one actually. His books rely on unsubstantiated 2nd and 3rd hand “sources” from other books – never backed up in indexes, bibliographies, you name it. More name dropping than any backed up sources. The usual Greek family arrogance, laziness, and stupidity must be shining through. For instance, check out his “biography” about Charlotte and Maximillian of Mexico. He spent more time in his dedication to his relatives than backing up his claims. If he was a bright, decent author, he would have seen that there are bright people who will see through his simple-minded fiction passing as a legitimate biography. Some of his claims are just obnoxious, salacious drivel that he found from extreme far-right writers like Paul Belien, who wrote one of the worst and ugliest books about the Belgian royal family I have ever read. Remember, these are the ancestors of the relatives Prince Michael claims to honour. And of course, not even mentioned as a source. He seems to be one of those people who wants to be known to have merit, yet cannot even be bothered to make an effort. It’s a shame when unsubstantiated nonsense is passed over as historical fact, when it’s really just the imaginations of weak, lazy authors at work. And what kind of cultured, decent and intelligent man uses the word “-” in his book? I guess there is a reason why the Greeks voted for independence.
There are man things I can say in reply to the but ill try to keep it short. First off, Michael is a good writer, wait no, he’s an amazing writer. And I will admit that his book about Charlotte and Maximillian was not the best for his lack of sources, but to try to shame and insult him for ONE book is just childish. That’s like shaming a famed singer because they performed badly on one occasion out of ll the other ones they’ve done before. Two saying things like “The usual Greek family arrogance, laziness, and stupidity must be shining through” is incredibly offensive. Go somewhere else and be discriminatory. And also, implying he is not cultured, decent or intelligent because he used the word retard in a book? As if there are not countless of movies, books and even plays that use even ore foul language than that. And last but not least, Prince Michael was actually viewed favorably by Greeks, so no he’s not why the Greeks wanted an republic.
May birthday of Prince Michael of Greece be blessed with peace and love