Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark has died, aged 85.
His family has just confirmed the sad news, with The Telegraph reporting that Prince Michael passed away at an Athens hospital on July 28, 2024.
Michael is survived by his wife, Marina Karella, and their two daughters, Princess Alexandra of Greece and Princess Olga of Savoy-Aosta.
The funeral will take place on August 1 in Greece’s capital city.
Tributes instantly poured in online, with one royal fan writing on X (formerly known as Twitter):
“Extremely sorry to hear of the death of Prince Michael.”
Prince Michael was born on January 7, 1939 to Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and Princess Françoise d’Orléans.
Prince Michael’s paternal lineage connected him to King George I of Greece, who was his grandfather. King George I was originally Prince William of Denmark before being elected King of Greece in 1863.
This connection placed Prince Michael within the Greek royal family, which is a branch of the House of Glücksburg. His father, Prince Christopher, was the youngest son of King George I, which made Michael a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg.
On his maternal side, Prince Michael was related to the House of Bourbon, a significant European royal house. His mother, Princess Françoise, was a member of the Orléans branch of the Bourbons, which once held the French throne.
Prince Michael also shared a connection with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as they were both descendants of King George I of Greece. Prince Philip’s father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, was a son of King George I, making him and Prince Michael first cousins.
Additionally, Prince Michael’s nephew King Constantine II was the last king of Greece who reigned until the abolition of the Greek monarchy in June 1973.
Despite his many royal connections, Prince Michael renounced his claim to the Greek throne 8 years before it was abolished – in 1965, he did so to marry Marina, a commoner.
While renouncing this claim gave Michael the freedom to marry the love of his life, it also granted him the chance to pursue a different profession.
He quickly began writing under the pseudonym Michel de Grèce, and went on to publish numerous successful historical books and biographies, like The White Night of St. Petersburg, Sultana, and Crown Jewels.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
