The Scandals and Triumphs of Princess Michael of Kent


Princess Michael of Kent has long been a captivating figure within the British Royal Family. Known for her elegance, intellect, and the controversies which she was involved with, she has navigated a path that blends the traditions of royalty with a modern spirit. As she turns 80, let us celebrate her  life and the remarkable journey shaped by noble heritage, achievements, and  resilience.

Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz was born on Jaanuary 15, 1945 at the family estates of her Austrian maternal grandmother, Princess Hedwig von Windisch-Graetz in Karlovy Vary, then part of the German-occupied Czechoslovakia. Princess Michael hails from an illustrious background of Bohemian (Czech) and Hungarian nobility. Her father was Baron Günther Hubertus von Reibnitz, a cavalry officer of the German Empire during the First World War. Her mother was Countess Maria Anna Carolina Franziska Walpurga Bernadette Szapáry, a member of the Hungarian nobility. From her mother’s side, she is the grand-daughter of Princess Hedwig von Windisch-Graetz. Her maternal grandfather, Count Friedrich Szapáry von Muraszombath, Széchysziget und Szapár, was a diplomat, who served as the ambassador of Austria-Hungary in Saint Petersburg at the start of World War I.

Following her parents' separation, Marie-Christine moved with her mother and brother to Australia, where her mother operated a beauty salon. In Sydney, she attended Catholic schools, receiving a traditional education. In the late 1960s, Marie-Christine relocated to London, where she pursued a career in interior design. It is also in London where she met and married her first husband, banker Thomas Troubridge, the younger brother of Sir Peter Troubridge, 6th Baronet.  They married in 1971, but their marriage ended up in separation two years later. They were finally divorced in 1976.

Shortly afterwards, she met Prince Michael and the two fell in love with each another. Royal biographer Sarah Bradford, in Elizabeth: A Biography of Her Majesty The Queen (2002) mentioned that the Queen was far from overjoyed of her cousin’s marital prospects. Instead, “she would have preferred a less exotic bride.” Her Majesty was persuaded into it by Lord Mountbatten, the royal matchmaker, who felt paternal obligation towards Michael and was charmed by Marie-Christine. Elizabeth had little room to act; rejection of a bride of a minor member of the family on the grounds that she was divorced and of the wrong religion would understandably have led to a good deal of criticism, and so, after the approval of the Privy Council, she gave her formal agreement. The wedding took place in Vienna in 1978, the birthplace of the bride’s mother. The Royal Marriages Act of 1772 barred members of the Royal Family from getting married on civil ceremonies in England.

At the last moment, Pope Pauyl VI, who had granted an annulment of Marie-Christine’s first marriage, refused a dispensation for a church wedding, almost certainly because the children of the first marriage were to be brought up as Protestants in order to preserve their rights of succession to the Throne. The Vatican eventually relented and the couple were given formal blessings in July 1983 in a ceremony at Westminster Cathedral. Their marriage led to the birth of two children, Lord Frederick, born 1979, and Lady Gabriella, born 1983. The Queen gave them a grace-and-favor apartment at Kensington Palace, while they maintained their country home at Nether Lypiatt, a 17th century mansion in Gloucestershire, which they eventually sold. 

As junior male representative of the Kent family, Prince Michael is not required to carry out official engagements. The couple does not also receive any public funds and their activities are not recorded at the Court Circular. But there were a handful of events when the couple where requested to stand in on behalf of the Crown. In 1981, the couple represented the Queen at the independence celebrations for Belize and in 1982, Princess Michael represented Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on certain engagements.

Princess Michael is a working royal. She is an author, a lecturer, an art connoisseur at Galerie Gmurzynska in Switzerland, and runs her own interior design company. She has also authored six books: Crowned in a Far Country (1986), Cupid and the King (1991), The Serpent and The Moon: two rivals for the love of a Renaissance king (2004), The Queen Of Four Kingdoms (2013), Agnes Sorel: Mistress of Beauty (2014), and A Cheetah's Tale (2016).

Princess Michael is also active in philanthropic circles, serving as patron of several animal conservation organizations in Africa. During her prime, she and her husband used to undertake over 200 public and charitable engagements annually for more than 100 charities and other not-for-profit organizations.

Nicknamed "Princess Pushy" in some royal circles and said to have been dubbed as “Our Val” (a reference to the warrior-like German Valkyries.), Princess Michael has been called "the most controversial royal family member" for her family history and number of personal faux pas.

In the 1980s word began to circulate in the press that the Princess's father, Baron Gunther von Reibnitz, was a member of the Nazi party and an SS officer during WWII, creating a scandal for the newly-minted royal. She was also accused of plagiarism in the 1980s for her book Crowned in a Far Country: Eight Royal Brides. The book contained passages that were almost identical to other works, and at least one author received an out-of-court settlement.

 Prince and Princess Michael of Kent courted public attention in 2002 when it was revealed that Queen Elizabeth II had been covering their rent. Palace officials explained that “The Queen is paying the rent for Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's apartment at a commercial rate of £120,000 annually from her own private funds. This arrangement reflects the Royal engagements and charitable work undertaken by Prince and Princess Michael at their own expense, without public funding.” However, in 2010, it was announced that they would be responsible for paying the full rent themselves moving forward.

p>In 2004, Princess Michael was once again involved in a controversy when she was accused of racism after reportedly telling a group of African American diners at a New York restaurant to “go back to the colonies.” In an attempt to address the backlash, she gave an interview that further fueled the controversy. “Years ago, I even pretended to be an African, a half-caste African,” she told ITV. “But because of my light eyes, I did not get away with it. I dyed my hair black and traveled on African buses. I wanted to be a writer and sought experiences from Cape Town to northern Mozambique. I had an adventure with these absolutely adorable, special people. To be called racist feels like a knife through my heart because I truly love these people.”

In 2005, Princess Michael made headlines again when News of the World reporter Mazher Mahmood alleged that she described the late Princess Diana as “bitter” and “nasty” and claimed that Prince Charles was “jealous” of Diana’s popularity.

Further controversy arose in 2014 during a Canadian TV interview where she remarked that the older generation of royals was “boring for most people.” She also commented on Princess Diana, calling her “uneducated” and suggesting that growing up without a mother made it “much harder to cope” with royal life.

In September 2015, Princess Michael angered animal rights activists by claiming that animals do not have rights because they do not pay taxes, have bank accounts, or vote. “You only have rights if you pay your taxes. You earn your rights,” she stated.

In December 2017, Princess Michael faced widespread criticism for wearing a blackamoor brooch to the Queen’s Christmas lunch—the same occasion when Meghan Markle, who is biracial, was formally introduced to the royal family by Prince Harry. This choice of accessory was widely regarded as racially insensitive and sparked a public outcry.

Despite all these intrigues, Princess Michael of Kent is one royal to beat. Beautiful, intelligent, artistic, foreign, professional, ambitious, hard-working, clever and dazzling, she is probably the last of her generation to cast the royal magic wherever she goes. 

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