Prince and Princess Michael of Kent Reportedly Set to Retire From Public Life

According to reports, Prince Michael of Kent and the Princess Michael of Kent, Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz, his wife, are planning to retire from public life next month, capping off years (and occasional controversy) in the spotlight as members of the British royal family.

According to The Telegraph, Michael is expected to issue an official announcement about their retirement, which is believed to be scheduled for his 80th birthday on July 4.

Born in 1942, Michael is the son of Prince George, who was the fourth son of George V and the brother of George VI, the late father of Queen Elizabeth II. That connection makes Michael a paternal first cousin to the queen.

According to his bio on the royal family’s website, Michael attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served in the military in Germany, Hong Kong, and Cyprus. These days, he owns a private consultancy business and serves as founder and patron of the Pan-European Genesis Initiative.

He also has a “strong interest” in Russia, according to the bio, having qualified as a Russian interpreter and formerly serving as patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce. The Prince Michael of Kent Foundation supports charity work throughout Russia.

Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Michael stepped down from his Russo-British Chamber of Commerce role and sent back the Order of Friendship award that Russia had bestowed upon him, though he’s reportedly still an ambassador and shareholder of RemitRadar, a money transfer firm led by a former KGB officer, The Telegraph reports.

People reports that Michael is 52nd in the line of succession to the British throne, one place ahead of his son, Frederick, and four places ahead of his daughter, Gabriella. Unverified online reports estimate his net worth to be $40 million.

In 1978, Michael married Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz, the owner of an interior design company, an art and history lecturer, and the president of Partridge Fine Art. The couple has two children, private banker Lord Frederick Windsor and writer Lady Gabriella Windsor.

Prince and Princess Michael represent Queen Elizabeth II at various engagements, and he's involved in around 100 charities and organizations, while she's involved in around 45, his royal bio explains.

As The Telegraph recaps, however, Princess Michael of Kent has been mired in allegations of racism over the years, including the time she wore a “Blackamoor” brooch, depicting a Black male with a gold turban, to a Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace attended by Meghan Markle, future Duchess of Sussex.

Princess Michael also reportedly told a group of Black diners in a New York City restaurant to “go back to the colonies” in 2004, according to New York Post. Following that alleged incident, she denied she was racist in an ITV interview and said that years prior she dyed her hair black and pretended to be “a half-caste African,” but didn’t “get away with it” because of her “light eyes.”