PRINCE MICHAEL is known for being a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II but the royal also has an esteemed military career and consultancy business of his own.
His wife Princess Michael is equally successful in her own right and the couple have faced many joys and family tragedies together throughout the years.
Princess Michael of Kent has been known as Princess Pushy[/caption]
Who is Princess Michael of Kent?
Princess Michael of Kent is married to the late Queen‘s paternal cousin Prince Michael of Kent.
Her husband is the grandson of King George V and Queen Mary.
It comes up all the time but nobody has ever given an incident of where I have pushed… We’re not very social. We don’t go out that much. But they had to put a handle on me.
Princess Michael on her 'Princess Pushy' nickname
Princess Michael is a member of the British Royal Family and is of German, Austrian, and Hungarian descent.
She was born in Karlsbad, Germany, which is now located in Czechia.
Her father – who was a Nazi party member – divorced her mother a year after her birth in 1945.
Princess Michael moved to Australia in 1950, where she was educated, and later headed to London to study History of Fine and Decorative Art.
Princess Michael worked as an interior designer before becoming an author.
She has penned a number of books on European royalty.
The royal has been referred to as Princess Pushy, a nickname that was allegedly given to her by Princess Anne.
Addressing the name in a 2000 interview with The Telegraph, Princess Michael said: “It comes up all the time but nobody has ever given an incident of where I have pushed.
“We’re not very social. We don’t go out that much. But they had to put a handle on me.
“I guess someone said, ‘She pushed her way into this family’. I didn’t. I held out for years, refusing to marry.”
When did she marry Prince Michael of Kent?
Princess Michael has been married twice.
She first married English banker Thomas Troubridge in 1971 but the couple separated in 1973 and civilly divorced in 1977.
The union was ecclesiastically annulled by Pope Paul VI in May 1978.
She then married Prince Michael just one month after the annulment at a civil ceremony in Vienna, Austria on June 30, 1978.
After gaining permission from Pope John Paul II, the pair married in a Roman Catholic ceremony on June 29, 1983.
Prince Michael forfeited his line to the throne by marrying her because she was a Roman Catholic, but was later reinstated through the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.
Commonwealth leaders decided in 2011 to remove the rule that no heir could assume the throne if he or she married a Roman Catholic and the change was made official two years later.
Why is she called Princess Michael?
Princess Michael was born Baroness Marie Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz.
Upon her marriage, she was given the title of Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent – the female equivalent to her husband’s title.
Prince Michael is the only grandson of a King with a HRH title who is a second son.
There are no other princesses with their husband’s name.
How many children does she have?
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have two children together.
Lord Frederick “Freddie” Windsor, the couple’s first child, was born April 6, 1979, at St Mary’s Hospital in London.
He married Claudia Winkleman‘s sister Sophie Winkleman in 2009 and they have two daughters, Maud and Isabella.
Lady Gabriella Kingston was then born April 23, 1981, at the same hospital as her older brother.
She married Thomas Kingston on May 18, 2019.
It was announced on February 27, 2024 that Thomas had passed away at the age of 45.
A statement on behalf of his wife and family said: “It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of Thomas Kingston, our beloved husband, son and brother.
“Tom was an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him. His death has come as a great shock to the whole family and we ask you to respect our privacy as we mourn his passing.”
Thomas, who dated Pippa Middleton in 2011, worked in frontier market investment and was the director of Devonport Capital.
He and Lady Gabriella did not have any children.
What books has she written?
Princess Michael is author of three non-fiction books; Crowned In A Far Country: Eight Royal Brides, Cupid And The King – Five Royal Paramours, and The Serpent And The Moon.
She has also written three novels; The Queen Of Four Kingdoms, Agnès Sorel: Mistress of Beauty, and Quicksilver.
Princess Michael has also been published in magazines and has penned a number of personal articles for the Orient Express.
Who was Tom Kingston?
Thomas worked in frontier market investment, and was the director of Devonport Capital.
He was once described as “the most eligible man in London” and previously dated Pippa Middleton in 2011.
Thomas graduated from the University of Bristol with a bachelor’s degree in economic history, according to The Telegraph.
He worked in the Diplomatic Missions Unit of the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office, and for almost three years worked in Baghdad as a project officer for the Iraqi Institute of Peace.
His job was to mediate conflicts in Iraq, and he even helped negotiate the release of hostages.
Thomas then moved into finance, working as an equity analyst for global asset management firm Schroders.
He was managing director of Voltan Capital Management until April 2017.
In September 2018, it was announced that Thomas was engaged to Lady Gabriella Windsor.
