Prince and Princess Michael of Kent retire from public life

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Prince Michael and Princess of Kent at Thanksgiving at Queen's Platinum Jubilee in St. Paul's Cathedral-Alex Diaz / NewsPicks

Prince Michael and Princess of Kent at Thanksgiving at Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in St. Paul’s Cathedral-Alex Diaz / NewsPicks

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent will retire a few months after the prince Cut off relations with Russia..

The Queen’s first cousin, a fluent Russian speaker with the pedigree of Emperor Nicholas II, had a strong business relationship with Russia, His connection with the Kremlin It was scrutinized after the invasion of Ukraine.

In March, a 79-year-old woman, along with the Queen, one of George V’s nine grandchildren, was awarded the Order of Friendship, one of Russia’s highest honors, and resigned as a guardian of Russia and Britain. .. chamber of commerce.

However, it is understood that he continued to be the ambassador and shareholder of Remit Radar, a remittance company led by former KGB executive Sergei Markov.

Now the Telegraph understands that Prince Michael and his wife, Marie Christine, 77 years oldHas completely resigned from public life and will be officially announced in the coming days.

This move is believed to coincide with Prince Michael’s 80th birthday on July 4th.

A couple spokesperson declined to comment.

According to the official website of the royal family, Prince Michael “is involved in about 100 charities and organizations, including being these numerous patrons.”

Although classified as a “non-profit” royal family, he conducts more than 200 public activities for the non-profit sector each year, funded by his household rather than taxpayers.

At the age of five, he was a Pageboy at a wedding with Queen Edinburgh of 1947.He is often seen at family events with his brother, Princess Alexandra, on the side of the monarch. Duke of Kent..

Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent at the Queen's Wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947-PA

Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent at the Queen’s Wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947-PA

The royal website adds: , Russian culture, health, graduate business education. “

Markov was nominated as the head of the Foundation on the Russian website of a charity that was taken offline after the invasion of Ukraine on February 24th.

Markov’s LinkedIn entry suggests that he is the Foundation’s “Managing Director”, first appointed in 2005.

Prince Michael is also an emeritus professor from the St. Petersburg Mining University and was presented in 2017 by billionaire Vladimir Litobinenko, a friend of Vladimir Putin and a campaign manager in the 2000 and 2004 elections. Was done.

He is also a patronage of the Moscow Academy of Industrial Finance and has received an honorary doctorate and the Russian Glory Award from the Prehanov Academy of Economics.

Prince Michael of Kent-Ian Jones / PA, filmed with Vladimir Puttin at an official reception at London's City Hall in 2003

Prince Michael of Kent-Ian Jones / PA, filmed with Vladimir Puttin at an official reception at London’s City Hall in 2003

Princess Michael, dubbed “Princess Pushy” by some royal families, “includes charities of animal and wildlife trust, health and welfare,” and “actively engages in about 45 different charities and organizations,” according to the website. I’m involved. “

“She is also involved in the work of many cultural institutions in different countries, including the London Arts Orchestra and the Patronage of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, reflecting her interest in art.”

Born in the Sudetenland region and now known as Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic, the two mothers have been controversial in the past in allegations of racism and derogatory comments about their royal companions. I have.

She and her husband, who were divorced when she married Prince Michael in Austria in 1978, joked after opening the Happy Eater Restaurant, “I go for a hot meal everywhere.” It was called “Rent-A-Kents”.

Prince Michael and Princess of Kent at the 1978 Wedding-Popper Photo via Getty Images

Prince Michael and Princess of Kent at the 1978 Wedding-Popper Photo via Getty Images

The couple, with two children, Lord Frederick Windsor (43) and Lady Gabriella Windsor (41), were given an elegant and friendly apartment in Kensington Palace as a wedding gift from the Queen. But criticized in 2002 when it became clear that they were paying £ 69 a week for a five-bedroom, five-reception room property, even though they weren’t officially active royalty. Faced with.

In response, Buckingham Palace allows the monarch to continue living without rent and pay an annual invoice of £ 120,000 from her own private income before Kent is asked to pay the rent herself. Said.

In 2009, just months before they suffered financial burden, the couple sold a series of family heirloom at Christie’s. This includes unofficial photos of Queen Victoria and the last emperor, a coronation chair, and Prince Michael’s silver baptismal set.

In 2012, Prince Michael was revealed to have received at least £ 320,000 from the exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky to support labor costs. There is no suggestion of cheating.

Prince Michael of Kent was involved in many philanthropic activities.Here is a picture of him starting the RAC Centenary Veteran Car Run at Hyde Park in 1996-Eddie Malholland.

Prince Michael of Kent was involved in many philanthropic activities.Here is a picture of him starting the RAC Centenary Veteran Car Run at Hyde Park in 1996-Eddie Malholland.

Princess Michael once suggested that older members of the royal family were “bored”. Diana, the Welsh princess, when she said, “She is uneducated,” she felt it was difficult to deal with her royal status, which caused a fuss and grew up without her mother. I did.

Princess Michael, whose father was a Nazi SS major, apologized in 2017 after wearing a black brooch with a gorgeous gold crown and a black bust with a bust for Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace. I was forced to do it.

Gestures caused controversy as the event was attended by the future Duchess of Sussex, an interracial person.

It came after an episode at a restaurant in New York in 2004 when she was told to “return to the colony” to a group of African-American diners. She tried to fix her reputation in an interview, but that only exacerbated her controversy.

“I was pretending to be an African, halfcaste African many years ago, and I couldn’t escape because of my pale eyes, but I dyed my hair black,” she said. Told to.

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