It is with great sadness that we announce that the prince has passed away suddenly tonight…
Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, first cousin to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has passed away at the age of 85. The royal, who was also known as Michel De Gres in his career as a writer and historian, died in a hospital in Athens, Greece. He will be laid to rest in the Greek capital on Thursday.
Prince Michael was the last remaining grandson of King George I of Greece and was linked to the House of Bourbon through his mother. He is remembered for his marriage to Marina Karella, for whom he renounced his claim to the Greek throne in 1965. The couple has two daughters, Princess Olga of Savoy-Aosta and Princess Alexandra of Greece.
The only child of Prince Christopher and Princess Francoise d’Orleans of France, Prince Michael faced early losses with his father passing away at 51 in 1940 and his mother in 1953, leaving him orphaned at 14. He studied political science in Paris and later returned to Greece for military service in the Hellenic Coast Guard, which helped him regain Greek citizenship.
Prince Michael remained in Greece during a turbulent period in 1967 when the government was overthrown by a right-wing military coup, following his nephew King Constantine’s failed attempt to challenge the junta.