2024-07-28 19:24:33
Prince Michael of Greece has died aged 85. He was a first cousin of Prince Philip, husband of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The royal was a famous writer and historian who wrote under the name Michel de Gres. Prince Michael was the last surviving grandson of George I of Greece and the last surviving great-grandson of Christian IX of Denmark.
He died in a hospital in Athens.
The prince was born in Rome months before the outbreak of World War II in 1939. His parents were Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and his wife Princess Françoise d’Orléans of France.
Michael’s father died when he was just one year old, and World War II scattered the Greek royal family across Europe. The prince was raised by Princess Françoise in Morocco, Spain and France before she died in 1953, leaving him an orphan aged 14.
Michael returned to Greece for military service, later selling his mother’s estate in France.
He became a historian, wrote bestsellers about Greece and European royalty, Nova reported.
The prince was also a contributor to the American magazine Architectural Digest.
Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark (85) has passed away.
He was the last surviving grandchild of King George I of the Hellenes, the last surviving great-grandchild of King Christian IX of Denmark and a first cousin of the late Duke of Edinburgh. pic.twitter.com/0BhAx9oBcd
— RoyalArjan (@RoyalArjan) July 28, 2024