Remembering Prince Michael of Greece: Prince Phillip’s cousin who relinquished his royal inheritance in the…see more

Remembering Prince Michael of Greece: Prince Phillip’s cousin who relinquished his royal inheritance in the name of love
Raised an orphan in war-torn Europe, Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark spent his life navigating an ever-shifting relationship to royalty

Prince Michael of Greece, the first cousin of Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, has died in Athens at the age of 85, according to local papers. A critically-acclaimed historian, The Prince was the last remaining grandson of the assassinated King George I of Greece; his father, Prince Christopher, was the King’s youngest son, and his mother, Francoise d’Orleans, traces her lineage to the House of Bourbon, a dynasty that has ruled throughout Europe and includes the current royal family of Spain.

Born in Rome in 1939, as war spread across Europe, Prince Michael spent his life adapting to the continent’s shifting relationship with the monarchy. Like many Greek royals of his time, he spent his childhood in exile after the National Schism of the early 1900s. When a lung abscess killed his father when Michael was aged just one, and the death of his mother 13 years later, the Prince grew up an orphan, with his family dynasty scattered throughout Europe.

Prince Michael of Greece, the first cousin of Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, has died in Athens at the age of 85, according to local papers. A critically-acclaimed historian, The Prince was the last remaining grandson of the assassinated King George I of Greece; his father, Prince Christopher, was the King’s youngest son, and his mother, Francoise d’Orleans, traces her lineage to the House of Bourbon, a dynasty that has ruled throughout Europe and includes the current royal family of Spain.

Born in Rome in 1939, as war spread across Europe, Prince Michael spent his life adapting to the continent’s shifting relationship with the monarchy. Like many Greek royals of his time, he spent his childhood in exile after the National Schism of the early 1900s. When a lung abscess killed his father when Michael was aged just one, and the death of his mother 13 years later, the Prince grew up an orphan, with his family dynasty scattered throughout Europe.