It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, who was also the first cousin of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Michael, aged 85, was pronounced dead at a hospital in Athens, Greece, on Sunday. His burial will take place in the Greek capital on Thursday.
Prince Michael, known by his pen name Michel De Gres, was a renowned writer and historian. As the last remaining grandson of George I, he had a lineage to the House of Bourbon through his mother’s side of the family. He was well-known for his marriage to Marina Karella and made the decision to renounce his right to the Greek throne in order to marry her in 1965.
Prince Michael is survived by his wife, Marina Karella, and their two daughters, Princess Olga of Savoy-Aosta and Princess Alexandra of Greece. He was the only child of Prince Christopher and his second wife, Princess Francoise d’Oleans of France. Tragically, Prince Michael became an orphan at the age of 14, with the passing of his father in 1940 and his mother in 1953.
After studying political science in Paris, Prince Michael returned to Greece to fulfill his military duty. He served in the Hellenic Coast Guard, successfully regaining his Greek citizenship. Interestingly, Prince Michael remained in Greece in 1967 when the government fell to a right-wing military coup, even after his nephew, King Constantine, failed in his attempts to overthrow the junta.
Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark will be remembered for his contributions as a writer and historian, as well as his devotion to his family and country. May he rest in peace.
