Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark
Encyclopedia
Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, (born 7 January 1939) is the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of several historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
s and biographies, as well as a contributing writer to Architectural Digest
Architectural Digest
Architectural Digest is an American monthly magazine. Its principal subject is interior design, not — as the name of the magazine might suggest — architecture more generally. The magazine is published by Condé Nast Publications and was founded in 1920, by the Knapp family, who sold it in 1993...
.
Birth and family
He was born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark
Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark
Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Royal House.-Family background:...
and his second wife, Princess Françoise of Orléans
Princess Françoise of Orléans (1902–1953)
Princess Françoise of Orléans was born a Princess of Orléans and was a Princess of Greece and Denmark by marriage. She was thus a member of the Greek royal family...
; his father died when he was a year old.
His paternal grandparents were George I of Greece
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
and Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
Olga Konstantinovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia , later Queen Olga of the Hellenes , was the queen consort of King George I of Greece and briefly in 1920, Queen Regent of Greece...
. His maternal grandparents were Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise
Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise
Jean Pierre Clément Marie d'Orléans, Duke of Guise , was the son of Robert, Duke of Chartres , grandson of Ferdinand-Philippe and great-grandson of Louis Philippe I, King of the French...
, and his wife Princess Isabelle d'Orléans
Isabelle d'Orléans, duchesse de Guise
Princess Isabelle of Orléans was a member of the French Orleanist royal family and by marriage Duchess of Guise....
.
Education and military service
Michael studied the political sciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
s in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He then served a term in the Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
, discharged with the rank of Third Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
.
Marriage and children
.He married the Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
artist Marina Karella
Marina Karella
Marina, Consort of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark - is a Greek artist. She is married to Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark. However, because this marriage is considered morganatic, she did not gain the title of 'Princess Michael of Greece and Denmark' and cannot style herself as 'her...
(b. 17 July 1940) on 7 February 1965, at the Royal Palace in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Her parents were Theodore Karella and Ellie Chalikiopoulos. This was a morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage
In the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
, which resulted in Prince Michael renouncing any rights to the throne of Greece on behalf of himself and his future descendants; this renunciation occurred prior to the marriage, after which the marriage was approved by King Constantine II
"Because of constitutional restrictions", said an article about the marriage in The New York Times, "the bride will not acquire the title of princess. She will be known as Marina, consort of Prince Michael of Greece." The article further stated that the bride was a granddaughter of a textile mill owner, whose investments raised the family to great wealth and social acceptance.
For his future descendants the use of the title, "Prince or Princess of Greece" by issue of the marriage was recognized by the king, but they do not bear the style of Royal Highness
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
and the title Prince or Princess of Denmark, traditionally accorded to members of the Greek royal family.
The couple has two daughters:
- Princess Alexandra of GreecePrincess Alexandra of GreecePrincess Alexandra of Greece is the elder daughter of Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark and his wife, Marina, consort of Prince Michael...
(born 15 October 1968), married to Nicolas Mirzayantz, by whom she has two sons, Tigran and Darius Mirzayantz. - Princess Olga of Greece (born 17 November 1971), married to her second cousin Prince Aimone, Duke of Apulia, son of Amedeo, 5th Duke of AostaAmedeo, 5th Duke of AostaPrince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta, Duke of Aosta, is a claimant to the headship of the House of Savoy, the family which ruled Italy from 1861 to 1946, as well as the heir to the short-lived Kingdom of Croatia during World War II...
and paternal grandson of Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, second daughter of King Constantine I. Aimone and Olga became the parents of a son, Prince Umberto of SavoyPrince Umberto of SavoyPrince Umberto of Savoy-Aosta is the elder male-line grandson of Amedeo, 5th Duke of Aosta, and is in the line of succession to the disputed headship of the House of Savoy, which occupied the Italian throne until 1946, presumptive heir of both his paternal grandfather and father and also his...
on 7 March 2009.
List of works
Prince Michael has written fictionalized history and most of his books deal with royalty, about whom his own royal acquaintances have provided with abundant anecdotal information:- The White Night of St. PetersburgThe White Night of St. PetersburgThe White Night of St. Petersburg is a novelised biography of Grand Duke Nicholas Kostantinovich Romanov set in Russia at the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th century....
, a historical novel. - Crown Jewels of Britain and Europe (1983, reprinted several times)
- Sultana (Harper & Row, 1993)
- The Empress of Farewells: The Story of Charlotte, Empress of MexicoCharlotte of BelgiumCharlotte of Belgium is remembered today as Carlota of Mexico as empress consort of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, ex-Archduke of Austria.-Princess of Belgium:The only daughter of Leopold I, King of the Belgians by his second wife,...
(2002) - Living with Ghosts
- Unusual Memories (2004)
- Louis XIV: The Other Side of the Sun
- Le Rajah Bourbon (2007)
Titles and styles
- 7 January 1939 – present: His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark