Prince Michael

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Biographical Information

"Prince Michael was born on July 4th, 1942 at the family home in Iver, Buckinghamshire. He was christened Michael George Charles Franklin, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of his godfathers. His father, Prince George, Duke of Kent, was the fourth son of King George V and his mother, Princess Marina, was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and of Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia.

"Prince Michael was educated at Sunningdale School and then at Eton College. The Prince devotes a high proportion of his time to the support of a large number of non-profit-making charities, institutes, trade associations, societies and health organisations, despite the commitments of his business. These range from The Kennel Club to the Children's Fire and Burn Trust, the Maritime Volunteer Service and the World Monuments Fund in Britain. As well as being Commonwealth President of the Royal Life Saving Society, Prince Michael is President of the Royal Automobile Club, and Patron of the National Eye Research Centre and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation among many other such organisations. His Fellowships include those of the Institute of the Motor Industry, the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Institute of Linguists. He is also Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons and Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Middlesex.

"A keen sportsman, Prince Michael represented the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in rowing, and was part of the team that won the Maiden Fours at Bedford in 1961. He is now Patron of the Thames Rowing Club. Prince Michael represented Great Britain as a bobsleigh driver for many years and was a reserve for the 1972 Olympics. As a vintage car enthusiast, he was part of the team in 1992 that broke the 1,000-mile record for cars over 5,000cc in a 1929 Bentley Special. A competitive rally driver, he is also a qualified pilot of both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Some of his Presidencies, such as those of the Motor Sports Association, the Brooklands Museum Trust and the Popular Flying Association reflect these personal leisure-time interests of the Prince."

"A qualified Russian interpreter, also fluent in French and with a working knowledge of German and Italian, the Prince runs his own consultancy company, and uses his international expertise to develop commercial relationships for British companies overseas. He has always had strong emotional ties to Russia, which he first visited in 1992, following the collapse of communism.

"Now Patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce, he was presented in 2009 with the Order of Friendship by President Medvedev." [1]

Affiliations

• Patron, GEMS Education
• Patron, Brazzaville Foundation

Resources and articles

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