The only member of the Glicksburg family to hold Greek citizenship, writer and historian Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark died on July 28 in an Athens hospital.
Prince Michael, an author of historical novels and royal biographies in French, was known as Michel de Grèce. He was the only living grandson of George I and a relative of the late former King of Greece, Constantine Glyxburgh. He died at the age of 85, tells CNN Greece.
Prince Michael was born in Rome on 7 January 1939. His father, Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark (1888–1940), was the fifth son of George I and Queen Olga, and by 20 years the younger brother of Constantine I. Prince Michael is the only member of the Glicksburgs to hold Greek citizenship.
He was the only child of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and his second wife Françoise. Michael's mother was the daughter of Jean d'Orléans and Isabella.
During World War II, Michael lived in Morocco and moved to Paris with his mother in 1948. Five years later, Françoise died and his uncle took custody of him.
At the age of 25, having received a degree in political science from an Italian university, Michael arrived in Greece, where he served in the army for four years. At that time, he lived in Tatoi. In 1965, Michel de Gray fell in love, married the artist Marina Carella and renounced the throne.
Michel de Gres began his career as a historian and writer in the distant 1970s, when he divided his time between writing and historical research. He is one of the few true “blue bloods” who earned a living by working. Historical novels in a long series of 30 books made the name of Michel de Gres world famous. From under his pen came such works as “Maharani”, “Maharaja of the Bourbons”, “The Last Sultan”, “The Secret of Cythera”, “Bombulina”, “The Palace of Tears”, “Night in the Sarai”. “Andronicus A. Comnenus”, “The Empress of Farewells” and others.
He was interested in issues related to Greece, the heroes of the revolution, and also the Ottoman Empire.
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