His relations with Russia were so good that he even received an Order of Friendship from the Kremlin. But since the invasion of Ukraine, Prince Michael of Kent has been under pressure.
He is one of Queen Elizabeth II’s cousins and until recently had close ties with Russia: Prince Michael of Kent speaks fluent Russian himself and is related to the Russian Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918) through his grandmother. At the beginning of March it became known that he had returned the Order of Friendship he received from the Kremlin.
Queen’s cousin under pressure over Russia
“I can confirm that His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent is returning his Russian Friendship Order,” a spokesman for the Prince said. “There will be no further comment,” it said a few weeks ago. But even after that, the pressure on the Queen’s cousin was great. Because he still had close professional ties with the Kremlin. Now Prince Michael of Kent has resigned as patron of a Russo-British trade body.
His connections are not completely severed. As the Daily Mail explains, he remains an ambassador and shareholder of RemitRadar, a money transfer company whose CEO is Sergei Markov. Markov is a former adviser to Vladimir Putin and recently called the invasion of Ukraine a liberation and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “neo-Nazi”.
His wife wore a racist brooch
In addition, Prince Michael of Kent holds an honorary professorship at a university in St. Petersburg and is a patron of the Moscow Academy of Industry and Finance. “Prince Michael should reconsider his position. At a time when we expect everyone to stand up for Ukraine and against the war crimes and atrocities committed by Russia, one should expect members of the royal family to take the same stand.” said British MP Siobhain McDonagh.
If the prince’s name sounds familiar, you might remember his wife, Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz. Princess Michael of Kent, as she is also known, wore a racist Blackamoor brooch, which is now considered a relic of the slave and colonial era, at the first Christmas lunch that Duchess Meghan attended. The small figurines, occasionally decorative objects or pieces of jewellery, “Blackamoor” in English, “Mohrenfigurette” in German, were particularly popular in the 18th century. The black-skinned African figure, often carved from ebony, usually wears a turban and prominent jewels. Their attitude almost always resembles that of servants. Today the plays are considered racist and extremely controversial as they glorify slave and colonial times.
swell: /
Source: Stern
I am a 24-year-old writer and journalist who has been working in the news industry for the past two years. I write primarily about market news, so if you’re looking for insights into what’s going on in the stock market or economic indicators, you’ve come to the right place. I also dabble in writing articles on lifestyle trends and pop culture news.
