HER ROYAL Highness Princess Michael of Kent is the younger child of the late Baron Gunther Von Reibnitz and his wife, the late Marianne, nee Countess Szapary. She was born at Carlsbad in Bohemia on the Estate of her maternal grandmother Princess Hedwig Windisch - Graetz.

Her Royal Highness descends from ancient European lineage on both sides of her Family. Having lived in Austria and Australia and travelled through Africa, Her Royal Highness returned to Vienna to pursue her historical studies thereafter going to England for a course in the history of fine arts. While in London, she met His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent, the first cousin of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The couple married in Vienna in 1978.

Prince and Princess Michael have two children, Lord Frederick and Lady Gabriella Windsor, and the family divide their time between an apartment in Kensington Palace and their house on Gloucestershire, Nether Lypiatt Manor. Princess Michael's other great love is animals, in particular horses which she rides and breeds with interest and enthusiasm, and cats both large and small. 

Her Royal Highness has an abiding love of history and the arts and with such a background, it is not surprising that since her marriage she has written two historical books, both of which were bestsellers and translated worldwide: "Crowned in a Far Country - Eight Royal Brides " (Weidenfeld), and "Cupid and the King - Five Royal Paramours" (Harper Collins). Her third book “The Serpent and the Moon” is published by Simon & Schuster. It is a biography of Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henri II of France, whose wife was Catherine de Medici.

"Princess Michael feeding two white tiger cubs with Siegfried and Roy. Roy Horn was mauled at the beginning of October 2003 by one of his tigers"

It was the success of these books that stimulated international interest in Princess Michael to give lectures on her specialist subjects, initially speaking to the French Institute. Having served for over ten years on the Board and as a Trustee of the Victoria & Albert Museum, HRH has undertaken a Spring Lecture Tour, organised by Sotheby's, for several years in various parts of the USA. Her Royal Highness has spoken all over America, principally for charities: the Metropolitan Museum, the Versailles/Giverny Foundation in New York, the Folger Shakespeare Library and the National Gallery in Washington, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles as well as The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Her Royal Highness undertakes two such tours in the USA each year in April and October and speaks in about thirty venues each year.

Princess Michael has also lectured in other countries including Canada, Argentina, Greece, Austria and Switzerland, for a variety of charities and national institutions, often at eminent museums and galleries. She has lectured for 'Save Venice' and now lectures for The Venetian Heritage and the English Speaking Union in a number of different cities, as well as the Young President Organisation in Salzberg.

Click here to view the official website of HRH Princess Michael of Kent