The Family and Lineage of Princess Michael of Kent


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BlackTulip said:
How interesting. Tell us more, please. :)
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That's all I know other than that the baby's mother's first name is Mary and she still breeds horses in WA. She would be about 60. There is almost no doubt that the daughter would have spent time with her aunt and cousins in England, as she spent time with her father growing up. It would be interesting to see whether she is in any press photos in England.
 
I don't know if MC's mother had ever referred to that woman as 'just a peasant' - that's only hearsay after all , right? - what I know is that Fred's family had serious reasons not to approve that work colleague as a possible bride. I'd consider such a person as inappropriate too, if a member of my own family was involved in such an affair. I don't wish to elaborate, just want to make clear that any possible negative reaction in that case was totally understandable and even justifiable IMO.
 
NoorMeansLight said:
I don't know if MC's mother had ever referred to that woman as 'just a peasant' - that's only hearsay after all , right? - what I know is that Fred's family had serious reasons not to approve that work colleague as a possible bride. I'd consider such a person as inappropriate too, if a member of my own family was involved in such an affair. I don't wish to elaborate, just want to make clear that any possible negative reaction in that case was totally understandable and even justifiable IMO.
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and how do we know that what you are sayin isn't heresay?
 
Auntie, this is the opinion I've formed from what I've heard, I'm not stating anything as a straight fact. We don't really know what is going on behind closed doors, do we? I've been saying this over and over again on this board: if people don't like my views or disagree or they're not prepared to read what I write, then they should simply ignore my posts. BTW, Aotearoagal, I didn't write anything contradictory to what you wrote. My main point was that we can't know the exact words of a person we've never met, particularly on a private family matter.:flowers:
 
auntie said:
and how do we know that what you are sayin isn't heresay?
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Because I heard it too! :ROFLMAO: Seriously, I always thought that MC's mother was a very down to earth person who didn't care much about titles etc. After the marriage of her daughter with Prince Michael she stayed in her decent house in a suburb of Sydney and rarely visited them in England. Correct me, if I'm wrong. So, frankly, the quote surprises me. The story regarding Marie-Christine's brother and the woman he was involved with, is a complicated matter, IMO. After all, as Aotearoagal pointed out, Fred von Reibnitz and his family live quite low-key in Australia, they're private citizens and I think some things should stay private then.
 
Dierna23 said:
Because I heard it too! :ROFLMAO: Seriously, I always thought that MC's mother was a very down to earth person who didn't care much about titles etc. After the marriage of her daughter with Prince Michael she stayed in her decent house in a suburb of Sydney and rarely visited them in England. Correct me, if I'm wrong. So, frankly, the quote surprises me. The story regarding Marie-Christine's brother and the woman he was involved with, is a complicated matter, IMO. After all, as Aotearoagal pointed out, Fred von Reibnitz and his family live quite low-key in Australia, they're private citizens and I think some things should stay private then.
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I've read that MC has another brother,does anyone know what happened to her second brother?
 
NoorMeansLight said:
I don't know if MC's mother had ever referred to that woman as 'just a peasant' - that's only hearsay after all , right? - what I know is that Fred's family had serious reasons not to approve that work colleague as a possible bride. I'd consider such a person as inappropriate too, if a member of my own family was involved in such an affair. I don't wish to elaborate, just want to make clear that any possible negative reaction in that case was totally understandable and even justifiable IMO.
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No worries - "Such a person" ? She was a hardworking senior civil servant at the time. She was in a relationship with another (very) senior civil servant, and was hand-building a mudbrick house on her country property. There was no question of getting engaged. btw I have met some of these people.
 
It is not to be doubted that Marianne, the mother of Schnitzel (as Princess Michael was known to some), suffered in her exile. Like with many of the old nobles, she did not realize that times and norms had changed after the wars. She was ambivalent. She knew who she was and where she came from. Sometimes she was adamant with MC, MC had to be the best girl in school, she had to diet, she had to learn this and that. Marianne Rogala-Koczorowski was ambitious but then, sometimes, she snubbed MC for being too pretentious. Fred's affair, the whole saga concerning his girlfriend and the daughter, was unpleasant for them. Very unpleasant. I bet MC still has not much contact with him and his family. That would fit in. I believe she preferred to have contact with her father, old Reibi, who later in life moved back to Germany. Odd bunch.
 
Blackadder said:
II bet MC still has not much contact with him and his family. That would fit in. I believe she preferred to have contact with her father, old Reibi, who later in life moved back to Germany. Odd bunch.
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There was press coverage a few years ago of Von Reibnitz privately hosting one of the British royals at I think a car race in Victoria, which seemed to indicate that he is quite accepted. I can't remember whether it was Prince Michael or another royal ... He is totally discreet - does charity work for the disabled, & does consultancy work for the UN on countering poverty.
 
Good for him. I know that he and his family were guests at Lord Freddie's wedding. Dunno about the relationship to his sister, though. Years ago, MC wasn't keen on visiting them in Australia. I know a tale that circulated among my circle of friends, which said that her mother was rather disappointed. That's all I can contribute.
 
Blackadder said:
Good for him. I know that he and his family were guests at Lord Freddie's wedding. Dunno about the relationship to his sister, though. Years ago, MC wasn't keen on visiting them in Australia. I know a tale that circulated among my circle of friends, which said that her mother was rather disappointed. That's all I can contribute.
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Thanks BA - I also think that Lord Freddie's name is also perhaps an indication that MC and her brother were not alienated ... :flowers:
 
I was always under the impression that PM was very close to her brother. Over the years, in numerous interviews I have read, she has mentioned how she has tried to foster a close relationship between her two children in the hope that they might enjoy the same closeness that she and her brother have. She also said that during the writing of her second book she would fax her brother in Australia constantly so that he could read the text and give her advice on how to improve it.
 
angela said:
She also said that during the writing of her second book she would fax her brother in Australia constantly so that he could read the text and give her advice on how to improve it.
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And, as he switched from being an economist/statistician to a second career as a professional editor in recent years, that's a good call!
 
For those who are interested here is a link for mausoleum of von Reibnitz family in Mistitz(Miejsce Odrzańskie) where one can see graves of some of Marie-Christine's ancestors:

Eksploratorzy • Zobacz w

The other link shows ruined Lohnau(Łany),ancestral home of Marie-Christine's ancestors in the same area:

Eksploratorzy • Zobacz w

.
 
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I also found picture of Castle Gross-Grauden owned by Marie-Christine's great-grandfather Baron Ernst von Reibnitz:

GrossGrauden.jpg


GrossGrauden2-1.jpg


This is how Castle looks today :-(

GrossGrauden2.jpg


GrossGrauden3.jpg
 
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Elegant,as always!

Can anyone tell me what kind of relationship Marie-Christine has with her elder half-sister Baroness Margarita Maria Elisabeth Agathe Alice von Reibnitz?
 
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Some more info about von Reibnitz family:

Traces back it's ancestry from 1271 when the family was first mentioned in an official document...they were Teutonic knights even before 1410...Originated from Burg Reibnitz(only few walls left today) where they hosted Emperor Charles IV(1346-1378) who stayed there for some time...

One part of the family settled in Jutland when Hans Caspar von Reibnitz,who served in Austrian troops in Denmark married Brigitte Brahe of Elvedgaard,niece of famous astronomer Tycho Brahe...

Many members were involved in Silesian wars and some fought on Russian side during Polish uprising in 1831 and were awarded the medal of Notheren St.Anne for bravery and became Generals of Infantry as well as mebers of Russian War Council...

At the beggining of the 18th century von Reibnitz family were large landowners and owned 43 estates most of which were in Silesia...
 
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:previous: Very interesting family stories Marc23, and quite fascinating too! Thanks for sharing! ;) I had no idea that there was a Tower/Castle named Reibnitz (that's what "burg" means, right?). Could you provide a photo perhaps or at least let me know where it is situated today?! :flowers:
 
This is the first time I managed to get some info on MC's forebears.
Normally, people tend to post about her clothes and hairdo....

Many thanks !
 
NoorMeansLight said:
I had no idea that there was a Tower/Castle named Reibnitz (that's what "b:previous:urg" means, right?). Could you provide a photo perhaps or at least let me know where it is situated today?! :flowers:
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Although literally means town,burg in German means fortress,castle...Castle of her family was called Burg Reibnitz or Lausepelz and it is situated in part of Silesia which is today part of Poland!
 
Burg (Ge) / burgh (Eng) / borough (Eng) / bourg (Fr) .... all come from the same root, although the meanings vary a bit.
 
Renata4711 said:
This is the first time I managed to get some info on MC's forebears.
Normally, people tend to post about her clothes and hairdo....

Many thanks !
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Totally agree with you...I posted some info about her ancestors here in order to find everything in one place in case I forget where I found something about her family history!
 
NoorMeansLight said:
I had no idea that there was a Tower/Castle named Reibnitz
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Yes,there is and unfortunately this is how it looks today...only few walls left!

reibnitz1.jpg


reibnitz2.jpg


so,this is what left of it!
 
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Thank you Marc23 for all the good work! That's exactly how I had imagined this castle, must have been something extraordinary though. ;)
 
Great find indeed, Marc23! :flowers: What do you think? Did the von Reibnitzes count as German or Austrian? Because I think they referred to themselves as a Silesian noble family and Silesia's history is quite complex as we know. I know a member of a Silesian noble family for example and though they were merely seen as Germans, they've always seen themselves, apart from being Silesian, as Austrian because their family roots can be traced back to Bohemia. :wacko: I wonder how it is with Princess Michael's paternal family? I'm really rather confused when it comes to such things.

However, here's a picture of her maternal grandmother, Hedwig de Szapary née von Windisch-Graetz, together with her three children. The girl on the right is MC's mother Marianne, the other two are Ladislaus and Gabrielle:

http://oi51.tinypic.com/5xtfr.jpg

And here's a site with portraits of her Windisch-Graetz ancestors as well as a few pictures of Schloss Tachov/Czech Republic in which Marie-Christine von Reibnitz was born:

Kní?ecí rod Windischgrätz? | jizdarna-svetce.cz
 
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