Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent is not your average British princess.
Over the course of her life, she has been a successful professional interior designer, a wife and mother of two children, an accomplished writer of historical books, a dedicated horse breeder and a popular lecturer abroad and in the United States.
Her Royal Highness will be the guest lecturer at 10 a.m. Friday for the Carnegie Museum of Art's 12th annual Antiques Show. Her topic is Madame de Pompadour, lover of French King Louis XV.
Born Marie-Christine von Reibnitz in Bohemia to Baron Gunther von Reibnitz and the former countess Marianne Szapary, Princess Michael lived in Austria and Australia and visited Africa in her youth. She met Prince Michael of Kent, the first cousin to the Queen, in England while she was studying the history of fine arts. In 1978, the couple were married in Vienna.
According to Prince Michael's Web site, princemichael.org.uk, Marie-Christine became Princess Michael of Kent, following the British tradition that all wives of male members of the British royal family, the aristocracy and members of the public take the title and style of their husbands. There are no other princesses with the names of their husbands, because Prince Michael is the only grandson of His Royal Highness King George V.
At the time of her marriage, Princess Michael was a successful interior designer who loved her work. However, after her honeymoon, palace officials told her it was inappropriate to continue with her profession.
"Twenty-five years ago, things were different," the princess says in an e-mail interview. "Within three years, I had two children and two houses fully decorated, so I gave some thought as to what profession I might be allowed to follow to earn my living."
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are the only Royal Highnesses who are not paid by the British government's Civil List to carry out official and charitable functions, she says. They fund their charity work and office entirely by themselves.
The princess entered the writing profession after some thought and her mother's encouragement, she says. "I have always been fascinated by history, and studied history and history of art myself, so it was a natural progression to write history books."
Her books are best sellers worldwide: "Crowned in a Far Country: Portraits of Eight Royal Brides" (Arrow, 1987) and "Cupid and the King: Five Royal Paramours" (Deodand Publishing, $25). Her next book, "The Serpent and the Moon" (Touchstone Books, $29.95, September 2004), is about the life of Diane de Poitiers, the beautiful mistress of French King Henri II. She was 18 years his senior.
Despite the princess' full calendar, she finds time for her first love: interior designing. "Aside from history, I am still very much an interior designer," she says. "I attend all the design shows, haunt antique fairs and would very much like to be back in business."
She also fits horse breeding into her busy schedule, which includes a lecture circuit in America every April and October and other personal appearances abroad.
"Until recently, I have been breeding racehorses at our home in the country, and now am down to one mare, her 2-year-old colt and a newborn colt," she says. "I am very excited about the 2-year-old, who will be running in May. His grandmother, my first racehorse, is American."
The princess says she thinks people would be surprised to know that she works very hard, whether it be for charity work, on lectures or writing books. She has spoken at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; the National Gallery of Art and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.; the Getty Museum in Los Angeles; and The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas.
"This means we have very little time for leisure of any kind, as we feel deeply committed to our charity work but must also earn our livings," she says. "We are both blessed with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm, so we go to it with a will."
The couple's children, Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Windsor, are following in their mother's writing footsteps.
"My son writes a column for Tatler magazine (a British social magazine) about pop music," she says. He is studying at Oxford University for a law degree.
"My daughter will be graduating from Brown University (R.I.) at the end of May, majoring in comparative literature. She wants to be a writer and will be looking for a job on her return to London."
The princess says that the simple things in life are what gratify her the most.
"My family, my animals, my garden -- I love to work in the garden and give lectures on the history of the garden; classical music, especially Mozart and Wagner; travel to new and favorite places," she says.
The princess is looking forward to visiting Pittsburgh -- she has never been to the city, but has good friends who live here.
She says she tailors her lectures, to some degree, to a particular audience. "As your venue is around your antiques show, I will insert much more about the creation and use of furniture at the time of Madame de Pompadour than I would for another venue not concerned with the arts."
When asked what she hopes people will take away from her lecture, Princess Michael says, "a little more knowledge and appreciation of the time I describe to them. In the case of my Pittsburgh lecture, a greater interest in the life of a remarkable woman, Madame de Pompadour, and a desire to learn more."
