Two royals have just retired from public life

The Palace is expected to announce the news officially later this week

The Prince and Princess of Kent have announced that they are stepping down from Royal duties later this year.

The Queen's cousin, Prince Michael, may not be one of the best known Royals but he is certainly one of the most prolific, attending over 200 engagements a year with his wife Marie-Christine.

The 79-year-old Prince and the Princess of Kent, 77, are set to retire to coincide with the Prince’s 80th birthday on 4 July. 

Although a representative for the couple has not yet responded for comment, The Times reported that the Queen’s cousin is due to release an official resignation statement in the next few weeks. 

Prince Michael is one of King George V’s nine grandchildren alongside the Queen and is a descendant of the last Tsar of Russia Nicholas II, through his grandmother, the Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna.

The Prince’s affiliation with Russia has caused controversy in recent years and has resurfaced since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. 

In March the Prince returned the Order of Friendship award he had been honoured with by the Kremlin, releasing a statement which read: "I can confirm that HRH Prince Michael of Kent is returning his Russian Order of Friendship. There will be no further comment." 

Michael was given the award in 2009 by the then Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev.

The Sunday Times reported last year that the Prince used his position to provide access to President Putin’s regime. He was filmed at a meeting with undercover reporters, who were told that the Prince could make introductions to members of the Kremlin. The Prince, who speaks fluent Russian, denied the claims. 

He is a patron to organisations with links to Russia like the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce and the St Gregory's Foundation.

The couple have two children, Lord Frederick Windsor, 43, and Lady Gabriella Kingston, 41.