Prince Philip's cousin, Prince Michael of Greece, dies aged 85 as tributes pour in

He is survived by his wife Marina Karella and their daughters Princess Alexandra and Princess Olga.

Michael was the last remaining grandson of George I with a lineage to the House of Bourbon through his mother's side of the family.

He is set to be buried in the Greek capital on Thursday.

Michael was born in Rome just months before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

His parents were Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and his wife Princess Francoise d'Orleans of France. His father tragically died when he was just one year old.

The family was scattered across Europe after the war broke out. He was raised by his mother in Morocco, Spain, and France before she too tragically passed away in 1953 - leaving him an orphan aged 14.

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He returned to Greece for military service, becoming the only royal to gain Greek citizenship.

When the government fell to a right-wing military coup in 1967, Michael was the only member if the Greek Royal Family to remain after his nephew King Constantine failed in his attempts to overthrow the Junta.

He achieved international recognition as an author under the name Michel De Gres, with dozens of bestselling works under his belt.

The prince was also a contributor to the American magazine Architectural Digest.

Michael was famously devoted to his wife, Marina Karella, who is an artist and sculptor. They wed at the Royal Palace in Athens in 1965.

The prince renounced his rights to the Greek throne in order to marry Marina, the daughter of a common-born industrialist.Mourning fans of the historian and author posted tributes to him online.

One said: "Saddened to hear of the passing of Prince Michael of Greece the cousin of the late Prince Philip sending condolences to his family and friends."

Another added: "He was amazing. He knew a lot of anecdotes and stories about all the royals due his family connections with the Orléans, Greece, etc I loved listening to to him in talk show or the radio in French."

"I'm so sorry to learn this. He was such a lovely person, a clever most erudite gentleman, who honored his country, family and history till the very end. Not to mention how modern he was for keeping an active and rich profile on social media far into his 80s. May he rest in peace," a third said online.