In a rare interview by a member of the British royal family, Lady Marina Windsor opened up about her grandfather, the Duke of Kent, and her philanthropic work.
Speaking with Hello!, Marina, 31, described how her 88-year-old grandfather serves as an inspiration for her: “I love my grandpa. He's an amazing man and he's definitely inspired me.” The Duke of Kent, a first cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth, is currently the oldest senior working royal.
Marina is the daughter of George Windsor, Earl of St. Andrews, and Dr. Sylvana Tomaseli, a Canadian historian. In 2008, she converted to Catholicism, and gave up her position in the line of succession for the British throne, due to the Act of Settlement 1701, which disqualifies members of the Catholic faith from inheriting the throne. (At the time, she was 25th in line.) Her younger sister, Lady Amelia Windsor, is still in the line of succession.
Elsewhere in the interview, Marina spoke about her cousin, Princess Eugenie, and the work they both do for the Blue Marine Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to ocean conservation. “Eugenie is an amazing ambassador and does a lot of incredible work,” she said.
As for her work, she said, “I'm very passionate about anything to do with the environment and the planet. I was always very keen to work somewhere that was really focused on helping mitigate the climate crisis in one way or another. I've learned so much since being there and I'm surrounded by incredible marine biologists and brilliant people who are protecting the ocean.”
Marina added, “I think we probably all want to help in our own ways, don't we? Right now, we're in a climate emergency, and it's pretty urgent to try and help protect the planet, our ocean, and each other, if we want a planet for our future generations to live on. We've got to take serious action.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
