Collage of Consorts

The First Princess Caroline

Princess Marie Caroline is a perfect example of how the wives of the princes of Monaco have often played a pivotal part in the history of Monaco and the House of Grimaldi. Coming from a fairly humble background, she met and later married Prince Florestan I of Monaco while both were working at the theatre in Paris. Whereas her artistic and romantic husband had little desire or natural inclination to be a ruling monarch, Princess Caroline was made of stern stuff and she was absolutely crucial in supporting her husband throughout his reign, which was by no means easy. She was also determined that their son, Prince Charles III, would be well prepared and well placed for his future job as sovereign-prince. Many of the considerable accomplishments of the reign of Prince Charles III he owed to his mother Princess Caroline and his son, Prince Albert I, always admired his grandmother for her determination and strong leadership.

It was Princess Caroline who first sold the Blanc family on the idea of establishing a casino and bathing resort in Monaco. She saw the success of such establishments in other countries and had the foresight to know that such an investment could finally end the money-woes of Monaco and the Grimaldis. Not all of her efforts were successful though. Her desire to see her grandson Albert married into the British Royal Family resulted in his failed marriage to Princess Mary Victoria, daughter of the Duke of Hamilton. However, even after the end of that marriage she was the only member of the Grimaldi clan to keep in touch with her former granddaughter-in-law and provided Albert with regular reports on his son, the future Prince Louis II. In short, Princess Caroline was an institution in Monaco for many, many years and was the dominant female influence on the country until her death in 1879. She died in her sleep at the age of 86 and Prince Albert was greatly hurt by her loss. In many ways she had been the backbone of the family since 1841 when her husband came to the throne. Without her leadership it is no exaggeration to say that Monaco would be a very different place today.

Spouse Searching in Monaco

With everyone gearing up for the day when HSH Prince Albert II makes Miss Charlene Wittstock his Princess consort of Monaco, it might be fun to look back on how some of the past lords of ‘The Rock’ have hit or missed their mark in trying to find that certain special lady. The first lords of Monaco all stuck to their same background and did not go too far to find romance, most marrying the daughters of the prominent families of the Italian Riviera. After Prince Honore II aligned Monaco with France this trend began to change as he was intent on arranging a French marriage for his son and heir Prince Louis I. The final choice was Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, a very lively, famously beautiful and high born girl.

She was one of the more colorful princesses of Monaco to say the least. In time their marriage existed almost exclusively in law but the couple did have six children together so the succession was secured at the very least. The next was Marie de Lorraine, another well bred French beauty who seemed the total opposite of her husband, the formidable Prince Antoine I. They had no male heirs and both had their affairs but in those days divorce was almost unspeakable and they finally settled down together. The marriage of their daughter, heiress to the Monegasque throne, was arranged to Jacques de Mantignon. Their marriage was a fruitful one, seemingly ideal, but actually far from happy.

Prince Honore III reverted to marrying an Italian lady, and one he went to great lengths to capture. There were children but, alas, not a happy marriage as the princess ended up running away with the Prince de Conde after the outbreak of the French Revolution. Next, however, a French princess returned in the person of Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz, the first Princess of Monaco to be an actress which is how she met Prince Florestan I, himself a player on the stage. She was a remarkable woman and a pillar of strength for her husband but greatly underappreciated by the population at large. Nonetheless, she played a *major* role in the long-term success of the principality.

Next, Monaco received its first Belgian consort with Antoinette de Merode-Westerloo who had a very successful and happy marriage with Prince Charles III, to whom she was infinitely devoted. Prince Albert I became the first Prince of Monaco to marry a British national when he wed Lady Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton, though she was never consort as their short marriage fell apart before Albert came to the throne. His next wife was the first American princess of Monaco, Alice Heine of New Orleans, who made Monaco a social and cultural center in Europe but whose marriage also ended in divorce. The next princess consort was one of the shortest when the aging Prince Louis II married the French actress Ghislaine Marie Françoise Dommanget whom he doted on for the last three years of his life. She was not too enthusiastically received by the rest of the family.

Finally, and most famously, came the second American and third actress to be Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly. It would be hard to overstate her impact on Monaco, not so much because of any particular thing she did but simply by the international attention, glamour and famous names she attracted to the principality. A legend in her own time, famously sacrificing career for family, her tragic death ensured that her memory would achieve mythic status in Monaco and around the world (there was even a short-lived effort to canonize her).

Now, the world is waiting anxiously for the day the Charlene Wittstock joins the ranks of the princess consorts of Monaco. She will be the first princess to be born on the African continent and the first to come from a primarily athletic background. How she will fill the part remains to be seen but she has already put in a great deal of effort preparing for the ‘job’ and after so much time together both Charlene and her Prince should certainly know each other well enough to know what to expect from each other. May they have nothing but the best and I do hope that the future Princess Charlene of Monaco will be the best consort she possibly can be.　

HSH Princess Antoinette de Merode

Antoinette Ghislaine, Comtesse de Mérode-Westerloo was born on September 28, 1828 in Brussels, Belgium to Count Werner de Mérode and his wife Victoire de Spangen-d’Uyternesse. It was on her eighteenth birthday in 1846 that she married HSH Hereditary Prince Charles of Monaco, son of Prince Florestan I and Princess Caroline of Monaco in Brussels. Some thought it had taken Charles longer than necessary to marry, he was handsome, wealthy and heir to the throne of Monaco after all, but most agreed that his new Belgian bride was worth the wait. Described as blonde, beautiful, kind and also quite wealthy, the two made an attractive couple and Antoinette brought a considerable dowry to the Grimaldi family with her. She came from an illustrious family whose ranks included many Belgian national heroes and her uncle was the famous prelate Monseigneur Frédéric-François-Xavier Ghislain de Mérode who held many important posts under King Leopold I of the Belgians and was later Minister of War to Blessed Pope Pius IX.

After their marriage Prince Charles and Princess Antoinette went to Monaco where, despite the rising problems that would eventually lead to the loss of more than half the national territory, the Monegasque people gave them an enthusiastic welcome, falling instantly in love with the handsome young couple. Later, like most of their predecessors, Charles and Antoinette set up house in Paris and it was there, on November 13, 1848 that their son, Prince Albert, was born, thus securing the Grimaldi succession for another generation. Princess Antoinette was a little out of her element in the glamorous high-society of Imperial France but her mother-in-law Princess Caroline took her in hand, showing her the ropes so to speak, and the beautiful young Belgian Princess of Monaco was such a success that she was soon a favorite in the court of Empress Eugenie; a fact which was prestigious but also brought with it a great deal of expense.

One of the lasting legacies of Princess Antoinette was the purchase, with her dowry, of the Château de Marchais which has remained in the Grimaldi family ever since and was the favorite country retreat of many generations including Prince Rainier III, Princess Grace and their children. The money she brought to Monaco also helped in the establishment and improvement of the Monte Carlo casino which soon proved to be a very beneficial investment, bringing hordes of wealthy tourists to the gaming tables and solving the financial problems of the principality.

In 1855 Versailles was the site of one of the major social events of the time when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Great Britain paid a royal visit to Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie and a grand ball was held in their honor which Prince Charles and Princess Antoinette were invited to attend. Princess Antoinette was greatly impressed by the event and made up her mind then that her goal was to see her son Prince Albert married to a member of the British Royal Family (a cause her mother-in-law was to zealously take up in her absence).

Prince Charles III and Princess Antoinette had a very happy marriage and Charles depended greatly on his hard-working wife, whom he called his “Angel”. Charles was already suffering from poor health and failing eyesight when Princess Antoinette was diagnosed with cancer in 1862. Nonetheless, she took attentive care of her husband, ignoring her own terminal illness, in the most selfless fashion. Even when her worsening condition forced her to leave Monaco and retire to Marchais for the benefit of the country air she wrote constantly her husband, inquiring after his health and that of her mother-in-law, warning that the devoted old woman should not put her own health in danger by doing too much to help Charles III.

Princess Antoinette seemed out of her element if she could not be helping others and despite her condition she could stand to be away no longer and returned to Monaco to look after her husband and mother-in-law. With a doctor and two maids she made the journey back to the Princely Palace, a trip which took a toll on the rapidly worsening condition the Princess herself was suffering. Only three months later HSH Princess Antoinette of Monaco passed away on February 10, 1864. Prince Charles III was devastated by her loss and was forced to rely ever more on those around him, mostly his mother at first, as he became more infirm and withdrawn, rarely leaving the Princely Palace in his final years. Princess Antoinette is not as much talked about as some other Princesses of Monaco, but she was an exemplary consort in every way. Few others were ever as devoted, selfless and caring as the Belgian Princess of Monaco.

H.S.H. Princess Marie de Lorraine

Marie de Lorraine was Princess of Monaco from 1701 to 1724. She was born in Paris on August 12, 1674 to Louis d’Armagnac de Lorraine-Harcourt, Grand Squire of France, and Catherine de Neufville de Villeroi. She was favored by her parents and described as rather spoiled and allegedly took after her mother who held her nose rather high as they say. On June 13, 1688 at Versailles she was married to the Duke of Valentinois (later Prince Antoine I of Monaco) in a match that was arranged in part by King Louis XIV. She did not bring a large dowry to the Grimaldi clan but was a pretty and vivacious young girl being barely 16 at the time of the wedding. One is left wondering what was the reasoning behind the match.

Marie was a vivacious, fun-loving girl known for her infatuations with balls, parties and flashy fashions with shockingly low necklines. As taken as Antoine might have been with dark eyes and lavish chestnut hair of his young bride the two had very different personalities. Prince Antoine was known for his love of opera and opera singers in particular and considered himself an expert on female quality but while Marie might have had ideal physical attributes she did not display the necessary qualities for a wife, consort and mother. Some think the driving force behind the match might have been the famous Madame de Maintenon, longtime mistress of Louis XIV, who pushed for the marriage to remove Marie de Lorraine as rival once the King had started to notice her.

However, her marriage to Prince Antoine did not remove her from notice by other high placed young men and one observer noted that Marie de Lorraine was, “More of an elegant flirt than all the ladies of the kingdom put together”. Marie’s father-in-law, HSH Prince Louis I, tried to hush the gossip about affairs between Marie and the young men who frequently visited her parents’ home as well as those about Prince Antoine and the Parisian opera singers when he was not away at the front fighting in the French army. Prince Louis advised his son to be tolerant and forgiving of his new bride on the grounds of her youth and try to master her by winning over her mother.

At the behest of Prince Louis, King Louis XIV bid Marie to go to Monaco with Louis I while her husband was away with his regiment, where he was shortly wounded at the battle of Namur. Marie at first seemed to enjoy the independence of living in Monaco, establishing herself in a residence called “le désert”, situated at the extreme north-east of the Rock. She was not always on the best of terms with her husband, a man whose commanding size and rugged features earned him the nickname “Goliath” while in the army. When Antoine announced his return to his regiment she begged to be allowed to go back to Paris and, inexplicably, once there began to spread rumors that Prince Louis I had tried to rape her.

Prince Louis was aghast by her behavior as was most of the French court who knew Louis I as a very kind and genteel man. Prince Antoine was absolutely livid about the whole absurd affair and when he returned to Paris lived separately from Marie for six years during which Marie engaged in numerous affairs. Finally King Louis XIV intervened with her father to effect a reconciliation of the couple.

This was no easy task as the veteran warrior Prince Antoine was known to be short-tempered and according to several accounts had hung in effigy all of the lovers Marie had allegedly taken. When King Louis spoke disapprovingly of this the Hereditary Prince of Monaco retorted that he should be grateful he restricted himself to hanging straw men only. When Marie’s mother fetched her back to Antoine she had to walk through the effigies on her way to the house. Nonetheless, a reconciliation of sorts was effected which produced the only two surviving children of the six Marie and Antoine had, one of which was his heir Princess Louise-Hippolyte.

The lack of a male heir troubled Prince Louis I greatly and there were rumors that he would have preferred the Chevalier de Grimaldi, his natural son, to succeed him instead of Prince Antoine but as the chevalier was illegitimate this was impossible and in 1701 Antoine and Marie became Sovereign Prince and Princess consort of Monaco.

The couple returned to Monaco together to take up their official duties and lived together, if not exceptionally happily, at least without any scandals or disastrous public fights like they had before. However, by this time it was certain that Marie would have no more children and the future of the Principality of Monaco would depend on the marriages her two daughters made. Marie de Lorraine, Princess of Monaco died in Monaco on October 30, 1724 after having married Louise-Hippolyte to Jacques (Mantignon) Grimaldi and her younger, Margaretha Camilla to Marshal Duke d’Isenghien.

H.S.H. Princess Louise d'Aumont

HSH Princess Louise Felicite Victoire d'Aumont, Duchess d'Mazarin had a very colorful life of extreme ups and downs as seems to be common with every member by birth of marriage of the Princely Family of Monaco. She was born in Paris on October 2, 1759 (I've also seen 22nd) and was well known at all the best parties. She was a well-built, vivacious and outspoken woman and as such was not well liked by Queen Marie Antoinette who (despite the popular myths) was a very proper and genteel sort of lady. As the only child of the Duc d'Aumont she was sole heiress to the family fortune and this got the attention of HSH Prince Honore III of Monaco who was eager to arrange a lucrative marriage for his son and heir the 19-year-old future Prince Honore IV. Exactly when the two married I have no idea as I have seen 1771, 1773 and 1777 listed in various sources. Louise was also, through her mother, heiress of the fortune of the famous Cardinal Mazarin and was even a descendant of Hortense Mancini who had been mistress to both King Charles II of England and Prince Louis I of Monaco.

Honore III was so intent on the marriage that he passed his son the lucrative title of Duc d'Valentinois to help sweeten the deal. This meant Honore IV would get the income of the estate and also effectively shut out Honore III from the French court. Nonetheless, he thought it would all be worth it as part of the marriage contract was that when Louise came of age she would inherit her family property and this would be turned over to the Princely Family of Monaco. The two were married but Honore III would prove sadly disappointed in the long-run. Not only did the marriage break down fairly quickly but the estate Louise inherited was so hampered by mortgages and legal disputes as to end up costing more than they were worth. There was also the over-the-top lifestyle of his new daughter-in-law.

Princess Louise was known for her wild parties. One of the more famous was when she served a pie filled with live birds that caused such a stir when the pie was cut and they were released that she had to have her guests abandon the party as the birds refused to escape out the window and flew around the room in confusion. Another party that included a great number of live animals, an enclosed array of mirrors and a great deal of candlelight ended in a stampede when the flickering lights and bewildering reflections caused the sheep and dog (Louise had appeared as a shepherdess) to panic and bolt. Louise also spent vast sums of money gambling and on jewelry and the latest fashions. The marriage that Honore III had hoped would put Monaco on firm financial ground not only failed to help but put him in danger of losing his own estates just to pay the bills.

Princess Louise and Honore IV did do their duty for the Monegasque monarchy and had two sons; Honore V and Florestan, both of whom would eventually rule over Monaco. Nonetheless, the two were not well matched and coldness grew between them which would eventually become hatred. By the time of the French Revolution they were separated and Honore IV was dealing with sickness as he often was and living with his father. There was a family reunion of sorts in September of 1793 when Honore III, Honore IV, Princess Louise and their 8-year-old son Prince Florestan were all arrested by the revolutionaries and locked up in the barracks on the rue de Sevres as class enemies. However, Princess Louise and little Florestan were rescued by Doctor Desormeaux, a family friend of the Grimaldis, who hid the two in his home until the Reign of Terror was over.

Sometime during that period Honore IV and Louise officially divorced, which was very hard on their children as is usually the case. Honore V later complained that his mother called for him only when she needed some attention and was constantly threatening to cut him out of her will and gave him lectures of disaproval on his behavior (particularly when he fathered an illegitimate son in 1814). By that time Louise d'Aumont had already gone through another failed marriage having been wed to Rene Francois Tirnand-d'Arcis in 1801 before getting divorced in 1803. However, her family connections were still a force to be reckoned with and her cousin the Duc d'Aumont, who was close to the French king Louis XVIII, was helpful to Honore V in getting his uncle Prince Joseph removed from being regent of Monaco for the ailing Honore IV and taking his place.

Prince Florestan also had problems in his relationship with his mother. He was born just as the marriage of Honore IV and Louise was breaking up and was kept away from his father, living with Princess Louise and her family in Normandy while Honore IV was serving in Napoleon's army. Princess Louise was outraged when her 17-year-old son announced he wanted to be an actor. He went to Paris to pursue the career but his hero Alexandre Dumas crushes his hopes and many have suspected Princess Louise of putting him up to it as Dumas had often visited Princess Louise and her family at their estate. When Louise threatened to cut Florestan out of her will unless he get a respectable job he joined the army -a thoroughly miserable experience for him; never getting higher in rank than corporal and eventually being taken prisoner in the invasion of Russia.

By the time all was said and done the family was a mess. Honore IV and Louise hated each other and the two brothers Honore V and Florestan finally stopped speaking to each other. It probably did not help their relationship that when Princess Louise died she left her family fortune, or what was left of it, to her younger son Florestan who had bent to her will and who had always been closer to her than Honore V. She died on December 13, 1826 in Paris.

H.S.H. Princess Marie-Catherine de Brignole-Sale

Marie-Catherine de Brignole-Sale was the first wife and consort of HSH Prince Honore III of Monaco, however, their story actually begins with Marie-Catherine’s mother; Marquise Anne de Brignole-Sale. Although some ten years his senior Honore was very much taken with the strong-willed, passionate beauty and was soon carrying on a quite public affair in total disregard of her husband, the skeletal thin but immensely rich Marquis de Brignole-Sale. Anne herself was of the prominent Balhhis of Genoa and Honore carried on an affair with her for several years, even spending a few months living openly with her in Genoa at the Palazzo Rosso. However, her daughter, Marie-Catherine also began to turn heads. She was 15-years-old with dark hair, captivating features and a perfect figure. Soon Honore had cooled toward the mother and began to court the daughter.

The Marquise did not appreciate this very much and ordered Honore to leave. With he did, but only after pledging to marry Marie-Catherine one day. For her part, Marie-Catherine sent a note saying that she would marry no one other than the Prince of Monaco. The problem with the marriage plans was that they required the consent of the Marquis de Brignole-Sale and it should go without saying that he no kind feelings for the man who had cuckolded him for so long. He refused his permission and to the surprise of Marie-Catherine, Prince Honore seemed to give up and go looking elsewhere. In truth, Honore still loved Marie-Catherine but he was determined to marry and start a family with someone, even if not his first choice. Honore set his cap for the daughter of the Duc de La Valliere, whom he had never bet, but who would make a very beneficial match.

Because of his past actions the French court protested loudly at the match in a show of very hypocrisy given how many of them had or were carrying on similar affairs. The King withdrew his support and Honore III threatened to withhold Monegasque support for France such as the military service his family had long provided. Louis XV was unmoved by the threat. The Marquise was also denouncing her former lover but Honore’s strong reply seemed to win her over to the idea. She then began to work on her husband to agree to Honore marrying their daughter and finally the Marquis agreed and Honore sent Marie-Catherine an engagement present; the same jewels that had once belonged to her mother.

On June 15, 1757 the couple were married by proxy in Genoa. An impressive flotilla of ships then set out from the city to deliver Marie-Catherine to Monaco where Honore III was waiting to receive her with plenty of flags and soldiers all dressed in their best. The Genoese ships arrived, dropped anchor and then did nothing for about 15 minutes. Finally a messenger came to politely inform Honore III that he should board the ship to claim his bride. Honore III was outraged at the suggestion. He was the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, a monarch in his own right, and monarchs did not go to meet others; others came to meet him and he said as much. This was too much for the proud Genoese republicans. The bride was descended from French nobility and several Doges of Genoa and they demanded Honore bow to their wishes. A stand-off ensued and finally the Genoese ships pulled up anchor and sailed away along the coast leaving everyone tired, disgruntled and frustrated.

For nearly a week negotiators haggled back and forth as most of the shipboard wedding party became miserable with seasickness. Finally, an agreement was made and the ships returned to Monaco, canon salutes were fired, the troops filed out to their positions and Honore III reappeared. A bridge was extended from the Monaco side to link up with the gangplank of the ship and Honore III advanced halfway, meeting the bridal party in the middle. At least that is one version of the story, the other being that the impatient Honore finally gave up waiting, commandeered a boat and rowed out to the Genoese ship to find his bride, cheered wildly by the galley slaves and to the accompanying thunder of canon salutes. In any event, after a very inauspicious start the two were finally together as husband and wife.

The two honeymooned at the Palais Carnoles, built by Honore II. At first both seemed exceedingly happy. Princess Marie-Catherine had a very emotional, romantic, adventurous nature and she seemed totally caught up in this new turn her life had taken as consort of a small Riviera principality, mistress of the palace known as the Mediterranean Versailles. After eleven months of marriage she gave birth to an heir to the Monegasque throne; the future Prince Honore IV. However, while the Chevalier Grimaldi handled the government and Princess Marie-Catherine focused on raising and spoiling her new son Honore III found he had little to divert himself. Finally, in 1760 he left Monaco for the French court promising to send for Marie-Catherine as soon as he arranged things.

Things were not all peaches and cream at the French court either and soon Honore III was writing sad letters to Marie-Catherine about how much he missed his beloved. In December she left Honore IV with her parents in Monaco and went to France to join her husband. They were troubled from the very outset by a claim for the throne of Monaco by the senior line of the Grimaldi family who protested the heirs of the Mantignon family of Prince Jacques I ruling the principality. The French ignored the claim but Honore III was very unnerved by the threat. After two years Princess Marie-Catherine was pregnant again and very much missing her absent son and so parted with her husband again to return to Monaco. To her great sadness she miscarried and Honore III came back to Monaco to bring his wife back to Paris.

Princess Marie-Catherine began to feel very neglected as she was recuperating while her husband was living the high life at Fontainebleau. Already pregnant again, Honore did not join her but transferred to Normandy while she wrote letter after letter entreating him to come back to Paris where she was staying with her brother-in-law Prince Charles-Maurice Comte de Valentinois. He was nice enough to her but Marie-Catherine and his wife Marie-Christine continuously clashed. Marie-Christine viewed the Princess consort of Monaco as an unsophisticated country girl and Marie-Catherine certainly seemed out of place in the glamorous, glorified pony show that was the French court. She would not wear makeup, she would not wear a train, she followed none of the passing fashion trends and sat out most of the dances. Her only real friend was the widowed Prince de Conde and soon gossip mongers were writing to Honore III that the Prince was trying to woo his wife away from him.

The jealous fury of Honore III might have been at least somewhat more understandable had he not left a mistress of his own in Normandy to race back to Paris to accuse his wife and the Prince de Conde of behaving inappropriately. Princess Marie-Catherine was indignant that she should be accused of such a thing (perhaps thinking her husband had the least right of all to cast stones in that direction) and both parted on bad terms. Honore III left Paris and the Prince de Conde went on cozying up to the Princess of Monaco who seemed much more friendly with him after that.

Honore III did not take Marie-Catherine with him on his grand visit to England and when he returned to Paris his sister-in-law filled him with malicious gossip about his wife and the Prince de Conde. The two separated in all but name and Honore III paraded a succession of mistresses in public before Princess Marie-Catherine finally withdrew from court life and went to a convent at Le Mans where the local bishop was a Grimaldi. The Marquise Anne tried to save the situation and did finally bring about a reconciliation but things were never the same. When the Marquis de Brignole-Sale died he left his vast fortune to his daughter but stipulated that her husband was to have none of it. Honore III was outraged and protested to the Genoese senate but to no avail. The Princess returned to the convent but the still smitten Prince de Conde intervened on her behalf, obtained a legal separation for her from her husband and moved her into his Chateaux de Chantilly. She later bought a chateaux of her own nearby where her children visited her.

When the French Revolution hit, Princess Marie-Catherine went into exile in England, accompanied by the Prince de Conde, whom she married after Honore III died in 1795. Marie-Catherine spent her vast inheritance supporting the French royalists in their struggle against the revolutionaries until she was all but penniless. She died at the age of 74 on March 8, 1813 and was buried in England with the British Royal Family stepping in to cover the cost.

H.S.H. Princess Maria Caroline

H.S.H. Princess Maria Caroline of Monaco was the consort of Sovereign Prince Florestan I. She was born Marie Caroline Gibert de Lametz in Paris on July 18, 1793 to Charles-Thomas Gibert de Lametz and Marie-Francoise Le Gras de Vaubercey. She grew up to be a fairly well known actress on the French stage and it was in the atmosphere of 'show business' that she met the Monegasque Prince Florestan, the second son of HSH Prince Honore IV of Monaco. The two were performing at the Theatre de l'Ambigu-Comique, eventually fell in love and were married on November 27, 1816 at Commercy. In time the couple had two children; HSH Prince Charles III born in 1818 and Princess Florestine born in 1833.

Prince Florestan had never expected to become Sovereign Prince but when his older brother, HSH Prince Honore V, died in 1841 the Monegasque throne was thrust upon him. All in all he was unprepared for the job, and being the artistic type lacked the temperment of a Mediterranean absolute monarch. It is no slight to say so as no one was more aware of this fact that he was. Fortunately Prince Florestan had a strong right arm in Princess Marie Caroline and it soon became clear that while every respect was given to the Sovereign Prince it was really his strong-willed wife who was running the show in the principality.

Princess Maria Caroline was very conscious of her new status and took the administration of Monaco seriously, especially as the economy had been suffering for some time since Monaco had been placed under the protection of the Kingdom of Sardinia rather than France following the Napoleonic Wars. The populace was also influenced by the liberalism sweeping Europe and were growing increasingly loud in their demands for democracy. Princess Maria Caroline and her husband tried to address the issue and came up with two different constitutions which were submitted for public approval but both were rejected, the city of Menton being the most difficult to please. The situation became worse in 1848 when the revolutions that swept Europe inspired the towns of Menton and Roquebrune to revolt and declare their independence. Anxious to be free of his unwanted position Florestan died in 1856 and his son Prince Charles III who, thanks largely to Princess Maria Caroline, had been well prepared to assume power, proved to be one of the most significant and successful Monegasque monarchs. Princess Maria Caroline also worked with her son to lay the foundations for Monaco to become the number one resort destination in Europe, securing the country's financial future. She died in Monaco on November 25, 1879.

H.S.H. Princess Ghislaine of Monaco

She was the last living consort of a Sovereign Prince of Monaco and she was born Ghislaine Marie Francoise Dommanget in Rheims, France on October 13, 1900 to French cavalry Colonel Robert Dommanget and his wife Marie Louise Meunier. She grew up with a love for the stage and eventually became a fairly well known and accomplished comedy actress. She married a fellow actor, Andre Brule, but the marriage did not last and the two eventually divorced. On July 24, 1946 she married HSH Prince Louis II of Monaco and had the distinction of being the first woman to marry into the Grimaldi family without presenting a dowry. The two were married in Monaco, Louis II being 76 at the time and his bride was almost 46. By 1946 Louis II, a hardened veteran of the Foreign Legion and decorated hero of World War I, was worn out by his long and trouble-filled reign and the added stress of occupation during World War II by Italian and later German forces. He spent most of his time away from Monaco in Paris. Princess Ghislaine was to be his primary comfort and companion in this last period of his life.

Following the divorce of his only daughter, Princess Charlotte, Louis II looked to his grandson Rainier to be the heir to the throne and his mother abdicated her succession rights to her son. Less than three years after their marriage Prince Louis II passed away on May 9, 1949. The 48 year old Princess Ghislaine continued to live in Paris for the most part and unfortunately did not get along well with her step-grandson, now Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Rainier III. She was officially titled Princess Dowager of Monaco and though she had her problems with Rainier III (who eventually cut off her pension from the Monegasque government) she did have a fairly good relationship with his wife Princess Grace whom Rainier had married in 1956. It surely helped that both had been actresses before becoming Princesses of Monaco.

When Princess Grace died tragically in 1982 Princess Ghislaine went to Monaco for her requiem mass and impressed everyone with her style, bearing and solemnity. With no consort for Monaco it was technically Princess Dowager Ghislaine who was again the highest-ranking woman of the Princely Family but, as most know, it was young Princess Caroline who effectively took over the job of trying to fill her mother's shoes. Remaining mostly in Paris as usual Princess Dowager Ghislaine lived to the age of 90 before her death on April 30, 1991 at Neuilly-sur-Seine.

H.S.H. Princess Alice

Alice Heine was Albert's second wife, and he was her second husband she having been previously married to the Duc d'Richelieu. She was an American, born in the French Quarter of New Orleans into a very rich and well-connected family. The family moved to France because of the Civil War in America where she became known in the high society circles and her family gained prestige when her father helped pay for Napoleon III's (doomed) war against the Germans. She married the Duc d'Richelieu in 1875 and after his death she married Albert I in 1889. She is said to have been the business-savy one of the couple who made Monaco economically stable. She was also a patron of the arts, opera, theater and usual things but especially the opera. She put the opera, theater and ballet of Monaco on the European map. Rumors of an affair between her and the composer Isidore de Lara enraged Albert I, though he had his failings too. The couple parted in 1902 but never divorced. Her former home in New Orleans is now the Princess of Monaco Carriage House and Courtyard and advertises itself as a setting for weddings, receptions, special parties and the like.

H.S.H. Princess Catherine-Charlotte

One of the most famous and controversial princess consorts of Monaco was Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, wife of HSH Prince Louis I of Monaco. She was born probably sometime in 1639 into a very prominent French family. Her father was Marshal of France Antoine III de Gramont and her mother was Francoise-Marguerite du Plessis-Chivre whose uncle was none other than His Eminence Cardinal Richelieu. Catherine was the eldest daughter but just as if not more famous than she was to be was her older brother Armand de Gramont, Comte de Guiche. Armand was famous for being extremely handsome, extremely rude and difficult and irresistible to men and women alike. He was the paramour of the husband and wife pair Philippe I, Duke of Orleans, and Henrietta Anne Stuart.

HSH Prince Honore II of Monaco had worked throughout his reign to transfer Monaco from the Spanish to the French camp and he arranged for King Louis XIV of France to be godfather to his grandson and heir Louis. He also arranged for Louis to be married to someone very prominent in the French court and Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont was the choice. In 1660 she and Louis were married and only two years later Honore II died making Catherine and her husband Sovereign Prince and Princess Consort of Monaco. Catherine-Charlotte must have seemed like quite a catch. She was described as being very beautiful, highly intelligent and humorously witty. She was, though, some 3 years older than her husband and came into the marriage with some reluctance. She had previously been in love with her cousin Antonin Nompar, Marquis de Puyguilheim. However, the marriage seemed to be fruitful as Catherine gave birth to a son and heir in 1661 who would eventually succeed to the throne as Prince Antoine I of Monaco.
When Honore II died Prince Louis I, Princess Catherine and baby Antoine had to pack up and travel to Monaco to handle the transfer of power. Catherine was very upset about having to leave Paris and was not impressed with her new principality when the couple arrived in Monaco.

From the glittering court of Louis XIV she found herself faced with her new country which, from

what she could see, was simply a castle and a small coastal village. The Princely Palace was, of course, quite luxurious on the inside but Catherine did not make much of a secret of the fact that she considered her presence in Monaco to be a sacrifice for someone of her background. Nonetheless, she was kept busy in Monaco giving birth to a daughter a year for three years in a row. Perhaps thinking she had done her duty by then, Princess Catherine then moved back to Paris and resumed her affair with her cousin Nompar. King Louis XIV was outraged, probably mostly because he had his eye on Catherine himself, and ordered Nompar to make himself scarce. When Nompar unwisely refused King Louis locked him in the Bastille for six months. Open defiance of an absolute monarch is not usually a good idea.

The Princess of Monaco was thus forced to cool her ardor for her cousin but there were plenty of other opportunities for scandalous behavior. She became very close friends with her brother’s lover Princess Henrietta Anne Stuart, youngest daughter of King Charles I of Britain and herself a sister-in-law and former lover of the King of France. Catherine’s aunt, Suzanne Charlotte de Gramont, Marquise de Saint Chaumont, was attached to Henrietta’s household and governess of her two daughters. Catherine’s husband, Prince Louis I, came to Paris and also spent most of his time away from Monaco but was usually dispatched on military and diplomatic missions for Louis XIV. In part, his absences were diplomatic as Louis XIV himself took Catherine as one of his many mistresses after he lost interest in Louise de la Valliere but this lasted only a few months.

In fact, the match had, in part, been a set-up. Princess Henrietta had aimed her friend at the king to distract him from Valliere so that she could become his primary mistress again. It did not work out as Henrietta planned however and when Louis XIV tired of Catherine he turned to the famous Madame de Montespan. There were even rumors that at the same time Catherine was having an affair with Henrietta herself but there is no real evidence of this and may have been the result of a guilt-by-association mentality because of her brother’s affairs with the Orleans couple. The Princess of Monaco then had an affair with the Chevalier de Lorraine, a friend of the Duke of Orleans. This put off Henrietta and their friendship effectively ended. No longer welcome at court she returned with her husband to Monaco for the next four years.

In 1672 France and Holland went to war and Prince Louis I was recalled to duty and sent to the front which allowed Catherine to return to Paris. She would remain there the rest of her life and first received a position as lady-in-waiting to Madame de Montespan. King Louis gave her a house at St Germain where she spent the last six years of her life which was cut short by her death in Paris on June 4, 1678 at the age of 39. She had spent enough time with her husband to give him six children but her short life had mostly been a succession of affairs and scandalous behavior from end to end. As more recent famous figures of wild reputation might say, she lived fast, died young and left a good looking corpse.

H.S.H. Princess Grace

Throughout her years as an A-list actress and finally Princess of Monaco there was no doubt that Princess Grace set the standard for style, class and glamour around the world. Yet, she was not born into the world royalty and the Hollywood elite. She was born Grace Patricia Kelly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 12, 1929 to the son of Irish immigrants Jack Kelly and wife Margaret. Her father gained some measure of fame for being a three time Olympic gold medal winner sculler. He was a self-made millionare and owner of the largest brick business on the east coast. He once ran for Mayor of Philadelphia on the Democrat ticket but narrowly lost the election. During World War II President Franklin D. Roosevelt made him the National Director of Physical Fitness. Grace was named after a late aunt as per the wishes of her late grandmother. She had one older sister, one older brother and one younger sister.

Grace became a model early in life and as early as 12 was acting in plays and learning to sing and dance. Rejected by Bennington College because she wasn't good at math she threw herself totally into becoming an actress and soon she was attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Even though the class was full she impressed her interviewer enough to to a place in the school where such famous names as Katharine Hepburn and Lauren Bacall studied. After working in the theatre she later made the move to television and finally the big screen.

Among Kelly's many screen performances were roles with Gary Cooper in High Noon, Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder and with Bill Holden in The Bridges at Toko-Ri. She also starred with Bill Holden and Bing Crosby in The Country Girl for which she won an Oscar. She had previously worked with Bing Crosby as well as Mr. Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong in High Society as a sophisticated heiress about to remarry.

For many fans of the time as well as later generations (such as myself) Grace Kelly became the quintessential movie star, the picture of the highest ideal of Hollywood actresses. It was to be her last film role and was released shortly after her marriage. That part of her life began in 1955 when she met His Serene Highness Prince Ranier III of Monaco while attending the Cannes Film Festival. The two began corresponding and shortly thereafter Prince Ranier came to America and visited with the Kelly family for three days, finally asking Grace to marry him. Everything was moving fast and as soon as all was settled the Kelly family began planning what was termed the wedding of the century set for April 19, 1956. It certainly was that and in the opinion of this writer there has never been a more picturesque royal bride than Grace Kelly.

Thirty million people watched the wedding of Princess Grace and Prince Ranier on television and it was the begining of a very public life for the princely couple. They certainly wasted no time in ensuring the succession for the next generation as almost nine months to the day after their wedding Princess Grace gave birth to their first child, Caroline, on January 23, 1957. There was a 21-gun-salute, a national holiday and champagne for everyone in celebration. A year later Prince Albert was born and on February 1, 1965 Princess Stephanie joined the family. Princess Grace was a proud mother but still missed her acting career which was a real sacrifice to give up. Many filmmakers tried to tempt her out of her retirement but Prince Ranier was adamant that acting in movies was incompatible with his wife's duties as a Princess of Monaco. However, Princess Grace was able to do some narration work and on-stage poetry readings. For the most part though she devoted her time to her duties for Monaco.

Princess Grace did a tremendous amount of charity work and established the Princess Grace Foundation to support local artists. She also did a great deal of work for children and orphans in particular, holding a lavish Christmas party every year for their benefit. Princess Grace was also one of the first celebrities to support La Leche League which advocates breastfeeding rather than formula for babies.

There were numerous activities Grace undertook to raise the national profile of Monaco and in that campaign she certainly succeeded in a big way. Monaco had long been known by the elites of Europe, even moreso during the reign of Prince Ranier but Princess Grace brought the tiny principality to a whole new level on the world stage thanks to her American, Hollywood background and her charm and class that turned heads every-where she went. Through it all she also remained a very devoted Catholic mother.

As much as I hate to do it I will also at least mention that, like any famous actress, she did have her share of gossip to deal with about her love life over the years, even an attempted courtship by the Shah of Iran. Grace turned him down but remained a loyal defender of the Shah for the rest of her life. She was romantically connected with various celebrities and most often her co-stars. However, in my opinion most of that was innocent, a great deal more was invented later by those wishing to connect themselves with the bright star that was Princess Grace and she came from a solid Catholic family and was always aware that she had to avoid any hint of scandal. It is also undoubted that she was a loyal wife and mother.

Many people then and now compared the life of Princess Grace to a fairy tale. Sadly, it was to be a tragedy without the happy ending common to fairy tales. On September 13, 1982 Princess Grace and her youngest daughter Princess Stephanie were driving back to Monaco from their country estate when she suffered a massive stroke, lost control of the vehicle and plunged over a cliff on the winding road. Princess Stephanie suffered minor injuries but Princess Grace was barely alive when she was pulled from the wreckage and rushed to hospital in Monaco where she died of her injuries the following day. A requiem mass was held at St Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco which was attended by 400 close friends, family members and representatives of foreign governments and royal houses. Diana, Princess of Wales, represented the British Royal Family and a eulogy was given by her close friend and former co-star James Stewart. She remains one of the most widely admired women in the world, an icon and a legendary figure in the Old World and the New who will never be surpassed.