Serb Royals Join in Rolex Masters

Sports fans and royal watchers alike couldn't have asked for more as the Crown Prince and Princess of Serbia (you know, the couple who should be the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Serbia) joined the Grimaldis for the Finals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. We can see, in the photo above, in the front row of the princely box (left to right), HRH Crown Princess Katherine and HRH Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, HSH Princess Charlene and HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, princely cousin Baroness Elisabeth-Anne de Massy and Melanie-Antoinette de Massy on the end.

Happy 90th Birthday!

Today marks the 90th anniversary of H.S.H. Princess Antoinette of Monaco, elder sister of the late Prince Rainier III. Mad for Monaco wishes Her Serene Highness a very happy birthday on this very special, even historic, occasion. As it happens it was Albert I who was Sovereign Prince when Princess Antoinette was born.

Happy Birthday Princess Antoinette!

Today HSH Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness of Massy celebrates her 89th birthday. Princess Antoinette is the older sister of the late Prince Rainier III and over the years gained someting of an eratic reputation. There had long been tension between Princess Antoinette and the little brother who replaced her as heir to the throne but things came to a head with an effort by Princess Antoinette to usurp the Monegasque throne in the name of her young son Christian. Prince Rainier handled the situation without any publicity but Princess Antoinette was exiled from Monaco for quite some time thereafter. However, later in life the Grimaldi siblings were reconciled and Princess Antoinette was again seen at formal events and social occasions with her late brother and her nieces and nephew. Princess Antoinette, because of her age and poor health has not been seen out much lately. In the photo above she is flanked by her great-niece Charlotte Casiraghi and her grandaughter Melanie de Massy. The Mad for Monaco blog wishes Princess Antoinette a very happy birthday!

Christian Louis Baron de Massy

Christian Louis, Baron de Massy, a first cousin of the current Princely Family of Monaco, was born on January 17, 1949 to HSH Princess Antoinette of Monaco (elder sister of Rainier III) and her paramour of the time Alexandre-Athenase Noghes. Born out of wedlock he was later legitimized by the Catholic Church in 1951 when his parents married which put him in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne. As a result, as a small boy, he was at the center of the rumored effort of his mother to depose his uncle Rainier and place him on the throne instead with Princess Antoinette as regent and the real power. He had two other sisters, Elisabeth-Anne de Massy and Christine Alix de Massy but because of his gender he was to take center stage in the alleged conspiracy.

At the time Christian was legitimized Prince Rainier III was unmarried and had no children and this was supposed to be the key for Princess Antoinette to take back the place she lost when her younger brother was born. However, as we all know, Rainier III married Grace Kelly and had three children, including a son and heir, and the idea of Christian becoming "Louis III of Monaco" evaporated. Needless to say this caused problems within the ranks of the Princely Family and for a time Rainier III banished his sister from the Principality. However, according to Christian's own account, Princess Grace was always very kind to him and when the marital problems of his mother drove him to distraction he said that Princess Grace always made time for him, comforted him and tried to help him along. It should be kept in mind though that his book "Palace" was not looked on kindly by Rainier III who banned it and banished Christian himself from Monaco in 1986 for it and other problems and is widely viewed as an effort to "cash-in" on his family connections by spreading rumors.

In 2002 when the laws of succession were revised Christian again entered the ranks though as 11th in line. However, when Rainier III died and Albert II became Sovereign Prince Christian again lost his place, though if some major disaster were to befall the current crop of Grimaldis Baron de Massy would still be eligible for selection by the Crown Council. In his own life, Christian has had a tumultuous time. His family life was chaotic, he didn't do well in school and was known for his casual relationships, risky behavior and car racing. After being educated in England Christian followed in his mother's footsteps with a succession of failed marriages. First, in 1970 in Buenos Aires, Argentina he married Maria Marta Quintana y del Carril who, one year later, gave birth to Christian's first child Laetizia de Massy but in 1978 the couple divorced.

He has had three more marriages since, now married to his fourth wife, and has had two other children, sons, Brice Baron de Massy and Antoine Baron de Massy. Information on his life since writing his "tell all" book has been rather sketchy though, so keep that in mind. By and large, from what I have heard, he is still largely looked down on in Monaco. Whereas other members of the de Massy clan have made up with their Grimaldi cousins and are often seen at social events and the like, Christian is usually nowhere to be seen.

Elizabeth-Anne de Massy

(Melanie Antoinette de Massy, HSH Princess Stephanie and Elisabeth-Anne de Massy)

Elisabeth-Anne de Massy, one of the Grimaldi family cousins, was born in Monaco in 1947 to HSH Princess Antoinette of Monaco (sister of HSH Prince Rainier III) and her 'flavor of the month' Alexandre-Athenase Noghes. As such she is a first cousin to HSH Prince Albert II and Princesses Caroline and Stephanie and was the niece of HSH Prince Rainier III. There had been family problems between Rainier III and his sister but things had warmed enough by 1965 that she was chosen to stand as godmother for HSH Princess Stephanie. Despite being born out of wedlock her parents did marry in 1951, legitimizing her and allowing her to have a place in the order of succession to the Monegasque throne.

At the time, as Rainier III had no offspring eyes were on Princess Antoinette as the potential source of future security. This was increased when she later had a son, Christian Louis and then another daughter, the tragic Christine Alix. Efforts, real or overblown, by Princess Antoinette to take the throne for herself and her children prompted her brother to expel her from Monaco at one point, but happily her children were not forced to share her temporary shunning and over time the family has evidently patched things up quite well. Elisabeth-Anne was married to Bernard Alexandre Baron Taubert-Natta from Switzerland in 1974 and the couple had one son; Baron Jean-Leonard Taubert-Natta for whom Prince Albert II stood as godfather. However, the couple later divorced and in 1984 Elisabeth-Anne married again, this time in London, to Nicolai Vladimir Costello, dit de Lusignan by whom she had her daughter Melanie-Antoinette de Lusignan (who was born in Monaco).

Elisabeth-Anne is quite popular in the Principality today because of her extensive charity work. She is also sometimes seen at family functions and is especially keen on tennis. She serves as the President of the Monegasque Tennis Federation and of the Monte Carlo Country Club. After the death of Rainier III and the accession of Albert II she lost her place on the list of succession which was fairly far down the list behind her mother, elder brother and his family. It does not seem to bother the woman, nor does the fact that most of the attention given to her side of the family in recent years has fallen on her daughter Melanie who is very photo-friendly.

H.S.H. Princess Antoinette

The Monegasque Princely Family seems to have no shortage of colorful characters among its ranks and one that certainly stands out is Princess Antoinette, rather like the last member of the old guard of Monaco. The sister of Prince Rainier III, Antoinette has been cast as ambitious schemer, potential usurper, outcast, crazy old aunt and finally accepted member of the family in recent years. As with most of the Grimaldis there is a great deal of rumor and gossip surrounding her life but enough is known for sure to know that she has led an extremely interesting life full of intrigue and family politics. It would not be much of an exaggeration to say that Princess Antoinette could have had her life story produced as a daytime soap opera.

She was born Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne Grimaldi on December 28, 1920 in Paris to Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois and Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois. She grew up in an odd position, first with the controversy over the succession and then with her brother taking center stage as the Hereditary Prince during World War II. It was also during that period that she began a relationship with the Monegasque tennis star Alexandre-Athenase Noghes by whom she had three children; Elisabeth Anne born in 1947, Christian Louis Baron de Massy born in 1949 and Christine Alix born in 1951 and her life only became more controversial from there.

In December of 1951, after the birth of Christine, Alexandre and Princess Antoinette were married in a civil ceremony in Genoa but the marriage only lasted until 1954. Following this Princess Antoinette started to gain her unsavory reputation as an ambitious and meddling plotter. While her brother Prince Rainier was in a relationship with the French actress Gisele Pascal she spread rumors (later proven untrue) that the girl was infertile and thus an unacceptable consort for Rainier who needed an heir to keep Monaco independent of France. Because of this she was widely blamed for the breakup of the relationship. At this time Princess Antoinette was having an affair with Jean-Charles Rey and they were accused of plotting something of a palace coup in which they would depose Rainier III and Princess Antoinette would take the Monegasque throne on the grounds that she had a son and heir who could maintain the independence of the principality. Needless to say this hair-brained scheme (if genuine) was unsuccessful.

Princess Antoinette may have blamed the failure on Princess Grace who her brother married after a whirlwind courtship. Rumors spread (denied by the palace) that she had been checked out previously as to her fertility and quickly gave Monaco an heir, thus ending any realistic hopes for Princess Antoinette to achieve the throne. Considering all of this, the fact that Rainier tolerated his sister at all was an act of great restraint, however, rumors soon spread that the meddling sister was causing problems for Rainier and Grace and Princess Grace finally had her thrown out of the Princely Palace. Rainier III, because of all of her scheming, had his sister effectively banished from Monaco and the two branches of the family had little to nothing to do with each other for quite some time. Her son Christian, however, later wrote that Princess Grace was extremely kind to him and would always make time for him at the palace during the many ups and downs in his own private life.

Jean-Charles Rey and Princess Antoinette were married in 1961 but the two never had any children and divorced in 1974. Kept away from the Princely Palace in Monaco, Princess Antoinette went from having the reputation of an ambitious schemer to that of a colorful but beloved, old aunt. She lived mostly in Eze on the coast with a large collection of dogs and cats with rumors from her servants occasionally slipping out about her bizarre behavior. In 1983 she married the English ballet dancer John Gilpin but this match did not last long either as he died only six weeks later. Thankfully, over the years there seems to have been a slow reconciliation among the family and Princess Antoinette has attended family functions. She lost her succession rights upon the death of her brother and the succession of Prince Albert II. Over the years Princess Antoinette became a familiar figure at a number of Monegasque social events. She founded a women's organization for Monaco and was extremely active in the area of animal rights and the prevention of animal cruelty. She was a regular star every year at the St Francis Day blessing of pets.

Past problems or rumors of such were put aside and forgotten as the two branches of the family presented a united front, Prince Albert escorting his aunt to the annual Rose Ball and some other parties and Antoinette's grandchildren appearing on the balcony of the palace on national day. From her rebel past Princess Antoinette had grown into the position of beloved family matriarch. Eventually, time began to tell and the Princess began suffering from osteoporosis and possibly pancreatic cancer. On March 18, 2011, at the age of 90, she passed away at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco, beloved by her family and very well regarded. Her departure was, truly, the end of an era.