A Grimaldi Working for American Independence

Today the United States celebrates its Independence Day, and, as most know, that independence would not have been won without the support and assistance of the Kingdom of France under King Louis XVI. At the time, the Principality of Monaco had nothing to do with these matters, though as HSH Prince Honore III was under the protection of France and part of the French nobility under King Louis, Monaco and the fledgling United States were technically on the same side. However, there was a member of the wider Grimaldi clan, a distant relation of the Princely Family, who was somewhat involved in the historic events of the American Revolution. That was the Italian-Spanish statesman Pablo Jerónimo Grimaldi y Pallavicini, marqués y duque de Grimaldi. A native of Genoa, he served in the courts of King Fernando VI and King Carlos III of Spain, helping to rebuild Spanish power and prestige after the traumatic events of the Seven Years' War. He had a long and eventful career but of particular concern here was his time as Spanish ambassador to the court of King Louis XVI of France.

He was appointed to the post by His Catholic Majesty King Carlos III and he forged a new alliance between the kingdoms of Spain and France in cooperation with the French Secretary of State Étienne François, duc de Choiseul. This was the "Third Family Compact" so named because of the Bourbon Royal Family that reigned over both France and Spain. He was in close contact also with the American Arthur Lee in Madrid, the envoy of the rebel American government for Spain and Prussia. Lee later helped draw up the alliance with France but is seldom noted because of a falling out with the more famous and popular Benjamin Franklin. Of course, he was insistent that Spain recognize the United States and join in the war against Britain immediately but the Duke of Grimaldi held back and delayed until Spain was in a stronger position, writing to Lee, "You have considered your own situation, and not ours. The moment is not yet come for us. The war with Portugal — France being unprepared, and our treasure ships from South America not being arrived — makes it improper for us to declare immediately." He was referring, of course, to the long-standing alliance between Portugal and Great Britain. However, the Duke of Grimaldi reassured Lee of Spanish sympathy and informed him of the large stores of clothing and gunpowder delivered to New Orleans and Havana that were to be smuggled in to help the American patriots with more on the way.

Eventually, of course, the Kingdom of Spain did recognize the United States and join in declaring war on Great Britain with the Treaty of Aranjuez in 1779. Spanish troops actually played an important part both by their numerous victories over the British on the gulf coast and by diverting British focus and forces with the siege of Gibraltar. In the end, Spain was able to win back almost everything that they had lost previously to Britain in the Seven Years' War, though not Gibraltar which, of course, remains under the British Crown to this day. So, there was a member of the Grimaldi family that played an often overlooked but critical part in the winning of American independence and the birth of the United States. It was during the war, in 1777, that His Catholic Majesty King Carlos III granted him the title first Duke of Grimaldi. He was awarded the Order of the Golden Fleece for his service, made a Grandee of Spain and died in 1789.

Monaco and Spain in Photos

As all probably know by now, His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain will be abdicating his throne in favor of his son and heir Prince Felipe of the Asturias. The Spanish Royal Family and the Princely Family of Monaco have been good friends for a long time and this may be an appropriate time to take a look back on the close relationship between Spain and Monaco:

TSH Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace at the Royal Bullring of Seville

HSH Princess Grace with HM Queen Victoria Eugenia

(the Queen was Prince Albert's godmother)

HM King Juan Carlos and HSH Princess Grace

HM Queen Sofia & HSH Princess Grace at Zarzuela Palace

TSH Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III at the

Royal Bullring of Seville

HM King Juan Carlos I & HSH Prince Albert II

HSH Prince Albert II & HRH Prince Felipe of Asturias

Favorite Princely Images: Spain and Monaco

HM King Juan Carlos I of Spain and HSH Princess Grace of Monaco. The Spanish Royal Family and the Princely House of Monaco have long been good friends, carrying on a close relationship that is centuries old, dating back to when Monaco was within the Spanish sphere of influence. That didn't turn out so well, but the countries and their Royal Families are friends again. Recent generations have been particularly close since, as we know, Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain was Prince Albert's godmother and a close friend of Princess Grace when she was still the "new princess on the block".

Albert's Godmother

Victoria Eugenie was born in Scotland in 1887, the daughter of Prince Henry of Battenberg, granddaughter of Queen Victoria and first cousin of King George V of Great Britain. She was named after her grandmother Queen Victoria and her godmother the Spanish-born Empress Eugenie of France, consort of Emperor Napoleon III (who happened to be good friends with the Grimaldis of Monaco). Due to an incorrect reading of her name she became known to her family as Ena. Her father died while serving in Africa and Ena grew up in the court of Queen Victoria. In 1905, while at a dinner hosted by King Edward VII, the princess caught the eye of His Catholic Majesty King Alfonso XIII of Spain. A long-distance courtship began despite great misgivings from Alfonso's family over Ena's Protestant religious, rather obscure German heritage and the haemophilia that was carried by Queen Victoria's family.

In spite of all this King Alfonso XIII was determined to marry Victoria Eugenie and only a year later they were engaged and soon married after a marriage treaty was agreed upon between the British and Spanish governments which required the removal of the princess from the British royal succession for marrying a Catholic. On May 31, 1906 the couple married and on their wedding day only narrowly escaped an attempt on their lives by an anarchist bomber. This may have been a clue as to things to come. Victoria Eugenie, Queen of Spain, was in general not accepted by the Spanish people and when her first child, a son, was found to have haemophilia King Alfonso XIII held his wife responsible and never forgave her. While it was true that the Queen did pass on the disease it is also true that Alfonso knew this would be a possibility before he insisted on marrying her.

The couple went on to have seven children but were never reconciled and finally lived mostly apart with Queen Ena devoting her time to charity work. In 1923 Pope Pius XI awarded her the Golden Rose. She continued her work to help the poor and promote education until the coup of 1931 forced the Spanish Royal Family into exile after which Spain was declared a republic and the country soon fell into civil war. Queen Ena lived in the U.K. until the government informed her that she was unwelcome after which she moved to Switzerland. She saw her husband again in Rome in 1938 on the occasion of the baptism of her grandson Juan Carlos (the current King of Spain). The former King died in 1941.

For a long time the Grimaldis of Monaco had been good friends with the Bourbon family and also had good relations with the family of General Francisco Franco who ruled Spain after the civil war until his death and the restoration of the monarchy. It was through these ties of friendship that HSH Princess Grace came to know the Spanish Royal Family and, in her study of the world she married into, came to be an admirer of Queen Ena. It was a mark of the great respect Princess Grace had for the Queen that she named her godmother of her only son, Prince Albert II, when he was born in 1958. Queen Ena last visited Spain in 1968 for the baptism of her great-grandson Prince Felipe of the Asturias. She died at her home in Switzerland the following year at the age of 81.

Princess Caroline in Spain

HRH the Princess of Hanover was in Spain recently, rubbing elbows with Their Majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia in San Sebastian. Princess Caroline was there to lay the foundation stone of the 'Proyecto tunidos' of the aquarium and officially open that establishment which recently underwent extensive renovations. The place was first opened in 1928 by HSH Prince Albert I of Monaco and HCM King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Yesterday the Princess was at the Monaco Media Forum dinner at the Hotel de Paris, part of a 3-day event ending today.