King of Italy, Overlord of Monaco?

Royal titles can, at times, be a confusing subject, obscure to most but representing a great deal of fascinating history. For example, how many people are aware that among the titles of HM King Juan Carlos I of Spain are Duke of Milan, Count of Flanders and kingship over Gibraltar and even the "Ocean Sea"? Among the titles of HM Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands are those of Viscount of Antwerp (in Belgium), Lord of Montfort (in France) and Lord of Daasburg (in Germany). Likewise, back in the days when there still was one, the King of Italy had a long and illustrious list of titles which included the kingship of Sardinia, Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia but, interestingly enough, also the rather unique titles of "Overlord of Monaco, Roquebrune and 11/12 of Menton". In my own experience it seems quite unusual for a royal title to include fractions!

This, of course, was an historical 'leftover' from the Congress of Vienna following the downfall of Napoleonic France. The House of Savoy, at that time the Kings of Piedmont-Sardinia, replaced the French as protectors or, in the old feudal language, Overlords of Monaco which, at that time, included considerably more territory than the modern principality we know today. So, the Kings of Piedmont-Sardinia (who after 1861 became the Kings of Italy) were the overlords of Monaco. At least according to them. Actually, by the time the House of Savoy gained the Italian crown the French were back being the protectors of Monaco as well as by that time having gained Savoy, Nice and surrounding areas from Piedmont-Sardinia in exchange for supporting their struggle against Austria. King Vittorio Emanuele I of Piedmont-Sardinia was the first to gain the overlordship of Monaco, which was then passed to his successor King Carlo Felice and then to King Carlo Alberto and finally to King Vittorio Emanuele II who later became the first King of Italy.

King Carlo Alberto had at first hoped to bring Roquebrune and Menton into his own kingdom and sent troops into these towns during the uproar of the reign of HSH Prince Florestan. As we know, Prince Florestan did have a very monarchial temperment but his son, Prince Charles III, came to a new agreement with the French Emperor Napoleon III. After the 1848 Revolutions, Menton and Roquebrune took up the Italian tricolor and were officially placed under the direct protection of the Piedmontese monarch. That is where the fractions come in. However, King Carlo Alberto met with defeat in his fight with the Austrians and it was his son King Vittorio Emanuele II who himself came to an agreement with Napoleon III, giving up Nice and Savoy in exchange for French friendship and these areas have remained a part of France ever since. Grimaldi rule over Menton and Roquebrune was sold to France, which had the area already anyway, and that is when Monaco took on the shape we know it today, reducing the size of the principality considerably.

Control of areas come and go but titles are rarely changed, even if they are only a reminder of historic glories. The Princes of Monaco, likewise, still have many titles left over from their former place in the aristocracy of the Kingdom of France. Anyway, that is the background of why the Kings of Italy were, on paper at least, still titled Overlord of Monaco, Roquebrune and 11/12 of Menton.

What if Princess Caroline...

Of course, I hope that Prince Albert II and Charlene have a very long and happy life together and that Charlene will give Monaco an heir to carry on the Grimaldi-Polignac line of Prince Rainier but, let us just suppose for a moment that (for any reason) no children are forthcoming from the match. This question arose after someone asked me, if Princess Caroline were to succeed Albert II as the second Sovereign Princess in Monegasque history, as she is still married to the Prince of Hanover, would that not make the Monegasque monarch completely "royal" for the first time in history? I got to thinking about this and some questions arose that, while I certainly don't have the answers for all of them, might present a problem about Princess Caroline keeping her "HRH" if she is ever called to the throne of Monaco.

It has already been speculated about as to whether Princess Caroline would keep her "HRH" if she and Prince Ernst-August were ever to actually divorce. However, I have not seen much discussion on the opposite side of that question. Ironically, the titles of the Prince of Hanover are not recognized at all in his native Germany but are recognized in the Principality of Monaco which recognizes him and Caroline as Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Hanover. However, readers of this blog might remember that the rules of succession in Monaco, set down by Prince Jean I many centuries ago, calls for the husband of any heiress of Monaco to take the name and arms of the House of Grimaldi. It would impossible to imagine the Prince of Hanover doing this, even if their marriage was not effectively over. For a Hanoverian and someone included in the succession of the British Royal Family, this would be seen as a "step down" to become a Princely Grimaldi.

However, not having seen the original document (and a few changes have been made over the centuries), I would how this would work out if Princess Caroline was obliged to take the throne of Monaco. Would the Prince of Hanover simply be ignored? Again, I cannot imagine him voluntarily becoming a Grimaldi under the best of circumstances and it certainly would be unthinkable the way things are now. To the best of my knowledge, this situation has not arisen before. The only other female heiress was Princess Louise-Hippolyte whose husband did take the name and arms of Grimaldi (though he was not royal to begin with like Ernie) and in the case of Princess Charlotte and Prince Pierre, she abdicated her rights to the throne in favor of Rainier III before Prince Louis II had passed away so the issue never needed addressing. Anyway, I thought that was an interesting little quandry and something to think about for Monaco-Grimaldi scholars out there ;-)

The Casiraghi Trio: Is it Time for Titles?

When the Casiraghi trio (Andrea, Pierre and Charlotte) were still tiny little tots Princess Caroline said that they would not immediately be given titles and that she wanted them to grow up as regular, common children with as "normal" a life as possible -because of course nothing could change the fact that they are filthy rich and their grandpa was the Prince of Monaco. I think most understood this, agreed with or at least accepted it and so time went on with Princess Caroline keeping them out of the limelight as best she could. However, that was quite some time back. All three are now definitely grown up, all have had some higher education, serious relationships and even done some official engagements in a few cases. Young, wealthy, attractive and well-connected they are also certainly as hounded by the media as anyone. My point being; what exactly is the reason as things stand now for none of the dynamic trio being titled?

Take the case of Andrea alone. I would assume that one reason for the lack of titles would be that Princess Caroline is still holding out hope for her little brother to get married and have some legitimate offspring. She has stated in the past she would like nothing better. However, while it is still possible, Prince Albert II has been avoiding the issue for many years and seems no closer now than in years past, and while certainly not an old man he can also not really be called a young man anymore either. So, as things stand now, and Albert has given no indication that they will be changing, Andrea is second-in-line for the Monegasque throne and yet has no title. I can only assume that this confuses a great many people since the trio are often called Prince(ss) of Monaco in magazines and on tv spots, even by "royal experts". Many must assume they already have titles, not unreasonably as their mother is a princess, their uncle is a prince and they are in direct line for the throne. For Andrea not to have a title would be like Prince William of Wales being simply William Windsor.

Obviously, for Andrea at least, his eventual rise to the princely throne would also include the dropping of the surname Casiraghi and the adoption of the Grimaldi name and arms according to Princely Family law. This might be a somewhat painful experience considering that their beloved father has left this mortal coil, but in the case of Andrea at least it seems bound to happen anyway and if some time down the road a miracle occurs and Albert married and reproduces names can always be changed back. Likewise, none of them have to immediately change their name to be given a title nor do they have to be given the title of Prince(ss) de Monaco but they could be given a lesser title. If anyone else has any thoughts on this, please feel free to post them. I simply think that they are already getting the attention, they are all adults, Albert II shows no sign of continuing the line of Rainier III and especially for Andrea it seems odd to be so close to the throne and still be a private citizen. That's my 2 cents.