H.S.H. the Princess Charlotte of Monaco

Princess Charlotte was the daughter of Prince Louis II and the mother of Prince Rainier III of Monaco. For twenty years she was the Hereditary Princess of Monaco before abdicating her succession rights to her son Rainier. Her life story begins in Algeria where Hereditary Prince Louis of Monaco was serving with the French Foreign Legion. While there he became enamored with a cabaret singer (and part time laundress and dressmaker) named Marie Juliette Louvet. As a result of their relationship Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet was born in Constantine, Algeria on September 30, 1898. The status of her birth was a matter of controversy from day one and, in time, would become a matter of international concern.

Prince Louis very much loved Marie Juliette but his father, Prince Albert I, was aghast at such a relationship becoming permanent. Because of this, Prince Louis maintained that he had married his beloved secretly a year before their daughter was born. No evidence was produced and insofar as the laws of Monaco and France were concerned little Charlotte was illegitimate. This became a major concern for both countries as Louis would one day inherit the Monegasque throne and if he died without a legitimate heir the next in the line of succession was his cousin Duke Wilhelm von Urach, the son of Princess Florestine of Monaco. This was actually a major concern for the French who did not want a German, even one largely raised in Monaco, ruling a country on their southern coast.

To avoid this issue before it became a crisis a law was passed by Prince Albert I which recognized Charlotte as Prince Louis’ daughter, making her a member of the Princely Family. However, this still did not please everyone as it was later held to be invalid because of a previous legal code adopted in 1882. Finally, though the worst of the potential threat had passed, on October 30, 1918 another ordinance was passed which allowed for the throne of Monaco to pass to adopted heirs. The following year, on May 16, 1919 Prince Louis formally adopted Charlotte, giving her the surname Grimaldi and granting her the title of Duchess of Valentinois. Because of the laws already passed when her father became Sovereign Prince Louis II of Monaco in 1922 his daughter became Hereditary Princess of Monaco.

Some still questioned the legality of the adoption (which seems all the more absurd when Charlotte was the natural daughter of Louis II and according to the Prince never illegitimate in the first place) because of age requirements for adoption in the Monegasque legal code.
Nonetheless, Louis II was sovereign prince and as far as he was concerned the whole issue was settled and his daughter would be his successor. Moreover, by that time, the family was already growing larger. On March 19, 1920 the Princess Charlotte married Count Pierre de Polignac of Guidel, Morbihan, Brittany, France. Prince Louis had arranged the aristocratic match and by his princely decree the count was given the Grimaldi family name and made a Prince of Monaco as well as becoming Duke of Valentinois by his marriage to Princess Charlotte. In December of that year the couple welcomed their first child into the world, Princess Antoinette. Three years later Princess Charlotte gave birth to their second child, the future Prince Rainier III.

For a time Princess Charlotte and Prince Pierre were one of the most seemingly glamorous couples in the world. However, in private, the marriage was unhappy one and things only grew worse with time. On March 20, 1930 Princess Charlotte left her husband to live with her Italian paramour Del Masso. Her mother died the same year and on February 18, 1933 a frustrated Prince Louis II officially declared the couple divorced. Princess Charlotte continued to appear at social functions and did charity work, for a time serving as a volunteer nurse. She also became more aware that, as a divorced woman whose legitimacy was clouded by controversy it would probably be best for her not to take the throne of an officially Catholic monarchy in her turn. Therefore, on May 30, 1944, a day before her son turned 21, she gave the title of Hereditary Princess, renouncing her rights of succession in favor of her son Prince Rainier. Prince Louis II agreed to the move and placed his hopes for the future of the principality on his handsome young grandson who had already proven to be a young man of considerable ability.

Princess Charlotte had officially left the stage but she remained very busy and involved. She went to college, earned a degree as a social worker and remained close to her children. When her father died and her son became Sovereign Prince Rainier III of Monaco she moved to the family estate at Le Marchais outside of Paris. Very much against the wishes of her concerned children she turned the estate in a rehabilitation center for ex-convicts. Her good deeds were judged too dangerous by many and especially so when she became very close to one of her “patients” a former jewel thief named Rene Girier or “Rene the Cane”. There were even rumors that he practiced his trade on some of the guests at the wedding of Rainier III and Princess Grace. Princess Charlotte did not always see eye-to-eye with Princess Grace but adored her grandchildren and left her famous jewelry collection to Princess Caroline who bears a striking resemblance to her grandmother. The long and tumultuous life of Princess Charlotte of Monaco came to an end on the night of November 15/16 1977 in Paris, France.

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.

Prince Albert's Golden Foot

Yesterday, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco presented the Golden Foot Award of 2009 to Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo de Assís Moreira, better known as Ronaldinho. The Monegasque monarch has long been a fan of soccer and still plays a game himself now and then for good causes. The Golden Foot Award is intended to honor players who are over 29 years old for their accomplishments across their entire soccer career The award honours a soccer player for his entire carreer, the player has to be above 29 years old. Ronaldinho, who plays for AC Milan, won with 43,755 votes. Coming in second was Real Madrid star Rául and third place went to Thierry Henri.

With the award, Ronaldinho follows into the steps of his countryman Roberto Carlos, who won the award last year. Soccer players from the past, Zibi Boniek, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Oleg Blochin and Rene Higuita were also honoured with a golden foot yesterday. The print of the foot of the soccerplayers (in gold) will be placed at the Champions Promenade near Grimaldi Forum of Monte Carlo.

Royals Unite Against Cancer in Monaco

Last Friday a number of royals gathered in the Principality of Monaco for the gala of the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer. HSH Prince Albert II acted as host to such royal guests as HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, TRH Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium, TRH Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg as well as HRH Camilla of Bourbon Two-Sicilies, Duchess of Castro. Much attention was given to the Crown Princess of Sweden who came early for drinks with Albert II and the Princely Palace. The Sovereign Prince told a Swedish reporter that the meeting was "wonderful and fantastic".

Prince Albert II and Princess Astrid of Belgium gave speeches at the event. Princess Astrid is the Honorary Chairwoman of the EORTC Charitable Trust, which is based in Brussels, Belgium. Prince Guillaume is also a member of the General Assembly of the EORTC Charitable Trust. The organization was founded in 1976 to unite in a pan-European, multi-national effort to fight cancer. The group currently operations in more than 30 countries.

"Oceans" Premiere in Monaco

HSH Prince Albert II, seen here with HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium, attended the world premiere of "Oceans" by French director Jacques Perrin in Monte Carlo. Longtime girlfriend Charlene Wittstock was also on hand with the Prince and Albert II took the occasion to present a special award to Perrin from the Prince Albert II Foundation. An auction was held earlier in the day to benefit the Sovereign Prince's namesake foundation which saw Albert II chatting with American actor Kevin Costner. Sotheby conducted the auction which saw the sale of 55 Bonelli eagle sculptures. It was all for the Eco-Art Parade 2009 which started in July by the Prince Albert II Foundation. The film "Oceans" aims to raise public awareness about the need for environmental protection for the worlds oceans.

Charlotte Casiraghi

Charlotte Casiraghi is a sure winner of the "genetic lottery" and easily the most photographed member of the Princely Family of Monaco today. She was born on August 3, 1986 to HSH Princess Caroline of Monaco and her late husband Stefano Casiraghi at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monte Carlo, Monaco. She was named after her great-grandmother Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois the mother of Sovereign Prince Rainier III. She is currently fourth in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne but, although many TV spots and magazines often refer to her as "Princess Charlotte of Monaco" she has not, per the wishes of her mother, been given any titles as of yet and is a private citizen. She inherited a considerable fortune with the untimely death of her father (including an island off the coast of Sardinia) when she was four years old. Princess Caroline moved the family to France and tried to shelter her children from media attention as best she could.

However, as Charlotte grew older there was no keeping the photographers away, she being almost a carbon copy of her very striking mother at her age. Educated in France she made high marks throughout her academic career and in 2007 got her licenese of Philosophy from the Sorbonne. She also worked as an intern at Pierre Laffont publishing house in Paris and at the newspaper The Independent in London. The tabloids have kept up with her three serious boyfriends to date, the last being Alexander Dellal, owner of an art gallery and the son of a Brazilian property developer and supermodel. She sometimes attends official events and is of course always present at the big family functions but as a private citizen she has no state obligations.

Charlotte's primary interests have been in fashion, publishing and equestrian sports. In her teens she was aa regular at jumping competitions and has recently taken up the sport again in an effort to bring attention to it and play for Monaco. She is often seen at fashion shows and recently entered the publishing world herself with a new magazine she co-founded called Ever Manifesto dedicated to fashion and environmentalism. It is free and published in print for distribution at fashion shows and on-line. She has also written for Another Magazine, The Independent and is editor-at-large for Above magazine. She has said that her new focus on eco-fashion was inspired by her friend Stella McCartney (a fashion designer and environmentalist) and her uncle Prince Albert II who is widely known for his climate change and environmental studies and awareness work.

TCM to Honor Princess Grace

Turner Classic Movies has announced plans to honor the late Princess Grace of Monaco on what would have been her 80th birthday. TCM will be showing all of her movies and viewers will be guided through them by TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne who will feature her most outstanding performances every Thursday night in November though the tribute and the showing of her films will run throughout the month. Among the movies to be shown are "The Country Girl", "Dial M for Murder", "High Noon", "Rear Window", "To Catch a Thief", "High Society" and "The Swan". Grace Kelly was born in 1929, worked as a model and in television and movies before her retirement from the silver screen in 1956 to marry HSH Prince Rainier III of Monaco. She served on the board of directors for 20th Century Fox from 1976 to 1981. Princess Grace died the following year. Her son will be contributing to the special tribute, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco has already voiced an on-air tribute piece dedicated to his mother's career in movies which TCM says will run throughout the month. I look forward to this, seeing some of the movies I have not caught before, though I cannot imagine my favorites ("The Country Girl" and "High Society") being displaced by any. Princess Grace, either as an actress or as consort to the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, was a class act and a superb success at all her undertakings.

Andrea and Tatiana Still Together

On the 5th, Andrea Casiraghi attended the 'Mario de Janeiro Testino' booklaunch at Cafe Carmen in Paris. Longtime girlfriend Tatiana Santo Domingo was also on hand, though the two were not photographed together which led some to continue muttering about problems. However, the following day Andrea and Tatiana were also at the Fendi 'O' party For Pixie Lott at the VIP ROOM Theater. They were also together at the launch of a new Jewellery collection called 'NEREE for ERE' by Repossi at the Ritz Hotel on the 7th. So, it seems that despite the earlier scares the two are still together and still an item.

Prince Albert and His Judges

October 1 was the start of the judicial year in Monaco and here we see the Sovereign Prince with the assembled justices of Monaco. Slightly old news, but I just loved the picture of Prince Albert, enthroned with his berobed judicial subjects around him. I'd like to see more such pictures of the monarch in Monaco. For those who parlez francaise see the article here.

Charlotte Casiraghi - Fashion Week

Today Charlotte Casiraghi was in Paris at the Palais de Tokyo for the Stella McCartney Pret a Porter show. Part of the Paris Womenswear Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 the lovely lady in blue was on the "front lines" sitting with Nancy Shevell, Paul McCartney Charlotte Rampling and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Albert and the Olympics, Charlotte and Global Warming

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco was on hand in Copenhagen, Denmark for the big decision over where to hold the 2016 Olympic Games as a member of the International Olympic Committee. US First Lady Michelle Obama met with the Prince who, like other members, was asked about the recent scandals involving the former Governor of Illinois hurting the chances of Chicago hosting the games. Prince Albert said such things certainly don't help but he did not think it would have much of an impact on the final decision. Something must have stood out though as despite the sales pitch and star power of President Obama and Oprah the city of Chicago failed to get past the very first vote with the prize of hosting the games ultimately going to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. What might have been just another day at the office for Prince Albert was seen as a major embarassment for the Obamas who very much put their personal prestige on the line to win the games for Michelle's hometown. Prince Albert II has been involved with the Olympics, both as an IOC member and as an athlete for many years.

Meanwhile, yesterday in Paris at Descartes University Charlotte Casiraghi kept the environmentalist front in hand for her Uncle Albert where she attended the presentation of a new song titled, "Burning Beds" which was sung by fifty international celebrities against global warming. Presenting the song was former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan. Certainly no one can fault the Princely Family of Monaco for not drawing attention to environmentalist issues.

Pierre Casiraghi

Pierre Rainier Stefano Casiraghi is the youngest child of Hereditary Princess Caroline of Monaco and her late husband Stefano Casiraghi. As things stand now he is the third in the line of succession to the throne of Monaco behind his mother and his older brother Andrea. He was born on September 5, 1987 at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monte Carlo, Monaco. He was named after his great-grandfather (Prince Pierre), his grandfather (Prince Rainier) and his father Stefano Casiraghi. His godparents were his uncle Prince Albert II and his aunt Laura Casiraghi. He is currently at university in Italy where he is studying economics, presumably to take over the family business of his late father which is currently managed by his uncle Marco Casiraghi. In 2008 he went through basic training with the French army. He speaks French, Italian and English fluently as well as a little German and enjoys playing the saxophone. Although sometimes overshadowed by his older brother Pierre has certainly attracted his own fair share of media attention, most of which revolves around his wealthy lifestyle and succession of stylish socialite girlfriends. Evidently it is news to some people that rich families live well. One of his more recent and popular girlfriends has been the Italian aristocrat Beatrice Borromeo. On the whole he has shown the ability to accomplish his goals and to enjoy life as it comes that epitomizes the Princely Family of Monaco.