A Wedding to Remember

It was on this day in 1956 that American film icon Grace Kelly was married to His Serene Highness Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Huge crowds of tens of thousands of Monegasques turned out to cheer the happy couple and the event really put the tiny Principality of Monaco on the world map, certainly as far as the United States was concerned as 'Monaco fever' swept America from coast to coast. Ever since that happy day, many Americans have taken a special interest in Monaco and the House of Grimaldi -and obviously, a great many still do. For traditional style and modern glamour, the wedding of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace remains almost impossible to top. A happy occasion to remember.

Princess Stephanie - Daddy's Girl

On This Day in History

On this day in Monegasque history HSH Prince Rainier III succeeded his grandfather, HSH Prince Louis II, as Sovereign Prince of Monaco. The begining of what would be one of the most successful and glorious reigns in Grimaldi family history.

Grace and Rainier, A Cute Couple

Statue of Prince Rainier in Bucharest

Who would have thought that a statue of one of the greatest princes of Monaco would be going up in Romania of all places? But, it is. Romanian sculptor Ionel Stoicescu has created a bronze statue of HSH Prince Rainier III of Monaco with the help of just under 161,000 euros in financing. The life-sized statue will be part of a monument in honor of Prince Rainier III and the Monuments Administration chose a location in front of the Circus building in Bucharest to place the statue. Obviously this is in recognition of the great love and support Prince Rainier III showed to the circus during his reign, work still being carried on by his family, particularly Princess Stephanie. He is also not alone in being recognized in such a way. The statue of Prince Rainier III will be one of six new statues going up in Bucharest to honor actors, writers, historic figures and other personalities. Those being honored include actor Gheorghe Dinica, writers Mircea Eliade, Emil Cioran, Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu and the 1840's revolutionary Avram Iancu.

Remembering Pope John Paul I

I was recently remembering the all too short-lived Pope John Paul I, of whom Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace were quite fond. Here is a photographic look back:

Pope John Paul I meets Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III shortly after his election.

The effects of the "Smiling Pope" are evident on the faces of those who saw him.

Sadly, the next trip to the Vatican by the Princely Couple would be for the Pontiff's funeral.

Their sorrow was clearly evident.

MM Video: Princess Grace and Prince Rainier

Birthday of Prince Rainier

It was on this day in 1923 that HSH Prince Rainier III of Monaco was born. In the picture above little Rainier is being held by his father Prince Pierre de Polignac, next to his mother Princess Charlotte while big sister Princess Antoinette is held by proud grandpapa Prince Louis II. Were he with us today Prince Rainier would be 88 years old. Not many of his generation are left but the Monegasque are justly proud of the very long history of their monarchy, how they have endured and survived as a sovereign state over the centuries and I'm sure Rainier III would be looking down with pride on the upcoming marriage of his son, hopeful that the Grimaldi-Polignac line will continue into the future. Rainier III was not able to have a very close relationship with his own father (though he tried to make up for lost time as best he could after coming to the throne) and he was determined that his children would not have to endure the troubles that he and his sister did and in that Rainier III was certainly successful. May he rest in peace, one of the greatest sovereigns Monaco has ever had.

Rainier Takes the Throne

It was on this day in 1949, with the passing of HSH Prince Louis II, that His Serene Highness Rainier III became Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

Favorite Princely Images: The Passing of Rainier

It was on this day in 2005 that HSH Prince Rainier III went to his eternal reward and Albert II became Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

Grimaldi Greats

As I have been considering doing a series of posts elsewhere on the subject of my ‘favorites’ I thought I might try it out here first. Naturally, as a monarchist, I support all of the Monegasque monarchs regardless of their personal successes or failures or their personalities. To keep this from running on I will be looking only at my personal favorites from the time that the Lords of Monaco became the Princes of Monaco, keeping in mind that these are not in any order other than chronological, picking favorites is hard enough for me so ranking my least-to-most favorite is just not going to happen. So, let’s get started: I - The first is the first, that is Prince Honore II, who, as we know, was the first Grimaldi to be formally titled “Prince of Monaco”. This guy was something. Even as a baby his life was in danger as the assassins of Lord Hercules I ransacked the palace trying to find him to kill him as well. He became a very astute statesman, never had any marital problems from all I have read and his surprise attack which took Monaco out of the Spanish camp and into the French one shows that he was a clever diplomat as well as a masterful tactician. He obtained a much better position for his country, beautified the place and in every way left it better than he had found it. His people adored him for his wisdom, kindness and courageous leadership. The Spanish were not too happy with him but most every other account of his life and reign speaks of him only in the most complimentary terms. Monaco was his life, he devoted himself to it and to making it better. In that, he fully succeeded. II - Prince Antoine I, unfortunately had some setbacks in his reign. He was obliged to recognize the Duke of Savoy as overlord of part of his realm, his marriage to Marie de Lorraine was a disaster and so on. However, he inherited a nearly bankrupt state and yet managed, through immense personal sacrifice, to find enough money to improve the defenses of Monaco when the country was under threat. He was also a great patron of art and music and was the first to make Monaco a center of such creative talent, which might have surprised some since the Prince was also a very heroic veteran soldier. The people of Monaco adored him because of the concern he showed for their safety and the sacrifices he was willing to make to protect them and their property. He could be stern and strict but such a firm hand was called for and he not only secured and improved Monaco but pulled the country back from the brink of economic ruin and left it better than he found it. III - Prince Charles III, in many ways, was the monarch who put Monaco on the map. After losing the vast majority of the territory of the principality to France (the ceding of Menton and Roquebrune) it was Prince Charles III who presided over the economic renovation of Monaco into the holiday hot spot of Europe. The country had fallen on hard times since the whole trauma of the French Revolution but under Charles III the situation finally stabilized. The Italians were dealt with once and for all, the relationship with France was put firmly in order and a new era of economic independence came with the establishment of Monte Carlo casino and the rise of the resort industry. Much of this was also due to the wife of Charles III, Princess Antoinette, and his mother Princess Maria Caroline but it was Charles who was ultimately the one responsible as Sovereign Prince. Monaco adopted an official national flag, national anthem, the Order of St Charles was established and diplomatic relations were established with a number of countries all during the reign of Prince Charles III. IV - Prince Louis II might not be included on every list of great Princes of Monaco but he is one of my favorites. He embarked on a military career in the French army and took his service very seriously. Many said he would have been happier as a soldier than as a prince and he was a very good soldier. During World War I he displayed great skill and valor, winning numerous decorations and promotions. He was proud of his service and was often seen in uniform. During World War II when Monaco was occupied by the Axis forces, Prince Louis II used his police connections to ensure that Jews were able to escape before they could be arrested by the Nazis. He took a major risk in doing this and had to walk a thin line during those years. As Prince of Monaco he took the first steps toward a greater diversity in the tourism industry, making Monaco a center of football and racing as well as gambling. It was the steady leadership of Louis II that saw Monaco through its darkest period since the Revolution. V - Prince Rainier III, I firmly believe, will go down in history as one of the greatest Monegasque monarchs of all time. His extensive list of accomplishments are nothing short of exemplary. A strong monarch but also a forward-thinking man he brought Monaco out of the devastation of World War II and made it, once again, the most famous spot on the Riviera. His marriage to Princess Grace made Monaco a household word around the globe and he was a devoted husband and father. He diversified the economy to get away from the over-reliance on gaming and made Monaco a tourist destination that everyone could enjoy, not just the super-rich. He dealt firmly with any threats to the public good, reworked the constitution and strengthened the police to keep organized crime out of his country. Monaco became a center for business under his rule, the country expanded as land was reclaimed from the sea and a supreme court was established. His economic diversity programs brought a wave of unprecedented wealth and prosperity to the country. Although not often recognized, he was also a very humorous man and a very religious man and was awarded the Order of the Golden Spur by the Pope. At the time of his death in 2005 he was the second-longest reigning monarch in the world. Honorable Mention: It would be premature to pass judgement on the reign of Prince Albert II, however, some mention should be made of the admirable job he has done so far. He has made Monaco a center of environmental study (particularly concerning the oceans of the world), uprooted criminal elements trying to take root in the country and opened a new era of transparency that has taken Monaco off the list of 'tax havens' and "Morality, honesty and ethics" has been his motto. The economy has done well, even going through the current world financial storm relatively unscathed and relations with France have been greatly improved as well as managing to increase the effective political independence of the country. So far, so good.

Favorite Princely Images

Their late Serene Highnesses Sovereign Prince Rainier III and Princess Antoinette, Baroness de Massy

Favorite Princely Images: Picture Perfect Couple

Egypt and Monaco

Everyone is well aware of the turmoil and tumult that is currently gripping Egypt. The North African nation has been suffering under a succession of presidents (military dictators) ever since the overthrow of the Egyptian monarchy in 1953. The Muhammad Ali dynasty had ruled Egypt and the Sudan since 1805, first under the Ottoman Empire, then the British Empire and finally as an independent kingdom. The last official King of Egypt was King Fuad II, but he was only a child and had a nominal reign of only a few days. The last effective King of Egypt was King Farouk and he was actually pretty good friends with the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Like many royals he had vacationed in Monaco, which probably lowered his reputation in the eyes of religious fundamentalists but was not uncommon in an era of greater glamor and tolerance than most today would be familiar with in the region.

King Farouk had many enemies among Arab nationalists for his friendship with the British. What was unfair about this was that it was not really true and the British had little love for him because he was seen by them as not friendly enough. However, the British Empire was fading fast and the United States was the new super-power in the western world and the United States (especially the CIA) was convinced that King Farouk had to go! A military coup brought down the King and he suddenly found himself homeless and with few friends. Where did he turn? To the sunny Principality of Monaco of course where Prince Rainier III was good enough to give him a safe haven. When his Egyptian citizenship was revoked and the former King became a 'man without a country' in 1959 Prince Rainier III came to the rescue again and made Farouk a citizen of Monaco. Later the King moved to Rome where he ultimately died in 1965.

Princess Ferial and her father King Farouk of Egypt in Monaco for the wedding of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III

The same Princess Ferial of Egypt (alongside King Juan Carlos of Spain) in Monaco for the funeral of Prince Rainier III

Onassis vs. Grimaldi

Today granddaughters Athina Onassis and Charlotte Casiraghi may be good friends but in the recent history of Monaco the rivalry between HSH Prince Rainier III and the shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis was one of the most critical and hard fought battles in Monegasque history that shed no blood. Prince Rainier III was on his way to conflict with Onassis as soon as he came to the throne upon the death of his grandfather HSH Prince Louis II and the focus would be the SBM (Société des Bains de Mer de Monaco) which controls the gaming industry and the three largest and most lavish resort hotels in the principality. During the latter years of the reign of HSH Prince Albert I (a scholarly man who found gambling distasteful) and throughout the reign of Prince Louis II (a soldier likewise little attracted to luxury vacations and the tourism industry) the business and profits of the gaming industry had declined considerably, mostly, it must be said, because of two rather traumatic incidents known as the First and Second World Wars. Aristotle Onassis sailed into Monaco on his luxury yacht Olympic Winner and saw a great opportunity before him.

Onassis saw that there was a great opportunity for profit represented by the valuable real estate owned by the SBM quite apart from the casino that was long considered the primary holding of the company. Onassis envisioned Monaco becoming a lavish haven for the super-rich exclusively with new resorts catering to the rich and famous, a larger harbor capable of handling bigger yachts and luxury cruise liners and bigger and more extravagant villas. By the time Rainier III came to the throne Onassis was heavily invested in Monaco and well on his way to becoming the majority share-holder of the SBM. So it was that when Prince Rainier took up the government of Monaco he found he had a very ambitious and independent partner, in a stronger position than he was, at the SBM and the Precious Metals Society announcing they were bankrupt and this held, at the time, more than half the reserve funds of the principality. He was further hampered by the retention of several of those responsible for this disaster which was done on the advice of Jean-Charles Rey, the then love interest of his older sister HSH Princess Antoinette of Monaco.

Ever since there has been talk that the bad advice was part of a concerted effort on the part of Princess Antoinette to have Rainier III deposed and her own son, Baron Christian de Massey, put on the throne in his place. Onassis also did not hesitate to give the Prince his own unsolicited advice, stressing that such a family feud was bad for business -which he certainly cared about. Prince Rainier took firm measures behind the scenes to put his sister in her place but kept up a good front in public, showing a happy and united family, so as not to alarm the public and potential investors. Nonetheless the tension and rivalry between the Prince and Onassis only increased. When the Prince married the American actress Grace Kelly, Onassis went all out for the occasion but was privately a little skeptical about the match. Apart from a temporary truce for the wedding Onassis and Rainier continued to clash over their conflicting vision for Monaco.

Onassis was putting millions of dollars into the SBM, building and embellishing playgrounds for the global elites. Prince Rainier wanted to make Monaco a welcoming destination for people of all classes, not just the super-rich. Behind closed doors the Grimaldis referred to Onassis as “the Greek” and complained of how his influence was becoming pervasive. For his part, Onassis was far from respectful toward the Princely Family and angered the Prince by constantly addressing him as “Rainier” instead of “Your Serene Highness”. A comment referring to the SBM as one of his “toys” also did not go over well at the palace. Onassis did not treat the Prince with great respect and thought him rather simplistic; a sort of simpleton who had to be humored with lip-service while he ran things as he saw fit. He was afraid that the desire of the Prince to appeal to middle and working class tourists would drive away the elites Onassis wished to attract. While he was planning bigger and better country clubs, pampering centers and luxury liner accommodations Prince Rainier III was planning to build factories, low rent apartments for workers, hotels that would be in the price range of middle class tourists and less expensive entertainments. Onassis viewed these ideas as silly at best and at worst a detriment to the exclusive sort of Monaco he envisioned.

The Prince turned out to be a more astute businessman and ruler than Onassis had given him credit for. He had assumed that Princess Grace would attract Hollywood celebrities to Monaco and raise the status of the country, as he wished, as a place for the rich and famous. Onassis was right in that this did indeed happen but Princess Grace also used her celebrity to reach out to those lower down on the social ladder and she was absolutely supportive of her husband and his vision for Monaco. Finally the tensions between the Prince and the tycoon became outright opposition as Rainier III used his powers as Sovereign Prince to veto the appointments Onassis made to the board of the SBM. Prince Rainier III might have been dependent on the SBM (and thus Onassis) for the majority of his income but he was also effectively an absolute monarch and had no qualms about using his authority to ensure that he rather than Onassis ruled in the principality.

Onassis gave in to some of the plans Rainier III had but tried to finish off the struggle by stipulating that his further cooperation would depend on the Prince giving up his veto rights and management influence in the SBM. For Prince Rainier, this was out of the question and he was further pushed to his limit when Jean-Charles Rey, finally known to be in league with Princess Antoinette, began opposing him in the National Council and he was not above taking sides with Onassis to oppose the Prince. Soon, Onassis was publicly referring to himself as the “real” ruler of Monaco. When Onassis, Rey and their confederates on the Council united to oppose the Prince’s plan to build a laboratory for his friend Jacques Cousteau to advance the study of oceanography they had finally pushed Rainier III to the limit. On January 29, 1959 HSH Prince Rainier III announced to his people by radio that he would tolerate no further efforts to undermine his rights and that he was suspending the constitution. Rights of political assembly were abrogated and the National Council was dissolved. The Prince would rule in his own right, by princely edict, until constitutional reforms could be put in place.

In the aftermath of this Onassis tried one last time to assert his control using the democratic reforms Prince Rainier had put in place during his brief stint as an absolute monarch. He could, he reasoned, use his influence to gain political strength but he was thwarted by a PR offensive by Prince Rainier who even made common cause with Rey who had recently become his brother-in-law by a civil marriage to Princess Antoinette. Secure in his position Prince Rainier drew up laws to break the dominance Onassis had by making new shares of the SBM to be owned by the government which would make Rainier III majority shareholder. Onassis tried to stop this bill in the courts but had no success. Seeing that his era of control of the SBM and thus his place of influence in Monaco over, Aristotle Onassis boarded his yacht Christina and departed Monaco, selling off his remaining shares in the SBM. Given his attitudes and behavior and the fact that Rainier’s plans were already leading to economic improvements, the Monegasque were not sad to see him go. Onassis felt he had been very unfairly treated of course, but one thing no one could deny was that no one would ever again view Prince Rainier III as a shallow simpleton or anything other than a very strong and shrewd monarch and businessman. In the long struggle between the Prince of Monaco and Aristotle Onassis it was the Prince who had emerged victorious.

Video: Rainier & Grace Visit Ireland

Memorial Day

Today holds a special significance in the Principality of Monaco and the United States of America. It was on this day in 1923 that HSH Prince Rainier III was born to Princess Charlotte and Prince Pierre of Monaco and across the US those who have died in military service are honored on Memorial Day. Thankfully, none of the recent relatives of the Princely Family (on either the Monegasque or American side) have died in war but a number have seen military service. John B. Kelly Sr. (better known as Jack Kelly), father of Princess Grace and grandfather of Prince Albert II of Monaco, enlisted as a private in the US Army during World War I and by the time the conflict had ended had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant. His son, John Kelly Jr, brother of Princess Grace and uncle of the current Princely Family, served in the US Navy during World War II but was stationed in Maryland. During the war, when he was given leave, his sister Grace would drive him to and from his base and the family home in Philadelphia. Prince Albert II himself also served for one month in the US Navy as was mentioned below.

Although not remembered as part of the American holiday of Memorial Day, readers will know that there is a long tradition of military service in the Grimaldi family of Monaco. Prince Rainier III served in the French army during World War II and his father, Prince Pierre, gave a great deal of covert assistance to the Free French forces during the dark days of the occupation. Prince Louis II served with great distinction in the French army during World War I. Even though he could not serve in World War II, Louis II donned his French uniform during the war years so there would be no doubt as to where his sympathies were among the warring powers.

Rainier III: A Man & Monarch of Integrity

For someone as widely known as the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco, many people have an inaccurate impression of the man. Part of this is undoubtedly due to his association with his country. Monaco, for all of its charm and glamour, has long been known as a center of gambling, a place where fortunes are lost, a tax haven and, as has been famously stated, “a sunny place for shady people”. Because of this background, his family history, his wealth and perhaps his movie star wife, Rainier III is often thought of as a man of possibly less than impeccable character. Some have portrayed him as an unscrupulous, Mediterranean rogue while others have portrayed him as a simple, uncouth man who, in the words of Peter Kurth, “would rather watch television and eat pizza in his underwear” than go to parties.

True enough, Rainier III took his royal duties more seriously than the society pages (he being one of the few remaining monarchs expected to actually rule his country) and he did not like the shallowness and snobbery of the jet-set elite he is so often grouped with. However this negative image of Prince Rainier is quite unfair and quite the opposite of the truth. People go through subtle changes in their lives but taken as a whole Rainier III was, contrary to what most people think, a man devoted to his country, his family and his faith. In the first place, he was the first Prince of Monaco in quite sometime to make Monaco his primary residence. He wanted to live amongst his people and very much saw the native Monegasque population as one big extension of his own family. Foreign settlers and visitors were always welcome of course, but the Monegasque were his people and he was theirs.

In fact, part of the reason for the famous clash between Rainier III and Aristotle Onassis was that Rainier III wanted Monaco to be a tourist destination that welcomed people from all classes of society rather than catering exclusively to the super-rich. Much of what many took for aloofness with Rainier III was actually shyness, which was part of his character from childhood. He preferred things more formal and ‘by the book’ because he was often uncomfortable dealing with people in an informal, familiar setting. He was a genteel man but also down-to-earth, as comfortable with the courtly ceremony of the palace as he was making pancakes for his children for breakfast at their home in the country.

The Prince of Monaco was also a very religious man, an aspect of his character that is certainly not often talked about. When he came to the Monegasque throne upon the death of his grandfather Prince Louis II, one of his very first acts was to go to Rome to receive the blessing of Pope Pius XII upon his reign. One of his closest friends and probably his most trusted advisor was Father Francis Tucker, an American priest the Vatican had assigned to the Prince to be his spiritual advisor. When he began to seriously search for a wife the Prince went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes to, as he told his spiritual advisor, seek the help of the Holy Virgin in finding the right wife and princess consort. The result, of course, was his marriage to Grace Kelly (whose patron saint was the visionary of Lourdes as it turned out). Prince Rainier even sought the advice of the Pope himself on religious matters from time to time and he donated 4,500,000 francs to the Church every year. When reforming the constitution of Monaco he also specifically forbid abortion in his realm for any reason.

Despite the aura of permissiveness that most seem to assume regarding Monaco and the House of Grimaldi, while certainly not prudish or saintly, Rainier III always had very traditional values. Some failings he could overlook as natural if unfortunate but he was quite intolerant of flagrant immorality and perversity. Unfortunately, this is all too often forgotten today or reduced to a simple statement about the Prince not approving of homosexuality or the cause of “gay rights”. He was extremely distraught over the private lives of his daughters, such as the expected divorce of Princess Caroline from Philippe Junot and he went to great lengths to ensure that everything was done correctly according to the doctrines of the Catholic Church, finally obtaining (belatedly) the annulment he had long sought for her which legitimized her children by Stefano Casiraghi, placing them in line for the Monegasque throne. As much as he adored his daughters, his traditional views did at one point force him to shun Princess Stephanie for her behavior, though thankfully the two were later reconciled and became closer than they ever had been.

Finally, as stated above, Prince Rainier was a committed family man. He had a short temper at times and could sometimes be short with Princess Grace but he was a devoted husband and father. Gossip-mongers tried their best to imply that he was an unfaithful husband, even manipulating photographs to show him sitting closer to some pretty woman at a party than was reality. In truth, no such thing ever happened and any honest witness could see the subtle signs that the marriage of Grace and Rainier remained strong throughout their years together. He adored her from start to finish and upon her death was heard to lament, “My life will never be the same…Without Princess Grace none of it matters for me now. It’s all meaningless. My God, it’s all meaningless”. He was much more active father than he often gets credit for, particularly in regards to his son.

The true character of the Prince in this regard is not hard to see if one takes into account his own painful youth. He was deeply torn by the failed marriage of his parents and the bitter feelings between them. He knew how much this hurt him as a child and he was determined, from the first time he started seriously seeking a wife, that for his family things would be different. He wanted his children to have a more stable, loving and traditional family and family support than he had growing up. He did not want to repeat the mistakes of the past. Of course he could not control the lives of his children, he recognized when mistakes were being made and there was never any doubt about when he was displeased with their occasional behavior. In the rush to criticize it is also easy to forget that, at the end of the day, Grace and Rainier did raise three generous, compassionate and good-hearted children. At the end of the day, despite the impression many have, he was a devoted and loving father, a faithful husband, a defender of traditional values, a staunch Catholic, conscious of his position as sovereign of a Catholic monarchy and, as a sign of how he was viewed by the Church, one of the very few members of the Papal Order of the Golden Spur, the oldest papal order in Church history. He was not pure and perfect in every way, no one is, but the impression many seem to have of him is certainly far from accurate. The real Prince Rainier was, overall, an upstanding man and monarch.

Anniversary of Rainier III

It was on this day in 1949 that HSH Prince Rainier III became Sovereign Prince of Monaco...
Rainier III at the funeral of his grandfather and predecessor HSH Prince Louis II

Prince Rainier III attending the ceremonies marking his enthronement of Sovereign Prince

Representatives of Monegasque society pledge their loyalty to the new Prince.

A Happy Anniversary

It was on this day in 1956 that Hollywood icon and American sweetheart Miss Grace Kelly of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was married to HSH Prince Rainier III, Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Both have departed this life, but that moment remains etched in time, the moment when what seemed like the whole world suddenly descended upon the tiny Principality of Monaco with a fascinated interest. Fortunately, the marriage of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace would go down as one of the most happy and successful in the history of the Grimaldi dynasty.