Monaco’s Modern-Day Royal Family

Ruled by the Grimaldi Family for over 700 years, Monaco’s royal family are of Italian origin and were thrust into the international headlines when American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III and became a real-life princess. Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco brought Hollywood glamor to the principality, and as a Hitchcock film darling, she was considered a screen beauty and an iconic talent.

With three children, Monaco’s royal family became loved by the media and the Monegasque as well as being known worldwide. A lover of the arts, Princess Grace, was responsible for promoting a strong culture of music, dance, and performance within Monaco regarding home-grown and visiting talent. She has passed this legacy onto her children, and the connection with royalty and culture in Monaco is a strong one.

 

Prince Albert II

Currently on the throne, Prince Albert II of Monaco who turns 60 in 2018, is married to Princess Charlene, a former championship swimmer who was brought up in South Africa. After first becoming acquainted at a swimming meet in Monaco, the pair married in 2011, and at the end of 2016, their twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques both turned two years old.  The prince has two older children as well.

Prince Albert II of Monaco is dedicated to environmental protection. He takes after his father who was a pioneer in green thinking in the principality and responsible for so many of Monaco’s green spaces. In 2006, the Prince Albert II Foundation was established and so far has donated millions of US dollars to environmental projects. These include initiatives connected with renewable energy, sustainable development, and water resource management.

 

 

 

 

Princess Caroline

A UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, 60 year old Princess Caroline of Hanover is the elder sister of Prince Albert. A philanthropist, as well as a princess, she is involved with many youth initiatives, charities, and foundations, for which she is well-respected in the principality.

Married three times, Caroline, who lost her second husband Stefano Casiraghi in a boating accident, has four children and three small grandchildren born to her son, Andrea Casiraghi and his wife Tatiana Santo Domingo, a wealthy socialite from the US with Colombian-Brazilian heritage. Caroline’s youngest son Pierre is expecting a baby with his aristocratic wife Beatrice Borromeo.

Princess Caroline founded the Jeune J’Ecoute, a hotline for children to share their problems. She was also appointed President of the Garden Club of Monaco and at the head of the committee responsible for organizing the Springtime Arts festival, as well as President of the Prince Grace Foundation which supports emerging performance talents. Princess Caroline is involved in setting up the Ballet of Monte-Carlo and is involved with arts and literary foundations and prizes. Her involvement with the Arts led to her brother, Prince Albert II, conferring an insignia of Commander of Cultural Merit to her. More recently, in 2014, the Princess was awarded the prestigious distinction of Commander of Arts and Letters.

For over 20 years, Princess Caroline has been President of the World Association of Children’s Friends, an NGO established by her mother to protect kids against abuse both physically and psychologically.

 

 

Princess Stéphanie

The youngest of Prince Grace and Prince Rainier III’s children, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco has always been considered the rebel amongst the royal family. With an independent spirit, the princess was married twice, briefly to a royal bodyguard with whom she had two kids and a Portuguese acrobat with a traveling circus. She also has a third child, daughter Camille Gottlieb. She suffered from being in the limelight after being in the car at the time of an accident which led to the early death of her mother, the beloved Princess Grace in 1982 when Stéphanie was just a teen.

Like her sister, Princess Stéphanie, who has been a singer, model, and swimwear designer, is involved with many charitable foundations. These include being a patron of the World Association of Children’s Friends which her mother founded. She also created her own association to help fight AIDS and support those living with HIV. She is also a UN Ambassador for UNAIDS.

The Monaco royal family are a glamorous, high-profile family not only within Monaco but also feature in glossy magazines in Europe and internationally. Renowned for their charity work and often photographed at events and galas, their input into music and performing arts in the principality has been an essential element of making Monaco into the rich cultural center of today.