History UsefulNotes / TheMonegasqueRoyalFamily

* Caroline has four children in total; Andrea, Charlotte, Pierre and Alexandra. Only the youngest has a title via her father. She is Princess Alexandra of Hanover. Speaking of them....

* Despite being the son of a princess and the nephew of the sovereign, Andrea has no official title, as he is the son of a "commoner" - Stefano Casiraghi - and titles in Monaco come from the father. Prince Albert could have granted him a courtesy title, but his mother preferred him to grow up with less of the pressure and responsibility a royal title demands. He's one of the highest-ranking royals in the world with no HRH/HSH status, alongside Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, whose situation is similar.

* In the autumn of 1982, whilst driving back to the palace from their house in nearby Rocagel, Stéphanie and her mother, Princess Grace were in a serious car accident, which claimed the life of Grace the following day and almost the life of Stéphanie. The [[{{Canon}} official story]] was that Princess Grace had suffered a stroke behind the wheel of the car, forcing the vehicle off the mountainous road and down a steep incline. However, [[TheConspiracy rumours]] continue to dog Princess Stéphanie to this day claiming that it was she who was driving at the time of the accident, a rumour the Princess denied in a rare interview on the accident in 1989.
* [[LoveMakesYouCrazy Her love life has been pretty nuts]]. Leading up to her first marriage, Stephanie dated several high-profile men, including racing driver Paul Belmondo, nightclub owner Mario Jutard and actors Creator/RobLowe and Anthony Delon. Then came the "[[BodyguardCrush bodyguard]]" phase, which horrified her parents but produced three children, Louis, Pauline and Camille, followed by the “[[CircusBrat circus performer]]" phase, including an elephant trainer [[note]]Franco Knie[[/note]] and then an acrobat [[note]]Adans Peres[[/note]] who worked alongside each other at the same circus. At one point Stephanie actually moved into her elephant-trainer lover's ''[[PrincessInRags caravan]]'' in Zurich, along with her three children, aged nine, six and three at the time. Later on, after she married her acrobat lover Adans Peres, it's believed her father Prince Rainier cut her off from his estimated $2 billion fortune, as well as removing her children from the line of succession. Eventually all was forgiven when she divorced him.
* Following her pattern of following "un-princessly pursuits", Stephanie tried her hand at pop music. She became a highly-acclaimed pop star when her 1986 single "Ouragan" became a huge hit throughout Europe, selling more than two million copies -- she even duetted with Music/MichaelJackson on ‘In the Closet’. The English version of "Irresistible" was also a huge hit, although her career [[AmericansHateTingle didn't quite take off outside of Europe.]]

* He and his wife, Tatiana Santo Domingo, have three children, all of whom are in the line of succession to the throne; Alexandre Casiraghi ('''5th'''), Maximilian Casiraghi ('''6th''') and India Casiraghi ('''7th''').

* He's married to Italian journalist [[BlueBlood Beatrice dei Principi Borromeo Arese Taverna]], a member of the ancient aristocratic House of Borromeo. The couple have two children who are in the line of succession to the throne; Stefano Casiraghi ('''9th''') and Francesco Casiraghi ('''10th''').

* Because her father Louis was unmarried and without an heir, the Monégasque throne was likely to pass to a [[HeirClubForMen distant cousin]], the German Duke of Urach ([[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI unthinkable, considering the time period]]). In order to avoid this SuccessionCrisis, Louis’ father, Prince Albert I, had a law passed recognizing Charlotte as Louis’ heir and part of the sovereign family. However, this law was later ruled invalid under earlier statutes. So, in October 1918, another law was passed allowing for the adoption of an heir with succession rights. In May 1919, Louis [[HappilyAdopted legally adopted his own biological daughter]], giving Charlotte the Grimaldi surname. Her grandfather created her HSH Princess Charlotte of Monaco and Duchess of Valentinois. Upon Louis’ accession in 1922, Charlotte became Hereditary Princess of Monaco.

* Because her father Louis was unmarried and without an heir, the Monégasque throne was likely to pass to a [[HeirClubForMen distant cousin]], the German Duke of Urach ([[UsefulNotes/{{WorldWarI}} unthinkable, considering the time period]]). In order to avoid this SuccessionCrisis, Louis’ father, Prince Albert I, had a law passed recognizing Charlotte as Louis’ heir and part of the sovereign family. However, this law was later ruled invalid under earlier statutes. So, in October 1918, another law was passed allowing for the adoption of an heir with succession rights. In May 1919, Louis [[HappilyAdopted legally adopted his own biological daughter]], giving Charlotte the Grimaldi surname. Her grandfather created her HSH Princess Charlotte of Monaco and Duchess of Valentinois. Upon Louis’ accession in 1922, Charlotte became Hereditary Princess of Monaco.
* Charlotte married Count Pierre de Polignac, who also took on the name Grimaldi and became Prince Pierre of Monaco. It had been an arranged marriage with neither of the couple particularly interested in the other (Pierre was rumoured to have been homosexual). By 1925, they were living separate lives and they formally divorced in 1933.

!!'''[[Creator/{{GraceKelly}} Grace, Princess of Monaco]]'''

* Her [[UniversallyBelovedLeader beloved status]] is thoroughly cemented amongst the people of Monaco, and she is often credited with '[[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething saving]]' the tiny principality from ruin. It's not an exaggeration:

Princess Stephanie’s daughter and '''16th''' in line to the throne.

* All of the European monarchs are related in some way, though Prince Albert is the most distantly related to the others. He is a fifth cousin of both King Philippe of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, a fifth cousin once removed of both King Charles III of the United Kingdom and Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, a half-fifth cousin twice removed of both Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, a sixth cousin of King Felipe VI of Spain, and a seventh cousin of both King Harald V of Norway and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

* He is a fifth cousin of both King Philippe of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, a fifth cousin once removed of both King Charles III of the United Kingdom and Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, a half-fifth cousin twice removed of both Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, a sixth cousin of King Felipe VI of Spain, and a seventh cousin of both King Harald V of Norway and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

* Her [[HundredPercentAdorationRating beloved status]] is thoroughly cemented amongst the people of Monaco, and she is often credited with '[[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething saving]]' the tiny principality from ruin. It's not an exaggeration:
** The principality’s minimal corporate levies, nonexistent income tax and the Monte Carlo casino had previously attracted visitors but nothing could come close to the impact of what was then dubbed as “The Wedding of the Century” (long before Diana Spencer and the Prince of Wales held the title). Hotel bookings and tourist revenues increased spectacularly -- even months after the wedding. The attraction was no longer Monte Carlo or the Oceanographic Museum but the export Princess of Monaco that was Grace Kelly, the American actress. By 1961, 5 years after the wedding of the century, Monaco’s business turnover had reached $128 million -- a ''400% increase'' in ten years.
** UsefulNotes/CharlesDeGaulle, the former president of France, had long expressed the desire to [[TakeOverTheCity annex the principality]] but decided not to push through with it in 1962 -- sparing the details as to why -- but certainly partly because of [[PoliticallyActivePrincess Grace]]. The congenitally anti-American de Gaulle was enchanted by her insistence on speaking to him only in French, and found her lapses of grammar and pronunciation “[[WeaksauceWeakness charming]]”. [[SavingTheWorld It worked]], and the Principality maintained its beloved independence.

* Before her marriage to Dimitri Rassam in 2019, she had a son, Raphaël, with her comedian boyfriend at the time, Gad Elmaleh. As they were not married, Raphaël is not included in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne. Her (legitimate) son with her husband Dimitri Rassam, Balthazar, sits at '''12th''' in line to the throne.

* Whilst we're still on Ernst August, as he's a legitimate male-line descendant of [[UsefulNotes/{{TheHouseOfHanover}} King George III of Great Britain]], he was subject to the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 and thus had to request permission from [[UsefulNotes/{{HMTheQueen}} Queen Elizabeth II]] in order to marry the Catholic Princess Caroline. Without the Queen’s Royal Assent, the marriage would have been void in Britain, where Prince Ernst August’s family own substantial property and where he holds dual citizenship.[[labelnote:*]]Today, such a marriage would not need Royal Assent. The 1772 Act has since been amended by the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, under which the only marriages that require Royal Assent are those of the first six people in the line of succession.[[/labelnote]]

Important point -- Monaco's monarch is the sovereign prince [[note]](or sovereign princess, the only princess regnant of Monaco was Louise Hippolyte who reigned for a little under a year in 1731)[[/note]] because it is a principality, like Liechtenstein (with its own sovereign prince) and Andorra (which has two co-princes), and is ''not'' a kingdom, as per Belgium, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, etc.

Important point -- Monaco's monarch is the sovereign prince [[note]]or sovereign princess, the only princess regnant of Monaco was Louise Hippolyte who reigned for a little under a year in 1731.[[/note]] because it is a principality, like Liechtenstein (with its own sovereign prince) and Andorra (which has two co-princes), and is ''not'' a kingdom, as per Belgium, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, etc.

Important point -- Monaco's monarch is the sovereign prince because it is a principality, like Liechtenstein (with its own sovereign prince) and Andorra (which has two co-princes), and is ''not'' a kingdom, as per Belgium, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, etc.

Important point -- Monaco's head of state is the sovereign prince because it is a principality, like Liechtenstein (with its own sovereign prince) and Andorra (which has two co-princes), and is ''not'' a kingdom, as per Belgium, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, etc.

Important point -- Monaco's head of state is the prince regnant because it is a principality, like Liechtenstein (with its own prince regnant) and Andorra (which has two co-princes), and is ''not'' a kingdom, as per Belgium, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, etc.

Important point -- it's the ''Princely'' Family; Monaco is a principality, like Liechtenstein (with its own princely family) and Andorra (which has two co-Princes), and is ''not'' a Kingdom, as per Belgium, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, etc.

->'''Consort''': Albert II, ''Prince of Monaco'' (2011--present)

->'''Consorts''': (1) Philippe Junot (1978--1980); (2) Stefano Casiraghi (1983--died 1990); (3) Ernst August, ''Prince of Hanover'' (1999--present)

->'''Consort''': Tatiana Santo Domingo (2003--present)

* He and his consort, Tatiana Santo Domingo, have three children, all of whom are in the line of succession to the throne; Alexandre Casiraghi ('''5th'''), Maximilian Casiraghi ('''6th''') and India Casiraghi ('''7th''').

->'''Consort''': Beatrice Borromeo (2015--present)

->'''Consort''': Dimitri Rassam (2019--present)

->'''Consorts''': (1) Daniel Ducruet (1995--1996); (2) Adans Lopez Peres (2003--2004)

->'''Consort''': Maria Hoa Chevallier (2019--present)

->'''Consorts''': (1) María Marta Quintana y del Carril (1951--1978); (2) Anne Michelle Lütken (1982--1987); (3) Julia Lakschin (1992--1995); (4) Cécile Irène Gelabale (1997--)

->'''Consorts''': (1) ''Baron'' Bernard Alexandre Taubert-Natta (1974--1983); (2) Nicolai Vladimir Costello de Lusignan (1984--2020)

->'''Consort''': Rainier III, ''Prince of Monaco'' (1956--1982)

->'''Consorts''': (1) Alexandre-Athenase Noghès (1951–1954); (2) Dr Jean-Charles Rey (1961–1974); (3) John Gilpin (1983– died 1983)

->'''Consort''': ''Count'' Pierre de Polignac (1920 -- divorced 1933)

->'''Consort''': Aurelia del Carretto

* He is a fifth cousin of King Philippe of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, a fifth cousin once removed of both King Charles III of the United Kingdom and Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, a fifth cousin twice removed of both Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, a sixth cousin of King Felipe VI of Spain, and a seventh cousin of both King Harald V of Norway and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

->'''Title:''' His Serene Highness Prince Rainier III, ''The Sovereign Prince of Monaco''

->'''Title:''' His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, ''The Sovereign Prince of Monaco''

->'''Motto''':''"Deo Juvante" / "With God's Help"''

* Before she met Rainier, her film career, although brief, was stellar. In the years 1954 and 1955 she won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and three New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Creator/AlfredHitchcock cast her in three films, ''Film/DialMForMurder'', ''Film/RearWindow'' and ''Film/ToCatchAThief'', which was largely shot on the French Riviera.

Undoubtedly the world's ''[[AlwaysSomeoneBetter second]]'' best-known monarchy, after their (very) distant cousins the [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Windsors]] [[note]] Prince Albert is a fifth cousin once removed of King Charles III of the United Kingdom[[/note]], the House of Grimaldi has ruled the tiny principality of UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}} on the Mediterranean coast for over 700 years. In fact, they are the oldest ruling dynasty in Europe and the second oldest in the world [[note]]after the Imperial House of Japan[[/note]], ruling Monaco in one way or another since 1297. As a reference, when Rainier I took over Monaco, England was ruled by [[UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst Edward Longshanks]] of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet.\\\

* He is a fifth cousin of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, King Philippe of Belgium, and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, a fifth cousin once removed of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, a fifth cousin twice removed of both Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, a sixth cousin of King Felipe VI of Spain, and a seventh cousin of both King Harald V of Norway and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

Undoubtedly the world's ''[[AlwaysSomeoneBetter second]]'' best-known monarchy, after their (very) distant cousins the [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Windsors]] [[note]] Prince Albert is a fifth cousin of King Charles III of the United Kingdom[[/note]], the House of Grimaldi has ruled the tiny principality of UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}} on the Mediterranean coast for over 700 years. In fact, they are the oldest ruling dynasty in Europe and the second oldest in the world [[note]]after the Imperial House of Japan[[/note]], ruling Monaco in one way or another since 1297. As a reference, when Rainier I took over Monaco, England was ruled by [[UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst Edward Longshanks]] of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet.\\\

* He is a fifth cousin of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, King Philippe of Belgium, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, a fifth cousin once removed of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, a fifth cousin twice removed of both Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, a sixth cousin of King Felipe VI of Spain, and a seventh cousin of both King Harald V of Norway and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

Undoubtedly the world's ''[[AlwaysSomeoneBetter second]]'' best-known monarchy, after their (very) distant cousins the [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily Windsors]] [[note]] Prince Albert is a seventh cousin three times removed of King Charles III of the United Kingdom[[/note]], the House of Grimaldi has ruled the tiny principality of UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}} on the Mediterranean coast for over 700 years. In fact, they are the oldest ruling dynasty in Europe and the second oldest in the world [[note]]after the Imperial House of Japan[[/note]], ruling Monaco in one way or another since 1297. As a reference, when Rainier I took over Monaco, England was ruled by [[UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst Edward Longshanks]] of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfPlantagenet.\\\

* He is a fifth cousin of both King Philippe of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, a fifth cousin once removed of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, a fifth cousin twice removed of both Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, a sixth cousin of King Felipe VI of Spain, a seventh cousin of both King Harald V of Norway and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, and a seventh cousin twice removed of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.