The House of Grimaldi | Monaco Royal Family

The Grimaldis, a noble house made of the stuff of fairy tales. Monaco's princely house has gifted the world a century of love and celebrated dream weddings. Tragedy and scandal, however, have rocked their lives. The Grimaldis have attracted the media and just can't be rid of the paparazzi. Over more than 700 years, they've ruled over their glamorous Mediterranean city-state. A warrior clan stemming from Europe's richest noble dynasty. What is the secret to their success? Will the Monaco fairy tale last? House of Grimaldi, noblesse oblige. January 2005 and a moving entrance into the Monaco circus. Prince Rainer III stood flanked by Crown Prince Albert and Princess Stephanie in a touching moment. For over half a century, he led his people, the Monagasque. Meanwhile, the eternal prince was terminally ill, with there also being strokes of fate to have broken him. Seeing a childhood friend suffer like that, I regret his life having such a difficult end. Severe illness and the well-known issues with his daughters, who didn't fulfill his expectations of them. I have the impression his soul suffered at his life's end. He'd never got over the loss of his wife either. That deeply touched me. Such was the autumn of the patriarch whose dreams ended in tragedy. Here was a prince who seemed to have it all. Grace Kenny was the glamorous princess to give him beautiful princesses and a crown prince. The Mediterranean princely family was every photographer's darling, making people's dreams. It all began here, at the beginning of the 50s. The Mediterranean principality stood away in slumber from the huge developments after the war. Tourists were not to be seen and the economic miracle was yet to pass. In 1952, a multi-millionaire set up on the Monaco coast. Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. He and Prince Rainer were to become friends and business partners. Onassis knew Monaco lacked not only finances, but also an attractive profile. Grimaldi Land needed a princess of stature. Per Onassis, a Hollywood star like Marilyn Monroe would fit the bill. However, American world stars didn't meet up in 1950s Monaco. But did at the Cannes Film Festival, nearly 40 miles away in France. In 1955, a newly crowned Oscar winner came calling. Grace Kelly, beloved for her charm, elegance and subtle 50s sex appeal. During the Cannes Festival, the film star stayed at the Hotel Carlton. If only the Hollywood queen would be convinced into calling in on Prince Grimaldi of Monaco. That would have been the stuff fairy tales were made of. Not to mention the front pages of the tabloids. A reporter for a French magazine gave the prince's search for a bride a helping hand. A Paris-matched journalist arranged everything. The meeting between actress Grace Kelly, who'd just visited Cannes, and Prince Rainier, still a bachelor. That was this reporter's idea. Arranged for the 5th of May 1955, the meeting nearly fell through because of a power cut at Grace Kelly's hotel. None of her dresses were ironed and her hair couldn't be fixed. Meaning the film star didn't want to be seen before the prince. Instead, reporters bombarded them in the lobby before they drove to the palace. The scoop from this rendezvous with the prince goes international. The scene is set for Grace Kelly, as if she already were the princess on the Monagasque throne. In the end, they met, resulting in a love story, and Monaco's royal family, as we know it, that blossomed from that. With their three children, all their drama, their happy moments, their marriages, and their scandals. After the photoshoot, Prince Rainier wooed Grace Kelly, and in the US, asked for her hand in marriage. The actress said yes. The role of princess for her was a dream come true. She left for Native America in April 1956 to marry in Monaco. Previously undiscovered film material from a German industrial family's archive shows the principality in wedding fever. From an ocean liner, Grace Kelly came into port from New York. All of Monaco stood ready to receive her. Tinseltown's dream factory continued where the amateur film left off. Grace Kelly in her new role as Princess Grace Patricia. Hollywood studio bosses contributed a remarkable $8,000 towards the wedding dress. It was Prince Rainier's idea to sell the family event like it were a technicolor film. Television was also involved. About 30 million viewers watched it in Europe alone. Monaco resident Rolf Palm witnessed the princely wedding through his television in Germany. Although delayed by two hours, the broadcast was almost live for that period. Rainier and Grace's wedding was therefore a sensation. Of course, being one of the first great televised events. You have to cast your mind back to the 50s, when TV was still in its infancy. It actually was the first time a really huge sensational show was broadcast around the world. Then, of course, it was exactly what struck a chord romantically with millions of people. A prince marrying a princess from the movies. You can't get more beautiful than that. However, for Rainier, there was a dampener. Journalists. The Jet said an industrialist did accept his invitation. But European nobles were conspicuous by their absence. Also invited to the wedding in Monaco were the Guelphs, a German noble family, who were providing Germany with kings when Monaco was still a fishing village. Today, through the marriage of Princess Caroline Grimaldi with the Guelph prince Ernst Augustus of Hanover, both are related. At the time, however, the Grimaldis were deemed anything but socially acceptable by the old nobility. So our family had absolutely nothing to do with Monaco or to a prince now marrying such a Hollywood diva. That was that. Something didn't fit in somewhere and nobody wanted to go. Had Rainier asked for the hand of a Bavarian duke's daughter in marriage, I believe the then Duke of Bavaria at first would have turned his nose up at it. For centuries, the Grimaldis stood well below Europe's nobility with their dukes and kings. On their arc, they served as customs men, hiring themselves out as mercenaries. Only in the 18th century were they ennobled. Their palace would since be rocked by scandal upon scandal, even during Prince Rainer's childhood. His mother, Princess Charlotte, divorced from her husband in 1933. This is footage of Rainer's parents in happier times. His mother herself wasn't a legitimate Grimaldi. In European noble circles, that added insult to injury. Within the German royal house of Anhalt, the Grimaldis were also looked at with great disapproval at that time. Back then, being illegitimate and divorced by itself was just impossible. This was still a time in which Buckingham Palace would not admit a divorce officially. If that were the case today, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh would have Buckingham Palace all to themselves. When named regent in 1949, Crown Prince Rainer was only 26. He was, however, a prince who felt his microstate could only get moving again with capital from overseas. At the beginning of the 50s, he struck an economic deal with his benefactor Onassis. The multimillionaire would hold shares in the meat on the principality's bone, the casino, hotels and restaurants of Monaco's upmarket district, Monte Carlo. It's only with Grace Kelly, however, that glamour arrives. The Oscar-winning movie star and the European prince, a fairytale seemed to come true with many wishing to play their part. The Grace factor drew American stars to Monaco. Here is Frank Sinatra visiting the princely family. High-class tourists in Europe's jet set followed, letting casino balls roll and cash registers ring. To this day, the Grimaldi realm maintains the image of a modern, glittering country. Journalist Thomas Beschlitz knows the secret to self-made prince's success. Prince Rainer was the first to realize this. In the 50s, the press and also new media were exerting their great power. He worked this very, very smartly and with sophistication, I'd say. Monaco, in fact, is a media and advertising product, the fruit of clever investment. Today, investment institutions the world over are ever-adding to the princely family's assets. Above all, the Grimaldi cash cow is real estate, with estate less than a square mile in size. Space is, of course, a scarce commodity. The family controls the majority of its real estate via a stock corporation, affording them access to large sums of money at will. The Grimaldi family are estimated to be worth 2 billion euro. That's capital alone, not taking into account property, art treasures, jewellery and so on. All of which they have. The queen, though, is the richest of the monarchs. But I don't think she could raise 2 billion euro. An easygoing princess could do work for charity. She allowed those in need to share in the family's riches. Grace Kelly was what, in other countries, would be called a social minister or a health minister. She renovated the hospital to the point of it being one of the most modern hospitals there are. She took care of social concerns, having put into place a geriatric care plan. We're talking a real mother of the nation here. This mother of the nation would soon bear her prince's offspring. Princess Caroline was born on the 23rd of January, 1957. Not only to the monogasque was she presented on a silver platter, but to the media, too. At the time, for 7 million francs, the business-savvy prince sold a scoop on the baby princess to the tabloids. The ghosts he evoked here would later haunt his children. One year later, the newborn prince Albert received a 101-gun salute. Not long after the birth, Rainer made it clear. Firstborn Caroline wouldn't be heir to the throne. But his male offspring instead. Seven years later came Princess Stephanie. She would only be third in line to the throne. Her blue-eyed girl role was, however, secure. The family peace still seemed to be intact at the beginning of the 70s, as these holiday pictures of the princely family in southern Germany show. She continued to maintain an open relationship with the media, even providing very private insights to a Munich tabloid journalist. I quite easily got an insight into the family. A little birdie told me we'd just be having a royal visit to Berchtesgaden if I could get there in 20. So I drove up there. We drank tea, and we all had a real chat, as if we'd known each other a while. Then we also went to the park in the enormous garden, which Grace filmed. Caroline had grown up so much by then, and Albert, too. But they were still kids. Stephanie was the youngest. They were such an adorable couple. They really enjoyed this time away. In amongst this was a really loving, motherly Grace. Still, the princess's carefree stance wouldn't last. In the mid-70s, the children were slowly growing up. Grace Kelly found her duties as princess more and more of a burden. Instead of Rainer himself, she took care of the prince's day-to-day business. Dealing with Monaco people's taxes and entreaties, palace routine replaced exciting Hollywood backdrops. For 20 years, Grace Kelly hadn't stood before a camera for any Hollywood film. Austrian cameraman Karl Koffer noticed, back then, that she didn't give up her film career all that willingly. It went without saying that she'd still get offers. People were convinced, however, that a princess, as a ruler, as it were, couldn't kiss other men. This happens in films sometimes, which wasn't desired. Either that, or she'd immerse herself in another role, and they'd only give her a prince-like part. In 1976, Grace Kelly met a young director with whom she could again pursue her passion. Austrian Robert Dornhelm won the princess's patronage for his film about a Russian ballet school. Dornhelm, the director, witnessed the transformation of the princess before the cameras. From Princess Grace Patricia to actress Grace Kelly once more. When we were first shooting, I was naturally very nervous and said, Your Highness, it's hard for me to communicate. She then just said, Just call me Grace. To which I said, I can't. I can't go. Hey, Grace, do another take. That wouldn't fly at all. And she said, Oh, please, it's easier for me, and for all of us, when we're working because I'm not the princess here, but the actress. She'd regained her appetite for acting. The princess also wanted more freedoms for her eldest daughter. She sent Princess Caroline off to Paris to study, for her to learn of a world away from the principality. The princess had her digs on the Avenue Foch, where she didn't go unnoticed for long. Photographer Xavier Martin got to know her in 1974. I remember her walking her dog on Avenue Foch, so I spoke to her and asked if I could take a few photos. She said to me nicely, No problem. I then took these photos and offered them to a Paris news agency. And to my great surprise, they sold themselves very well. Both were almost the same age and became friends. Martin could sense the princess yearning for freedom. Here was this young woman wanting to lead a normal life in Paris, just like her peers. Above all, she wanted her freedom. I'd hear about her nocturnal frays, of course, especially to that high-end discotheque, the Chez Castel, where there was always many artists. Such was the high drama of a young princess. The first paparazzi were already swooping in on her nightlife, not to mention on the princess's love for Parisian playboy Philippe Junot. When I was first invited to hers, Caroline was still single. But you know, was there suddenly the paparazzi with him? She couldn't leave the house without having two or three motorbikes chase her, being photographed and filmed in all manner of situations. That was a major irritant and she felt very unfree. Princess Caroline wanted to marry him. The princely couple was shocked. Nobody was sure of Philippe Junot's livelihood. Rumor had it it was from construction. In the summer of 1978, her parents relented, giving the couple their blessing. The media also had their part to play in this Grimaldi wedding. The fact that she married Junot has something to do with her wanting to be with a man in whatever way, without at once inventing an affair whenever she glanced at one. For the sake of peace, I notice, at least from onlookers, paparazzi and the speculation that came along with it. She just went into a marriage that may have been false. But at least photographers' speculation and their constant harassment were at an end. Princess Caroline's hopes, however, for the marriage being a safe haven from paparazzi were mistaken. The newlywed Junot himself betrayed his nascent joy during their South Seas honeymoon. The fact is, he marketed Caroline in secret. Then came the honeymoon and it went like this. He gave the paparazzi orders, doing business at his own expense. She wasn't to know a thing about it. Maybe that meant those were the traumatizing moments for her. During a row, the couple split. Being Catholic, the prince sought annulment from the Vatican. The cracks were starting to show in this royal family's ideal world. At the start of the 80s, Grace Kelly fought to regain a freedom she'd long lost. She'd be back in front of the cameras with a leading role in a feature film. In 2010, the House of Grimaldi released this film for the first time to German television. In this comedy, Grace Kelly plays both her life's roles, those of actress and princess. She was playing herself in Princess Grace of Monaco. She meets a scientist who gets into the wrong car by mistake and doesn't wind up with astrophysicists, but a flower show. This is a pretty straightforward form of entertainment. Even Prince Rainer had a small cameo as a flower arranger. Initially, the comedy was to be shown exclusively to Monaco's people during a gala. But the film would have also been a new start. The princess wanted to be well-prepared for a comeback. I do believe the film's purpose was to get a feel of where she stood now, so to speak. What else could be changed or better done by getting started? And this start had to be phenomenal. Negotiations with American television were near success, but things turned out quite differently. Mid-morning on the 13th of September 1982, Grace Kelly was driving home to the palace with Princess Stephanie when she went off-road at a hairpin bend. The car flipped over, falling 130 feet. Monaco's people would linger in uncertainty, hearing nothing of their princess's and her 17-year-old child's fate. Something like a black veil hung over the whole city. Somehow it was strangely quiet. It was all a little gloomy. I'll never forget the moment the news came through at 10.30 at night that Grace had passed away. The casino lights went out downstairs, which had never happened before. With its palatial hotels, nightclubs and luxury restaurants, the principality has almost been paralyzed since a brief statement was given on Tuesday night. Her Highness, the Princess Grace, has died of a brain haemorrhage. Everything has changed since. Everything's now different and will never be the same again. Princess Stephanie still lay in hospital, but would recover from her injuries. Just weeks later would the young princess be seen in public again at a memorial service for her mother. Because no exact explanation for the accident would be forthcoming from the palace, the press invented stories, speculating that the underage princess was at the wheel at the time. Being in amongst that is dreadful. When your mother dies, never mind how or what, Stephanie had a great cross to bear. That means, however much you speculate, if you wanted to act in her best interest, you should leave things be. The princess's pain became rebellion. Within the family, teenage Stephanie was regarded as erratic, dropping out of several courses. In one of her few interviews, she mentioned wishing to be known as more than a princess. People should recognize I've not come out of a fairy tale, but I'm a person instead, just like everyone else. She fancied herself as a pop star, and in 1986 landed herself a surprise worldwide hit single, Irresistible. Photographers now became her constant companions, as seen here at an appearance at WDR Studios in Cologne. Even in the principality were paparazzi on the prowl all over. Her friends since childhood, Prince Hubert von Hohenlohe, experienced the media pressure on Princess Stephanie firsthand. I was over a few times and always noticed that somewhere and somehow, there was a huge telephoto lens constantly trying to take photos of her from afar. When we were on a boat or having lunch, whatever we were doing, you get the feeling you're constantly being watched. It's like Big Brother's cameras are always on you or on her, and like you can't act in complete freedom. That, or she can't help them onto the boat. She does nothing. So nothing odd happens. Those are the situations you think of when they're there. Much to Prince Rainer's chagrin, Stephanie now gave the media plenty of fodder, plunging into upteen affairs with men, preferably commoners, including a gardener, a croupier, and an artist. In 1995, she married her bodyguard, a fishmonger's son. Front pages covering the princess's flashy wardrobe and affairs helped the European tabloids increase their readership. Princess Stephanie found public attention and her noble duties a growing burden. She was born into a princely house and didn't actually want to be a rock star or a film star. She'd think to herself, oh God, this is terrible. All these photographers all the time, standing on the balcony, people waving. I don't know whether Stephanie has got lucky by now. She did try. I think she failed somewhat. But now I believe she's found a sort of balance. Princess Stephanie wound up being the only Grimaldi family member to have a middle-class career. Having trained a jewel, she developed successful fashion brands. From her music career, she has generated millions in income. Alongside his glamorous sisters was one constant, Crown Prince Albert. He also enjoyed the life he'd been offered, however, seeking challenges in any rich sport. I like endeavor a lot, and especially, exceeding myself and going further. Prince Albert represented the principality five times at the Olympics as captain of its bobsled team. When he got older and was still unable to reign, he received the Prince Charles-like moniker of the Eternal Crown Prince from the media. But from early on, Rainer had dispelled any doubts as to his only son's destiny. Even at six, Albert was present at official events. The prince apprenticed his son into the secrets of palace business. He knew what was expected of him. Since I was very young, I have been prepared for taking responsibilities, making public appearances, affairs of state, and taking part in Monaco's projects, meeting different people, and above all, to convey the message of the true Monaco abroad and its existence. This meant Albert became Monaco's de facto foreign minister. He got involved with the Third World, establishing diplomatic and economic relations. At the end of the 80s, however, evidence emerged of a power struggle within the House of Grimaldi. Succession to the throne was disputed among the siblings, with Princess Caroline also accepting responsibilities after her mother's death. She dutifully discussed it in this interview. This is how I define a princess's role. It's a title almost like any other. It's our job to continue with a tradition that's over 700 years old. Since 1983, second husband Stefano Casaraghi had been standing by her side. The son of an Italian entrepreneur, he was deemed ambitious. It's said he told journalists he could see himself one day becoming Stefano of Monaco, which wasn't necessarily to the princely court's liking. Still, the couple gave Rainer his first grandchildren and possible successors, Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre. Stefano Casaraghi wanted to put his family in the media spotlight. In 1988, he asked Karl Lagerfeld to create a photo collection that caused quite the stir. This collection really was masterfully orchestrated by Lagerfeld. Caroline clearly posing as princess down to the clothes. There was a bombast, great robes, the big evening dress that was interpreted as a clear signal of Caroline on the attack. It has been shown the prince was very, very cross and even considered disowning her. Others considered the power struggle a media stunt, purely for a glamorous Lagerfeld production. This photo artist was friendly with all the Grimaldis, warmly received at their annual Rose Ball. On the 3rd of October, 1990, the princely family was again struck by tragedy. Stefano Casaraghi was practicing his favorite daredevil sport. This would be his last speedboat race. That day, sea conditions off Monaco were perilous. Casaraghi's boat capsized at over 90 miles an hour. His co-pilot would be rescued, but all help for him came too late. A distraught princess Caroline retreated from Monaco, seeking solace and seclusion in a country village house in remote Provence. However, in the summer of 1993, paparazzi were hunting for the princess's retreat. They took photos of her children from her marriage to Casaraghi and speculated as to a new relationship. The princess was horrified. Since this breach of trust, Princess Caroline has been swarming European magazines with complaints. She also turned to the European Court of Human Rights. In 2004, this court of last instance ruled that snapshotting Caroline violated her rights to privacy. This verdict hit the tabloids that once helped establish Grimaldi Glamour. When spirits are invoked, you sometimes can't be rid of it. Principality sought legitimacy via the media, with whom Rainer worked. He called the media and these spirits and as far as he was concerned, he was rid of them, but they lingered in his children. That was because, of course, the media kept pursuing them and investigating their private lives over and over. In 1996, top society reporter Michael Grater caught wind of Princess Caroline's new relationship with the 12th Prince, Ernst August of Hanover. The sensation. This was because it was a major German noble, an even better known individual gracing front pages all over Europe. It was a super scoop for a society reporter to get their hands on. Almost until Wednesday nights, we kept the newspaper under wraps and it was a worldwide sensation. Every daily it was in it and on every TV station. It was sensational. Not long after, the wedding between the Guelph and the Grimaldi was held. It was sensation of the year for the tabloids. But European nobility appeared unmoved by the Union. My brother's present relationship with Caroline, as I see it today, is 20 years too late, of course. Had it started 30 years ago, it would have had more significance constitutionally for the principality. Or it may have been a lastingly impactful cultural social event. Prince Rainer, however, saw a long harbor dream of his fulfilled. The joining together of the Grimaldi dynasty with old world nobility. The same not to dignify his wedding to Grace Kenny with their presence. All told, the Guelph's European properties are about 30 times the size of the principality of Monaco itself. In the 1800s, the Guelphs were still providing Germany with kings. In accordance with aristocratic law, Caroline is now Princess of Hanover and therefore the only Grimaldi to be a royal highness. However, there was no fairytale wedding a la Grace and Rainer this time. The wedding and reception both took place almost behind closed doors. A solitary photo of the wedding would be given to the magazines for publication. From now on, the couple would only permit filming for public appearances. Alexandra Charlotte, their daughter, would grow up in strict isolation. The Guelph prince also gained notoriety for the fierce defense of his private life against all too curious reporters. Then on the 15th of April 2005, the Grimaldi princely family reached a turning point. After over 56 years on the throne, Prince Rainer followed his wife to the grave. This time, Europe's royal families, including the Swedish king and queen and Spain's Juan Carlos, came to pay the prince their last respects. Rainer III died full of concern for the future of his house. His successor, Albert, hadn't fulfilled one of his father's greatest wishes, for him to marry a princess for his country. For many years, Albert enjoyed himself as a playboy prince, being seen with one beauty or another sometimes and fathering two illegitimate children. Each of his lady companions attracted the media's full attention. And that of Monaco's. When Albert's been with the same woman twice in a row, there's an immediate feeling of hope. Of course, there are these encounters at functions. He then sits with someone for quite some time and then rumors fly. Of course, everybody's hoping there'll be a nice wedding. There has been a most promising candidate, former Olympic swimmer, Charlene Wittstock, a South African of German descent. Since 2006, she has been at the prince's side on official occasions and seems to many to be Grace Kelly reincarnated. Were the prince not to marry without a legitimate successor, a merry dance for succession would ensue. First in line were Princess Caroline's two eldest children, Charlotte and Andrea Casaraghi. However, being the children of a commoner, they'd have to be ennobled first. The daughter from Caroline's marriage to Ernst August seemed already destined for the throne instead. By 2010, media had been speculating about her parents' marriage difficulties. Since summer 2008, Prince Caroline has most often been seen in public without her Guelph prince, fueling further rumor. Stephanie's children are rather seldom seen and Albert's only children are illegitimate. At most, we get to see Caroline's eldest children, Andrea and Charlotte. It seems Caroline's already preparing her children to inherit. There are unmistakable signs of it at Monaco's public events, like those Rose Ball, where her children are very much present. They've already taken on their duties as future prince and princess. The Monegasque, however, still look back to their principalities to the time of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer. The succession issue, therefore, put a question mark on the principalities' fate. Financially, all is well, but the fairy tale is slowly coming to a close. This means that after 700 years, modern times are suddenly here and Monaco is no longer becoming a fairy tale, but like a service chain with its parties, receptions and buffets. No fairy tale. Monaco, however, does need a fairy tale. Its marriage of marriages began with the entertaining blend of noble tradition and modern-day Hollywood glamour. In the past, Grace of Monaco's glamour drew stars, investors and the international jet set to this rock of a state. For their dynasty's success story to endure in the 21st century, the Grimaldi's clearly need a new, glamorous firework. Only then can the fairy tale go on and dreams still be had.