The Monaco royal family is one of the oldest monarchies in the world, with the Grimaldi family ruling over the principality since 1297. The constitution of the royal family has changed over the past eight centuries, and in 2002, Prince Rainier amended the rules of succession, meaning that adopted children and those born out of wedlock are not in the line of succession.
The royals are particuarly known for their glitz and glamour and it counts Hollywood stars and an Olympic athlete. Read on to meet the main members of the House of Grimaldi...
© HELLO!Prince Rainier
© Pascal Le SegretainBorn on 31 May 1923, Prince Rainier would go on to rule Monaco for 56 years when he acceded to the throne on 9 May 1949. The monarch was the only son of Princess Charlotte and Prince Pierre and younger brother of Princess Antoinette and ascended to the throne due to primogeniture rules that favour male heirs. His mother was the heir presumptive, but ceded her rights to the throne the day before Rainier turned 21, allowing him to succeed to the throne upon the death of his grandfather.
Rainier courted huge media attention when in 1956, the monarch married Hollywood screen legend Grace Kelly. The couple remained married until her death in 1982 and they welcomed three children: Princess Caroline, Prince Albert and Princess Stephanie.
During his life, Rainier was known to smoke 60 cigarettes a day and his health began to decline in the early 2000s. On 7 March 2005, he was hospitalised with a lung infection, which grew worse and he was moved to intensive care on 22 March 2005. On 31 March 2005, Albert took over as regent due to Rainier being unable to undertake his duties, and the royal died less than a week later on 6 April 2005.
Grace Kelly
© BettmannBorn on 12 November 1929, Grace Kelly wasn't a part of any royal family and was raised in Philadelphia in the United States. The star made her acting debut in 1951 in the film Fourteen Hours.She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in 1953's Mogambo and scooped the Award in 1954 for her role in The Country Girl. During her brief acting career, she also won three Golden Globes and one BAFTA.
Grace retired from acting when she married Prince Rainier in 1956, and started focusing on her role as Princess of Monaco. She welcomed three children: Princess Caroline, Prince Albert and Princess Stephanie with her husband.
The royal's life was cut short on 14 September 1982 following injuries she sustained in a car crash the day before. While driving with Stephanie, Grace suffered from a mild cerebral hemorrhage and lost control of the car. Although doctors initially rated her chances of recovery, she suffered a further cerebral hemorrhage while in hospital.
Princess Caroline
© Arnold JerockiBorn on 23 January 1957, Caroline, Princess of Hanover is the oldest child of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, however, she fell behind her brother, Albert, in the line of succession upon his birth. Caroline has served as their heir presumptive twice during her life, the first time upon her birth, and the second upon Albert's succession to the throne and before the birth of his own legitimate children in in 2014.
Following the death of her mother, Caroline assumed de facto 'First Lady' status and was often seen at major events, however when Albert married Charlene Wittstock in 2011, she was succeeded in this role.
Caroline has been married three times, the first being to banker Philippe Junot. The couple married in 1978, however divorced just two years later without having any children; the Catholic Church granted the pair an annulment in 1992. On 29 December 1983, Caroline married Italian power boat racer and businessman Stefano Casiraghi. The pair welcomed three children: Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre and remained together until Stefano's death in a power boating accident in 1990.
The royal married Prince Ernst August von Hanover, the head of the House of Hanover, a former ruling house of Great Britain and Ireland on 23 January 1999. The couple are parents to daughter to Princess Alexandra. They separated in 2009, with Caroline returning to live in Monaco.
Prince Albert
© Jean CatuffeAlbert is the current monarch of Monaco, succeeding his father, Rainier, to the throne on 6 April 2005. Born on 14 March 1958, Albert hasn't lived like a typical royal and even competed in the bobsleigh event at five separate Winter Olympic Games. Albert was also known for living a playboy lifestyle and fathered two children out of wedlock, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi (born 1992) and Alexandre Grimaldi (born 2003), however neither are in line to the throne.
In 2000, Albert met Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, with the pair going official with their romance at the 2006 Olympic Games. The couple wed on 1 July 2011, and on 10 December 2014 they were blessed with twin children, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.
Princess Stephanie
© Olivier AnrigoBorn on 1 February 1965, Stephanie is the youngest child of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, and like many other members of her family she's stepped outside the box of what might be expected for a royal, having worked as a fashion model, swimwear designer and even a singer, releasing two studio albums in 1986 and 1991.
Stephanie previously dated American actor Rob Lowe with the actor calling time on their romance due to their clashing lifestyles. "The lifestyle of sleeping till 1 o'clock in Paris, and then going to nightclubs, and having dinners with no less than 15 people every night. I was like a kid who needed to work," he explained on The Jess Cagle Show.
Stephanie eventually settled down with her bodyguard Daniel Ducruet, with the pair welcoming two children: Louis and Pauline. However, despite marrying on 1 July 1995, the couple divorced a year later on 4 October 1996. The royal has since welcomed a third child, Camille, whose father is her former bodyguard Jean Raymond Gottlieb, and married acrobat Adans Lopez Peres in 2003, before the pair divorced in 2004.
Princess Charlene
© Alfonso CannavacciuoloBorn as Charlene Wittstock on 25 January 1978, Charlene was an Olympic swimmer and All-African Games champion before she settled down with Prince Albert. She competed in 2000 Olympic Games as part of the women's 4x100m medley team, finishing in fifth place.
On 1 July 2011, Charlene married Albert and the pair welcomed their twin children, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella on 10 December 2014.
Charlene made headlines in 2021 when a severe ear, nose and throat (ENT) infection kept her in her native South Africa for several months, only being able to fly back home six months after catching the initial infection. Further health woes kept her away from the public eye and Charlene checked into a clinic before returning to royal duties in March 2022.
Prince Jacques
© PLS PoolBorn on 10 December 2014, Prince Jacques is the heir presumptive to the Monaco throne, and even though he was born two minutes after his sister, he is first in line to the throne due to male-favoured primogeniture rules. The young royal, who also has the title of the Marquis of Baux, is frequently seen at events alongside his family, like the Monaco Grand Prix.
Princess Gabriella
© Stephane Cardinale - CorbisBorn two minutes ahead of her brother on 10 December 2014, Princess Gabriella is currently second in line to the throne. Like her brother, Gabriella is often seen at events with her parents.
Jazmin Grace Grimaldi
© Kevork DjansezianBorn on 4 March 1992, Jazmin is the daughter of Prince Albert and American real estate agent Tamara Rotolo. Albert only publicly recognised her paternity in 2006, however, the pair have since become close and were first spotted in each other's company at an event in 2012. Jazmin is a talented singer and actress and has credits in The Marvellous Ms. Maisel and Cicada.
As she was born out of wedlock, Jazmin is not in line for the throne.
Alexandre Grimaldi
© Dave BenettBorn on 24 August 2003, Alexandre is the son of Prince Albert and flight attendant Nicole Coste. Albert recognised his paternity in 2005, with Princess Stephanie even serving as his godmother. Alexandre studied business at university and in an interview with Tatler in March 2024, he explained his desires to go into business with his father.
"[I aspire to] work in a relationship with my dad and become this – let's say – global ambassador for Monaco, and to bring business opportunities back to Monaco, which is what I've talked about with him," he revealed.
Due to being born out of wedlock, Alexandre is not in line to the throne.
Andrea Casiraghi
© ATPImagesBorn on 8 June 1984, Andrea is the eldest child of Princess Caroline and the late Stefano Casiraghi, and was named after one of his father's friends. Andrea is currently fourth in line to the throne.
Following his father's death, Caroline decided to keep her children away from the media spotlight, moving the family to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and then Paris. He studied visual arts and international politics at the American University of Paris and briefly worked as an intern at the Qatari embassy.
The royal has earned himself the nicknames "enfant terrible" and "rebel angel" and in 2011, he had his driving licence revoked for speeding. On 31 August 2013, Andrea married fashion designer Tatiana Santo Domingo and the pair have welcomed three children. Their first son, Alexandre, was born 21 March 2013, and he only took his place in the line of succession after his parents married. Andrea and Tatiana are also parents to daughter India, who was born on 12 April 2015 and a second Maximilian, who they welcomed on 19 April 2018.
Charlotte Casiraghi
© Marc PiaseckiBorn on 3 August 1986, Charlotte is the second eldest child of Caroline and Stefano, however, she falls below her younger brother, Pierre, and his children when it comes to the line of succession.
Like other members of Monaco's royal family, Charlotte has had quite the varied career, working as a fashion model and designer, philosopher, show jumper, journalist and film producer, even founding her own production company, Swoon Productions.
In 2011, Charlotte began dating comedian Gad Elmaleh and the pair welcomed a son, Raphaël, on 17 December 2013. However, the pair split in June 2015 and as they never married, Raphaël is not in the line of succession. Charlotte eventually walked down the aisle with Dimitri Rassam, the son of actress Carole Bouquet, on 1 June 2019; the couple had welcomed son Balthazar a year earlier on 23 October 2018. On 2 February 2024, the pair announced they had separated.
Pierre Casiraghi
© Christian VierigBorn on 5 September 1987, Pierre is the youngest child of Caroline and Stefano. Pierre has followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a sailboat racer and he usually takes part in the Monte-Carlo Historic Rally, which races historic cars.
Pierre married Italian journalist Beatrice Borromeo on 25 July 2015, with the couple first starting their relationship in 2008. The couple welcomed their son, Stefano, on 28 February 2017 and daughter Francesco on 21 May 2018.
Princess Alexandra of Hanover
© Pascal Le SegretainBorn on 20 July 1999, Alexandra is the only child of Caroline and Prince Ernst. Due to her father, Alexandra was a distant descendant of Queen Victoria, and as such was in line to the British throne, however, she renounced her place when she coverted to Catholicism in 2018. Alexandra is also a professional figure skater, starting in 2010 and she competed during the 2015 season.
Louis Ducruett
© Pascal Le SegretainBorn on 26 November 1992, Louis is the oldest son of Stephanie and Daniel. Like other members of his family, Louis has shown his sporty side, albeit on a more administrative side, previously working as an intern for AS Monaco FC and joining Nottingham Forest as an adviser for international projects in 2020.
Louis married long-time girlfriend Marie Hoa Chevallier on 26 July 2019, and the couple welcomed their baby daughter, Victoire on 4 April 2023.
Pauline Ducruet
© Pascal Le SegretainPauline is the youngest child of Stephanie and Daniel and was born on 4 May 1994. Fashion is Pauline's main interest, with the royal obtaining an associate degree in fashion design from Parsons The New School for Design alongside internships with Vogue and Louis Vuitton. Pauline has also been a competitive diver, and competed in the 2010 Youth Olympics.
Although Pauline hasn't publicly commented on her love life, she is believed to be dating businessman Maxime Giaccardi.
Camille Gottlieb
© SC Pool - CorbisBorn on 15 July 1998, Camille is the only daughter of Princess Stephanie and her bodyguard Jean Raymond Gottlieb; as the couple have never married, Camille is not in line to the throne.
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After the death of a friend who had been drink-driving, Camille founded Be Safe Monaco, a charity that campaigns against drink-driving.
Line of succession
- Prince Jacques
- Princess Gabriella
- Caroline, Princess of Hanover
- Andrea Casiraghi
- Alexandre Casiraghi
- Maximilian Casiraghi
- India Casiraghi
- Pierre Casiraghi
- Stefano Casiraghi
- Francesco Casiraghi
- Charlotte Casiraghi
- Balthazar Rassam
- Princess Alexandra of Hanover
- Princess Stephanie
- Louis Ducruet
- Victoire Ducruet
- Pauline Ducruet
