There was a happy surprise in store for attendees at Madrid's Telva magazine awards, where Tatiana Santo Domingo was picking up a trophy. Andrea Casiraghi's pretty fiancée showed off a sizeable baby bump, confirming rumours the heiress is pregnant.
Rumours of a possible new arrival began in July, after the couple celebrated their engagement. When Princess Caroline's son and his fiancée touched down on dry land following a few days cruising the Cote d'Azur on Pacha III, the Grimaldi's family yacht, pictures emerged of Tatiana with a curvier figure.
But since the dress she wore was loose and flowing, and with no confirmation from the palace, commentators were unsure. Tatiana, the granddaughter of the late Colombian mega-mogul Julio Santo Domingo, worth $6bn, is known for her love of bohemian clothing. In fact, she often uses her twitter feed to show off loose peasant style garments that she has picked up from artisans around the world, for her business Muzungu Sisters.
But the tight dress she wore this week in Spain to pick up the gong with her business partner Dana Alikhani left little doubt that the Grimaldi family will soon be welcoming a new arrival.
The new baby will be third in line to the throne given that Prince Albert, 53, does not have any children with Princess Charlene. The laidback lovebirds probably don't have their minds on the succession, however, they will be too busy enjoying this special period before becoming husband and wife - and first-time parents - in 2013.
Younger brother Julio Mario Santo Domingo III completed the family unit, and may be the one who gives his sister away after their father succumbed to cancer in 2009.After an idyllic childhood in Switzerland, Tatiana, a skilled linguist who speaks five languages, attended Paris boarding school, Lycée Fontainebleau. It was in the French capital that she would meet the man who will soon become her husband. The thoroughbred beauty – famed for her flowing locks, natural aura and bohemian style – will no doubt bring added interest to the royal set when she joins next year. Vanity Fair awarded her a spot on their international best dressed list in 2010. Despite clocking up seven years as Andrea's girlfriend, Tatiana exudes humility and has perfected the art of being a discreet yet supportive consort. Her low-key approach is no doubt something the Monegasque royals – Caroline in particular – appreciate.
Tatiana's "happy" future mother-in-law Caroline confirmed her son's engagement in July. The alluring brunette was born in Geneva, to the late Julio Mario Santo Domingo Jr and Vera Rechulski, a vivacious Brazilian socialite who hails from Sao Paolo but now lives in Paris.
