The Princesses of Monaco - Biography on A&E -

[Jacqueline]

I agree that there was a lot of focus on Caroline. She was definitely painted to be a snob, however, the way in which she appeared in her interview didn't help the way in which people thought about her IMO either. She came off as being really reserved and not very open. She may very well have put a wall up. I could understand that as people do tend to hold back around strangers at times and choose their words more carefully.

It did seem that Stephanie was made to seem like a victim, but she has made her own choices and not all of them good. The thing about Stephanie is that she does seem to be living with her choices and doesn't seemed bothered by them. It really appears to me that more people had different opinions about them and Caroline was made to look worse than she most likely is in actuality because Stephanie is easier to know that Caroline. Stephanie is more accessible to people and just very open. Caroline may very well be an open person, but she comes off as always being a snob (of course, she obviously can be a times) because she is more careful of people. I get the feeling that Caroline is extremely less trusting than Stephanie which makes for a huge difference in anyone's perceptions of the two women.

I think that the woman at the beginning of the biography said it very well, when she said that they are two people with very different personalities.

[sandee]

I really enjoyed watching this program and im so glad i found out about it on biography.com (this is one of my fav shows!) I thought the part about Caroline and her friends putting steph in the toilet was funny and cute..even though it was a cruel thing to do! I also never knew that Caroline has not forgiven stephanie because she thinks that steph was in a way responsible for her mother's death.
That must be horrible for stephanie...imagine feeling that tremendous amount of guilt (and i dont believe for a second that stephanie had anything to do with that terrible accident). Stephanie seems like such a great person, she seems so down to earth and friendly and i really feel sorry for her after watching this program. I really have alot more respect for stephanie now. :flower:

[iloveroyals]

I just got my copy of the biography and after watching it, agree with all of the comments above. What is striking to me is how absolutely gorgeous Princess Caroline was in her youth. You rarely (never?) see such incredibly beautiful women, even on Oscar night and so on. I was also surprised to see that Stephanie was very pretty indeed, in a different way from her sister, but quite striking too. And of course, Princess Grace is beauty, in its purest, most flawless form, incarnated. The photographs or clippings of the series of husbands made them all look quite seductive too, in fact it was a leitmotive in the documentary :"It is easy to understand why C/S would have fallen for this guy". Ernst 10 years ago cuts as good a figure as Philippe and Stefano, in my opinion.

But the bias was so on scandal, wild life, jealousies. Some show of solidarity in some circumstances (for the good of the principality) between the sisters would have lightened the b....y tone. I liked Caroline's humble comment that strength is not a matter of character but of circumstances. I liked how she reaches for her father's hand at Grace's funeral, a subtle sign that she has become the parent in a way, the first lady, the one in charge of maintaining propriety and dignity. I am amazed at the education she has received. It makes Stephanie (whom I like) seem so childish when she complains about the boredom of long official dinners. (Although, in all honesty, Stephanie would probably have reached for her father's hand as well, had she been present. Also, Caroline is 7 or 8 years older.) Anyway, I always liked the reflection (read somewhere) that most shampoo girls dream of being princesses, and Stephanie always acted as if she dreamed of having been a shampoo girl. This is not to denigrate her, but there is an innocence, a desire to be seen and liked "like others" that makes you feel "she doesn't get it". I don't mean to be judgmental, I speak from the royal watchers' point of view, who have always found that Stephanie does not belong in the rarefied spheres of royalty.

For Monaco lovers, it is a DVD well worth acquiring.

[Elly C]

Is this the same documentary that was first aired on the Biography Channel approx. a year ago? If so, has it been updated to reflect any subtle changes in the relationship between Caroline & Stephanie since Albert's succession?

[sgl]

I saw the one that aired on the Biography Channel a year ago, and it was excellent. A & E replays so many of their programs. I'm hoping that I will be able to see it during the next airing. If it is the same one, hopefully they have updated it. Their lives have changed quite a bit in the past year, and it is frustrating to see biographies that haven't been updated.