Princess Caroline‘s Role in Monaco

[Denville]

Okay i'm corrected now can you answer the question if you have the answers thank you!

Caroline undertook some of the duties of Princess consort, since her mother was dead.. took on charity and hostess duties...the same kind of stuff that Grace had done..

 

[lazuli]

Caroline undertook some of the duties of Princess consort, since her mother was dead.. took on charity and hostess duties...the same kind of stuff that Grace had done..

And she keeps on dping so: she presides Amade ( founded by her mother ) and the Ballets de MonteCarlo ( fulfilling her mother's dream ). She presides the Rose Ball, the Festival Printemps des Arts and the annual Bouquet Contest ( her made created ) and she presides Prince Pierre Foundation ( her father created to honour his own father - Prince Pierre - memory ). If this is not being a great and working first lady, then i don't know anyone who is...

 

[Denville]

And she keeps on dping so: she presides Amade ( founded by her mother ) and the Ballets de MonteCarlo ( fulfilling her mother's dream ). She presides the Rose Ball, the Festival Printemps des Arts and the annual Bouquet Contest ( her made created ) and she presides Prince Pierre Foundation ( her father created to honour his own father - Prince Pierre - memory ). If this is not being a great and working first lady, then i don't know anyone who is...

Thats what a Princess of Caro's generation is supposed to do.. noting special. I gather that the present Princess Charlene isn't very active in the consort role so I suppose Caro still presides over some of the charity work....

 

[Moonmaiden23]

The answers to many questions re: Princess Caroline's events/duties/role within the Principality are easily available....with a little research...within the Grimaldi threads here on this Forum. Some of them have been archived.

Since tiny and uber wealthy Monaco is quite a contrast to Spain, Belgium, Britain...the role of First Lady is more that of a very glamorous hostess and representative...appearing elegant and well turned out on almost every occasion.

Caroline, like her late mother, excelled at this.

 

[Kitty1224]

Thats what a Princess of Caro's generation is supposed to do.. noting special. I gather that the present Princess Charlene isn't very active in the consort role so I suppose Caro still presides over some of the charity work....

I think it’s the person within that role that can make it special which in turn makes their impact big. We shouldn’t dismiss it.

 

[melina premiere]

Princess Caroline's role In Monaco

Princess Caroline kept all her presidences when her brother married with Charlene , Princess Stephanie also kept her presidences
It was fair that they kept their presidences but saying Charlene was not active as princess consort
The princess Charlene is attending all the religious ceremonies in Monaco ( Sainte Devote festivities, religious processes holy Friday , the enthronement of the new archibishop , Saint Jean Fest
The princess Charlene of Monaco foundation ' rugby Sainte Devote tournament, water safety day for the children of Monaco, this year, there will be the international rugby sevens supported by the Princess foundation, there will be the Dubai rugby sevens with two rugby teams supported by the foundation. The water bike crossing
She is presiding the Red Cross Gala with Albert every year
She is attending all the events the week of the Grand Prix, visiting with Albert the volonters of the Red Cross , the handicaped people on the track, she is receiving the very important people of Monaco and of other countries at the palaceand she is attending the gala of the Grand Prix
She is receiving with Albert all the actresses of the Festival TV
She is visiting the new mothers at the maternity the mother day, she is visiting the old persons at the home for old people
She is president of the association of people who are giving their blood
Last year, she was calling for the medical search at the virtual 24 h du Mans
She is attending the events of the safety road
Last year, she was doing a official visit to Georgia where she visited young rugby players ,a deaf sschool offering a bus and visiting the president of Georgia
She was attending all the giving medals ceremonies aat the national day
She is always with Albert to give gifts to poor people at the red cross center at the red cross nursery and princess Charlene home
She is present to the Christmas of the palace
And she is near Albert for the new year speech
I surely forget some events where she is ou was also saying she is not active , is unfair

 

[Denville]

I think it’s the person within that role that can make it special which in turn makes their impact big. We shouldn’t dismiss it.

So what ddi Caroline do that was so special? I suppose she was popular back in the 80s but I never liked her, and it seemed to take Graces' death for her to become a hard working first lady..

 

[Moonmaiden23]

In all fairness to Caroline, her role as a "hard working First Lady" was unfortunately contingent on the death/ incapacitation of Grace.

Her brother was Heir. He was expected to marry and furnish the Principality with the new First Lady Princess Consort.

There was no real role for Caroline other than to marry reasonably well and show up for key events like National Day and the Rose Ball.

For better or worse hard work was not in Caroline's future before fate intervened in 1982.

What kind of "hard work " should she have been doing on the French Riviera before Grace died?

 

[Denville]

In all fairness to Caroline, her role as a "hard working First Lady" was unfortunately contingent on the death/ incapacitation of Grace.

Her brother was Heir. He was expected to marry and furnish the Principality with the new First Lady Princess Consort.

There was no real role for Caroline other than to marry reasonably well and show up for key events like National Day and the Rose Ball.

For better or worse hard work was not in Caroline's future before fate intervened in 1982.

I remember her as rebellious and probably contributing a lot to the stress of Graces' life. She did seem to pull herself together and take on the role of first lady after G died.. but I don't see what she did that was special, it was the normal duties of a princess....and I dont think she's so populr now is she? I think she was popular back in the 70s fora bit becuase there weren't that many well known and glamourous princesses. Anne was hardly a glamour puss and the other royals were not known in the US.. so Caroline was the only one...

 

[Kitty1224]

So what ddi Caroline do that was so special? I suppose she was popular back in the 80s but I never liked her, and it seemed to take Graces' death for her to become a hard working first lady..

May I ask why you never liked her?

 

[Denville]

May I ask why you never liked her?

There's no reason except that even when I was younger, she seemed a bit too wild child... as was Stephanie...

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Let us keep things in perspective about "first lady" things. Central Park in New York is bigger than the Principality of Monaco (only 2,03 square km).

The mayor of the neighbouring town of Nice is responsible for an area 35 x the size of Monaco and has 10 times more residents than his little overcrowded neighbour.

In daily life the Princess of Hannover spends her days in her wonderful rural paradise in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (in France, close to Arles) and so now and then she drives to Monte-Carlo for her patronages. And that is it.

 

[Denville]

So since Charlene does do some work, Carolien cant be all that busy....

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I remember her as rebellious and probably contributing a lot to the stress of Graces' life. She did seem to pull herself together and take on the role of first lady after G died.. but I don't see what she did that was special, it was the normal duties of a princess....and I dont think she's so populr now is she? I think she was popular back in the 70s fora bit becuase there weren't that many well known and glamourous princesses. Anne was hardly a glamour puss and the other royals were not known in the US.. so Caroline was the only one...

She contributed to Grace's stress by insisting on choosing her own husband...which blew up in her face but was her right to do. She was a very young, very beautiful and famous woman in late 70's Europe. That wasn't her fault. It was genetic bingo. She didn't develop a drug habit or marry her bodyguard or join the circus. She fell in love with the wrong man and stubbornly married him.

All things considered Grace was very fortunate where Caroline was concerned.

Stephanie caused both parents an equal amount of aggravation if not more.

And Grace(thankfully) did not live to see it but so did Albert.

ETA: Other than the devout low key Marie Astrid in Luxembourg, there were no pretty young SINGLE princesses in Europe in the late 70's. Up until Lady Diana Spencer came on the scene in 1981, Caroline was IT literally and figuratively. And even after Diana, she continued to be a paparazzi magnet all throughout the 80's and well into the 90's. Caroline and Diana dominated the tabloids and magazine covers during the 80's and 90's.

Caroline didn't ask for it...especially after she married Stefano all she wanted was to be a wife and mother.

She has played the hand that was dealt her by Fate, and since she isn't a divine being she has made mistakes. But overall, I feel she has done very well.

 

[Kitty1224]

She contributed to Grace's stress by insisting on choosing her own husband...which blew up in her face but was her right to do. She was a very young, very beautiful and famous woman in late 70's Europe. That wasn't her fault. It was genetic bingo. She didn't develop a drug habit or marry her bodyguard or join the circus. She fell in love with the wrong man and stubbornly married him.

All things considered Grace was very fortunate where Caroline was concerned.

Stephanie caused both parents an equal amount of aggravation if not more.

And Grace(thankfully) did not live to see it but so did Albert.

ETA: Other than the devout low key Marie Astrid in Luxembourg, there were no pretty young princesses in Europe in the late 70's. Up until Lady Diana Spencer came on the scene in 1981, Caroline was IT literally and figuratively. And even after Diana, she continued to be a paparazzi magnet all throughout the 80's and well into the 90's. Caroline and Diana dominated the tabloids and magazine covers during the 80's and 90's.

Caroline didn't ask for it...especially after she married Stefano all she wanted was to be a wife and mother.

She has played the hand that was dealt her, and not being a divine being she has made mistakes. But overall, I feel she has done very well.

I feel like many overlook how she kept Monaco and the image Grace worked hard for going. Monaco during the 80s was very respected and I contribute that to Caroline work and continuing her mothers work.

 

[cdm]

I must say I was quite impressed by Caroline when I saw this you tube clip of a conference where she talked about the work of Amade. Her job is not just being a glamourous hostess or patron.
https://youtu.be/KKVQbjDrlEg

 

[Kitty1224]

I must say I was quite impressed by Caroline when I saw this you tube clip of a conference where she talked about the work of Amade. Her job is not just being a glamourous hostess or patron.
https://youtu.be/KKVQbjDrlEg

I agree! I really enjoy her work with Amade.

 

[Florestane]

She's an intelligent woman - her dedication to her charities is real. She has been involved in some excellent work supporting children in many disadvantaged situations. Her profile is lower now - Monaco has a Princess Consort with her own charities and interests, she's not as interesting to the press because she's older, she spends a lot of time with her family and 7 grandchildren. But I think she did a good job as "first lady" and still quietly gets on with her thing now, supporting her brother in her own way.

She actually lives quite of the lot of the time in Monaco and does not only go there for her patronages - but so what if she did? Plenty of people don't live where they have work. Prince Albert and his family spend a fair amount of time at Roc Agel which isn't in Monaco either.

What made her stand out? Initially her beauty, her "rebellion" (I don't think she was especially rebellious) and then the maturity after her mother's death plus the romantic love story with Stefano Casiraghi.

Also, she's an enigma in many ways - she rarely gives interviews and guards her privacy fiercely.

I think she is one tough lady - and I do think she can be prone to blaming others for her mistakes. She's known to be haughty on occasion and aware of her position (leading to all those, in my view, ridiculous theories about why she doesn't divorce Ernst) but equally she can be very down to earth and practical. She remained in touch with her Nanny until her death - an ordinary woman who led an ordinary life once she left Monaco. She is a good friend - she is loyal to and inspires loyalty from her inner circle many who have been part of her life for years.

 

[Kitty1224]

She's an intelligent woman - her dedication to her charities is real. She has been involved in some excellent work supporting children in many disadvantaged situations. Her profile is lower now - Monaco has a Princess Consort with her own charities and interests, she's not as interesting to the press because she's older, she spends a lot of time with her family and 7 grandchildren. But I think she did a good job as "first lady" and still quietly gets on with her thing now, supporting her brother in her own way.

She actually lives quite of the lot of the time in Monaco and does not only go there for her patronages - but so what if she did? Plenty of people don't live where they have work. Prince Albert and his family spend a fair amount of time at Roc Agel which isn't in Monaco either.

What made her stand out? Initially her beauty, her "rebellion" (I don't think she was especially rebellious) and then the maturity after her mother's death plus the romantic love story with Stefano Casiraghi.

Also, she's an enigma in many ways - she rarely gives interviews and guards her privacy fiercely.

I think she is one tough lady - and I do think she can be prone to blaming others for her mistakes. She's known to be haughty on occasion and aware of her position (leading to all those, in my view, ridiculous theories about why she doesn't divorce Ernst) but equally she can be very down to earth and practical. She remained in touch with her Nanny until her death - an ordinary woman who led an ordinary life once she left Monaco. She is a good friend - she is loyal to and inspires loyalty from her inner circle many who have been part of her life for years.

I think many like to discredit her work she has done not only in Monaco but her own charity endeavors. I don’t think she’s an enigma though. She’s quiet and honestly people don’t have a huge love or huge hate for her. I do think she could have been beloved like her mother though.

 

[lazuli]

I agree! I really enjoy her work with Amade.

She has been involved with children work and protection since ( at least ) 1979, P. Grace being still alive. 1979 was the International Year of Children and, by then she was already participating in meetings and sessions. She was appointed by her parents to « become the President of the Monegasque Committee for the International Year of Children ». Later in 1981 she founded « Jeune J'Ecoute »... You can read all this here

https://www.palais.mc/en/princely-family/h-r-h-the-princess-of-hanover/biography-1-8.html
and those of us who have been following her work throughout the years know that she is actually commited in all these, it's not just keeping up with appearences. She travels places, she knows the situation in the field...
She was pushed to the role of first lady by her mother's death, but she certainly worked hard enough to be worthy of our admiration. Plus, she never wanted to be first lady... She was driven to be so by circumstances, and let's be honest, it was P. Caroline that held that family together after Grace's passing

 

[Kitty1224]

She has been involved with children work and protection since ( at least ) 1979, P. Grace being still alive. 1979 was the International Year of the Children and, by then she was already participating in meeting and sessions. She was appointed by her parents was appointed to « become the President of the Monegasque Committee for the International Year of Children ». Later in 1981 she founded « Jeune J'Ecoute »... You can read all this here

https://www.palais.mc/en/princely-family/h-r-h-the-princess-of-hanover/biography-1-8.html
and those of us who have bee following her work throughout the years know that she is actually commited in all these, it's not just keeping up with appearences. She travels places, she knows the situation in the field...
She was pushed to the role of first lady by her mother's death, but she certainly worked hard enough to be worthy of our admiration. Plus, she never wanted to be first lady... She was driven to be so by circumstances, and let's be honest, it was P. Caroline that held that family together after Grace's passing

APPLAUSE FROM ME!!!!!!!!

She is a great role model for future princesses to follow imo.

 

[selket]

She has been involved with children work and protection since ( at least ) 1979, P. Grace being still alive. 1979 was the International Year of Children and, by then she was already participating in meetings and sessions. She was appointed by her parents to « become the President of the Monegasque Committee for the International Year of Children ». Later in 1981 she founded « Jeune J'Ecoute »... You can read all this here

https://www.palais.mc/en/princely-family/h-r-h-the-princess-of-hanover/biography-1-8.html
and those of us who have been following her work throughout the years know that she is actually commited in all these, it's not just keeping up with appearences. She travels places, she knows the situation in the field...
She was pushed to the role of first lady by her mother's death, but she certainly worked hard enough to be worthy of our admiration. Plus, she never wanted to be first lady... She was driven to be so by circumstances, and let's be honest, it was P. Caroline that held that family together after Grace's passing

Definitely! I remember reading an interview with her during the 80s, and she said that a normal day for her/ i.e. not doing anything special elsewhere, was that she left her house every morning to walk up to the palace (a very short walk) and worked in her office or wherever needed till late afternoon, then back home. She said "the career obviously chose me, not visa versa," but that she enjoyed it and was dedicated to the work. All three Casiraghi children were born by then.

The use of the word "career" was probably an effort to ring more familiar with American women reading the magazine.

 

[Florestane]

I think many like to discredit her work she has done not only in Monaco but her own charity endeavors. I don’t think she’s an enigma though. She’s quiet and honestly people don’t have a huge love or huge hate for her. I do think she could have been beloved like her mother though.

I disagree - a fair number of people actively dislike her - there are some very nasty comments on other forums and blogs based on nothing but speculation and the twisting of facts (and the idea that criticising her makes her sister-in-law look better).

And she also has a lot of fans - several Instagram accounts dedicated to her have started in the last couple of years.

I actually think for some people she's quite a polarising person.

And I do think she's an enigma - we actually know very little about what she thinks other than the few things she chooses to reveal.

 

[Kitty1224]

I disagree - a fair number of people actively dislike her - there are some very nasty comments on other forums and blogs based on nothing but speculation and the twisting of facts (and the idea that criticising her makes her sister-in-law look better).

And she also has a lot of fans - several Instagram accounts dedicated to her have started in the last couple of years.

I actually think for some people she's quite a polarising person.

And I do think she's an enigma - we actually know very little about what she thinks other than the few things she chooses to reveal.

Well you know better than me so I'll take your word for it! I'm glad she is no longer in her mother's shadow and craved out her own role and interests. Princess Grace is hard to follow imo.

 

[Florestane]

Well you know better than me so I'll take your word for it! I'm glad she is no longer in her mother's shadow and craved out her own role and interests. Princess Grace is hard to follow imo.

She is a hard act to follow - and someone that I think casts a long shadow her Charlene as well as her daughters. It must be difficult.

 

[Kitty1224]

She is a hard act to follow - and someone that I think casts a long shadow her Charlene as well as her daughters. It must be difficult.

I agree with Charlene and her daughter and add Charlotte too. It wasn't just because Grace married a prince but what she did with Monaco and how she changed it along with Rainier and she legit put it on the map. People will always remember the style icon film actress turned into a princess. I for one would find it just as hard and add to the fact Grace was beloved which many people don't get that type of affection.

 

[Roderick]

Well you know better than me so I'll take your word for it! I'm glad she is no longer in her mother's shadow and craved out her own role and interests. Princess Grace is hard to follow imo.

No longer in her mother's shadow? Grace has been gone now for the best part of 40 years! Caroline was never in her shadow and did her best while her mother was alive not to be in her shadow. Grace was the Princess of Monaco though and her daughters never had the same responsibilities. Caroline herself stated that Grace was raised by her own mother to always be busy and she admitted that was not her style at all. Although Caroline has been involved in some very good work, I don't think she has worked like her mother did and to be fair, there wasn't that expectation of her. I think she has done perhaps what people expected her to do, not more though.

 

[Kitty1224]

No longer in her mother's shadow? Grace has been gone now for the best part of 40 years! Caroline was never in her shadow and did her best while her mother was alive not to be in her shadow. Grace was the Princess of Monaco though and her daughters never had the same responsibilities. Caroline herself stated that Grace was raised by her own mother to always be busy and she admitted that was not her style at all. Although Caroline has been involved in some very good work, I don't think she has worked like her mother did and to be fair, there wasn't that expectation of her. I think she has done perhaps what people expected her to do, not more though.

You don’t think she has worked as much as her mother did? I think she did esp as First Lady of Monaco and still does.

 

[Florestane]

No longer in her mother's shadow? Grace has been gone now for the best part of 40 years! Caroline was never in her shadow and did her best while her mother was alive not to be in her shadow. Grace was the Princess of Monaco though and her daughters never had the same responsibilities. Caroline herself stated that Grace was raised by her own mother to always be busy and she admitted that was not her style at all. Although Caroline has been involved in some very good work, I don't think she has worked like her mother did and to be fair, there wasn't that expectation of her. I think she has done perhaps what people expected her to do, not more though.

Honestly, when she was younger and just divorced I think the press painted a picture that the majority of people didn't expect much of her at all. So I do think she did more than people initially thought she would - and given Albert didn't marry till quite late she was doing things for longer than she herself anticipated. I think she still does quite a bit in the background - she's still heavily involved with her different organisations. But her priorities are different now.

 

[Kitty1224]

Honestly, when she was younger and just divorced I think the press painted a picture that the majority of people didn't expect much of her at all. So I do think she did more than people initially thought she would - and given Albert didn't marry till quite late she was doing things for longer than she herself anticipated. I think she still does quite a bit in the background - she's still heavily involved with her different organisations. But her priorities are different now.

Makes me think if her mother hadn't died young would she eventually taken Grace's responsibilities?