Originally posted by galisteo@Dec 19th, 2002 - 11:44 pm
What was his trouble with the mafia? 
I think I read on some board that maybe Rainer didn't care for him, but I only read that once, so it may all just be rumor.
Supposedly he was involved with the italian mafia in business deals. Stephano Casiraghi is said to have shamelessly used his wife's family name in business deals. When he died, he supposedly was part owner in THREE THOUSAND apartments in and around Monaco. After he died, and was buried in Monaco, one night "persons of unknown origin" dug up his grave, and stood his casket up vertically. This is a classic mafia act, and is a message to his surviving family (the Grimaldis). Supposedly the mafia were not pleased with the way his will/estate was being distributed, and wanted the return of shares registered in his name, but actually owned by the mafia.
I suppose it's not surprising if Prince Rainer didn't take too warmly to him.
I haven't read anywhere where it was said that he was a legitimate businessman. I don't know if he was a playboy, but he must have been something of a dilettante given the sport that he was competing in (and which killed him), motorised catamaran racing. It's not really a competitive sport in that there are very very few competitors (the boats are enormously expensive, and they can't be used for anything other than racing). I think he might have picked the sport because there are few competitors, yet offered some glamour. As I recall, he was driving it too fast, he hit a wave wrong, the boat went airborne, flipped over (the boat was travelling upside down in the air at that point), and, at that speed, when the boat hits the water, the water is like concrete, and it more or less decapitated him. I don't think his head came off, but death would have been instant with his neck snapping, i.e. he didn't suffer. Probably never felt a thing. It was over in an instant.
P.S.--Anybody know if there is a site/thread for Philippe Junot? He is currently trying to peddle hedge funds in Paris from what I hear. Also, he wrote some book called "Chatter" back in the late 1980's (1988 if memory serves), where he dished some dirt. It may have only been in Italian. Anybody know anything about the book? Or about a Philippe Junot website/forum? Thanks in advance for any replies.
