General Questions about the Princely Family of Monaco Part 1

[sandee]

I was just wondering if someone could tell me if any of the grimaldis have a home (or homes) in the United States; I think in the early years of Grace and Rainier's marriage they had a mansion in New York or sumthing...Im not sure though

 

[Lalla Meriem]

Rainier owns The Palais de Prinse in Monaco, The Chateau de Marchais at the base of the Ardennes, Roc Agel in France near Monaco, a luxury NY apartment, a luxury Paris and a vacation home in Jamaica that I know of. He also has numerous other properties as investments. Caroline and Stephanie each own seperate homes outside of Monaco.

 

[Lalla Meriem]

I don't think Albert is gay. I do, however, think he is certainly bi-sexual. He is too well known in Paris' homosexual set and the "leather bar" scene (as Marlene calls it) for him not to also like men. But, that doesn't really matter does it.


I don't think Albert is serious with Alicia. He is too often scene with other women. Als friends say his only real relationships have been with women the press have never known of. Besides polvolter as Princess of Monaco?

 

[lal]

I totally agree with you concerning Alberts choice on his future bride. I believe he will be discreet as Prince Felipe was. Smart choice, don't you think!

 

[sky]

http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&hl=nl&....gossip.royalty
If you go down a bit someone talks about a book where it said that albert has a daughter named Jasmine Grace. Has anyone else heard about her.

 

[angel]

Do you think he can fall madly in love with a woman and marry right away?
After all his preparation I think he would love to have children to inherit the trone.
I don´t think he will be very glad to see Andrea as his sucesor.
By the way,I don´t see Alicia as the future princess of Monaco

 

[sky]

i gave a bad link b4 this is what i, wanted to post

Hi, I am new here. However, I would like to comment about Prince
Albert. I read in a recent book about the Grimaldis that he fathered
an illegitemite
daughter whose name is Jasmine Grace. From what I read, she looks
like her grandmother, Princess Grace. Maybe Albert feels a little
guilty if this is true. He has no contact with the child. It may
bother him to marry and father more children. JMO. Also, I don't
think he is really interested in getting married; Caroline's children
conveniently relieved him of this responsibility.

Tammy

I've read about this girl as well. If she is Albert's daughter, and was ever
acknowledged as such, she would effectively become his heir, because the
Monegasque inheritance laws allow the princely title to descend to an
illegitimate child.

I would assume this is why he has refused to acknowledge her, if indeed she
is his daughter.

Gillian

 

[Lalla Meriem]

The book would be by John Glatt...........

The child in question is Jazmine Grace Rotolo Grimaldi the daughter of Tamara Rotolo. Tamara shot herself in the foot with her insane actions with the hope of any support from Albert.

I would also point out that the time of Jazmine's birth would have made her date of conception some 2 months before Tamara was in Monaco......meaning conceived prior to her ever even meeting Prince Albert.

However, Albert did make himself look rather guilty during the trail. He has had several paternatity suites against him...........none of them have panned out to be his children.

 

[Lalla Meriem]

The current laws that govern the right to the Princely Throne do NOT allow for inheritance of title, rank or position for illegitimate children. This is why the youngest child of Princess Stephanie has no succession rights to the Throne.

I assume the case you are thinking of is that of Princess Charlotte (Rainier's mother), and the laws were different then. Princess Charlotte was the natural illegitimate child of The then Hereditary Prince of Monaco. As he had no legitimate heirs she was first adopted then legitimated and allowed into the Princely Family via decree. It was her adoption that gave her rights. She never reigned - Rainier followed his grand father to the throne.

The laws of succession have been changed since John Glatt wrote his book.

 

[Lalla Meriem]

Grace had co-operated with the making of this movie while she was alive. I saw it and I rather enjoyed it. Grace picked Cheryl to play her. I personally think that Cheryl wasn't beautiful enough to play Grace.

I am also not one of those people who think that Gwenyth Paltrow is even remotely similar to Grace Kelly. Grace got famous in her own right did more than 10 people know who Gwen was before Brad Pitt. And, she isn't as beautiful or elegant as Grace. I scoff and the comparisons.

 

[nouwrein]

a wedding scene from the movie..

http://207.137.168.225/U2103124-7.jpg

 

[kittencrews]

whoa... for a second when it was first coming up i thought that was really grace!!! lol ha ha

 

[renats]

Originally posted by Lalla Meriem@Apr 22nd, 2004 - 2:45 am
Grace had co-operated with the making of this movie while she was alive. I saw it and I rather enjoyed it. Grace picked Cheryl to play her. I personally think that Cheryl wasn't beautiful enough to play Grace.

I am also not one of those people who think that Gwenyth Paltrow is even remotely similar to Grace Kelly. Grace got famous in her own right did more than 10 people know who Gwen was before Brad Pitt. And, she isn't as beautiful or elegant as Grace. I scoff and the comparisons.

I think it depends "which" Grace are you going to compare with them. If you are talking about the "produced" Grace in the shots for Rear Window, she really "beat" those women by far. But if you compare with the "not produced" Grace during the beggining of her adulthood posing with the Kelly family, she's "beated" by far. Well, that's my opinion.

By the way, there was another movie about her. The name is something like "The murder of Grace Kelly". I don't think it's that name exactly but it's something similar. It's a very "gossip kind" movie.

 

[Lalla Meriem]

I think Grace was simply divine since she reached her midteen years. She was a classic beauty even while she was at Stevens.

 

[nouwrein]

And here's the real wedding scene where Rainier slips the ring on Grace's finger.

http://207.137.168.225/6dy0xl1t_guest.jpg

http://207.137.168.225/Image16.jpg

if we compare it to the above picture of Cheryl Ladd in the same scene, notice how far behind Cheryl is in the 'poise' category. Look at how poised Grace is (considering that Grace's was a spontaneous act, and not film acting)

I agree with you Lalla Meriem. For me, Princess Grace is close to perfection.

 

[nouwrein]

Originally posted by renats+Apr 22nd, 2004 - 10:36 pm--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (renats @ Apr 22nd, 2004 - 10:36 pm)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Lalla Meriem@Apr 22nd, 2004 - 2:45 am
Grace had co-operated with the making of this movie while she was alive. I saw it and I rather enjoyed it. Grace picked Cheryl to play her. I personally think that Cheryl wasn't  beautiful enough to play Grace.

I am also not one of those people who think that Gwenyth Paltrow is even remotely similar to Grace Kelly. Grace got famous in her own right did more than 10 people know who Gwen was before Brad Pitt. And, she isn't as beautiful or elegant as Grace. I scoff and the comparisons.

I think it depends "which" Grace are you going to compare with them. If you are talking about the "produced" Grace in the shots for Rear Window, she really "beat" those women by far. But if you compare with the "not produced" Grace during the beggining of her adulthood posing with the Kelly family, she's "beated" by far. Well, that's my opinion.

By the way, there was another movie about her. The name is something like "The murder of Grace Kelly". I don't think it's that name exactly but it's something similar. It's a very "gossip kind" movie. [/b][/quote]
I disagree. If you are going to compare the 'produced' Grace (as you termed it) to the 'produced' Gwenyth/Cheryl/other women, I think Grace 'beat' those women by far. And if you're going to compare the 'not produced' Grace with the 'not produced' Gwyneth/Cheryl/Other women during the beginning of their adulthood too, I think Grace still 'beats' them by far.

All of us go through a stage in life where we were not in full bloom. Just my opinion

 

[renats]

Originally posted by nouwrein+Apr 23rd, 2004 - 3:46 am--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (nouwrein @ Apr 23rd, 2004 - 3:46 am)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by renats@Apr 22nd, 2004 - 10:36 pm
<!--QuoteBegin-Lalla Meriem

@Apr 22nd, 2004 - 2:45 am
Grace had co-operated with the making of this movie while she was alive. I saw it and I rather enjoyed it. Grace picked Cheryl to play her. I personally think that Cheryl wasn't  beautiful enough to play Grace.

I am also not one of those people who think that Gwenyth Paltrow is even remotely similar to Grace Kelly. Grace got famous in her own right did more than 10 people know who Gwen was before Brad Pitt. And, she isn't as beautiful or elegant as Grace. I scoff and the comparisons.

I think it depends "which" Grace are you going to compare with them. If you are talking about the "produced" Grace in the shots for Rear Window, she really "beat" those women by far. But if you compare with the "not produced" Grace during the beggining of her adulthood posing with the Kelly family, she's "beated" by far. Well, that's my opinion.

By the way, there was another movie about her. The name is something like "The murder of Grace Kelly". I don't think it's that name exactly but it's something similar. It's a very "gossip kind" movie.

I disagree. If you are going to compare the 'produced' Grace (as you termed it) to the 'produced' Gwenyth/Cheryl/other women, I think Grace 'beat' those women by far. And if you're going to compare the 'not produced' Grace with the 'not produced' Gwyneth/Cheryl/Other women during the beginning of their adulthood too, I think Grace still 'beats' them by far.

All of us go through a stage in life where we were not in full bloom. Just my opinion [/b][/quote]
I agree that in the "produced" pictures she beats them by far. In the promotion shots for Rear Window she was simply amazing. But I do think that Grace was quite unattractive in most of her teen and early adulthood pictures. I never saw "not produced pictures from the other 2. Do you have links for their teen and early adult years?

 

[Freedom]

What is the Municipality/Royal family managing well?

 

[Freedom]

I think Monaco does a great job of attracting & marketing high profile events.

 

[totally_marianne]

i think the most right thing with monaco is the older inhabitants demanding that someone in charge keep up the traditions & heritage in spite of... gotta remember... the older people of that region are really très parochial... and... they want to keep that heritage more than they want too much more change too quickly... the old-timers really don't want the corporate or 'club med' image to overshadow their past... there's something to be said for heritage... justa thought...

totally... marianne...
criminal law next yr. @ harvard...

 

[Freedom]

I completely agree Totally Marianne. While change is inevitable and indeed necessary, it occurs ideally when it happens via well-thought-out checks and balances. The older generation taking an active role in the preservation of Monaco is something to be revered.

Oh, & Thank You Totally Marianne for replying! :flower:

 

[Independent woman]

What I like the most about MRF are their charitable activities. Their involvement with humanitarian organizations made awareness of those organizations to bigger public. Caroline became last year goodwill ambassador to UNESCO. Albert and Stephanie contributed to the awareness of AIDS and fight against AIDS. MRF are helping a lot to those who are less privileged. They organize many different events to raise money for good causes. They do really good job.


PS.: Freedom, this is better course.

 

[sherry11]

Yeah! Even Marianne, my roommate, had to admit to me that The Royal Family does do a lot of nice things with their charity work. And that is nice too!

Sherry!

 

[kloss]

Originally posted by totally_marianne@May 25th, 2004 - 3:49 am
i think the most right thing with monaco is the older inhabitants demanding that someone in charge keep up the traditions & heritage in spite of... gotta remember... the older people of that region are really très parochial... and... they want to keep that heritage more than they want too much more change too quickly... the old-timers really don't want the corporate or 'club med' image to overshadow their past... there's something to be said for heritage... justa thought...

totally... marianne...
criminal law next yr. @ harvard...

I agree!

 

[hillary_nugent]

Well from what i have read and heard Monaco seems to be a rather wealthy place a haven for the rich and famous so finanically they must be doing well so they must manage their economy well ^^

Oh and they have a really famous and wealthy casino too...and that is run well as well ^___^

 

[Independent woman]

Originally posted by hillary_nugent@May 30th, 2004 - 8:14 am
Well from what i have read and heard Monaco seems to be a rather wealthy place a haven for the rich and famous so finanically they must be doing well so they must manage their economy well ^^

Oh and they have a really famous and wealthy casino too...and that is run well as well ^___^

...and many bars, clubs…I don’t know anything about those places.

Monaco is the right place for fun and pleasure.

 

[GrandDuchess]

An article from the Scotsman today:

Can medieval Monaco survive the 21st century?

MORT ROSENBLUM IN MONACO

IN A quirk of time and space, a motorist can leave France’s A8 motorway near Nice and, without seeing so much as a welcome sign, downshift into a jet-age version of the 12th century.

But the 900-year-old enclave of Monaco is an anachronism at risk as a different sort of Europe takes shape. Medieval Monaco, with its storybook palace looming on a rock above the high-roller casino of Monte Carlo, is in some danger of melting away into France.

Rainier III, the ramrod-straight prince who spent 50 years turning an oddment of history on a speck of barren Riviera coast into a sparkling hideout for the eccentric rich, is 81 and ailing.

For three weeks, he was treated in hospital for "general fatigue" and then spent 12 more days in the hospital for what the palace described as heart problems.

Rainier’s son, Albert, is heir apparent. Though shy and retiring at 46, he is nonetheless popular in the tiny principality.

Still, the world is changing quickly around Monaco. Its French neighbours now belong to a 25-nation European Union bent on eradicating old anomalies. To survive, it is likely to need a tough-minded ruler.

For many close to the inner circle, such as Nadia Lacoste, Albert is plainly up to the job. Lacoste was palace spokeswoman in the heady days of Princess Grace, the actress Grace Kelly, who died in 1982. "Albert will be a wonderful prince," she said. "On his own, he’ll show a dynamic personality and effective leadership."

Other insiders expect Albert to withdraw from public life, although none agree to be named, fearing regal wrath.

If the unmarried prince has no heir, or steps aside, his sister Princess Caroline of Hanover is next in line. Then comes Stephanie, a photographers’ favourite for her serial rebellious liaisons.

French authorities refuse comment on the status of Monaco, but a message was sent in 1962, when President Charles de Gaulle resolved an economic dispute with a bald show of force, and Rainier backed down in a face-saving compromise.

Monaco’s independence is in many ways a state of mind. It issues passports and postage stamps. An elected legislative council drafts bills for the prince to sign. The principality belongs to the United Nations.

But even before the EU abolished checks at French road borders, visitors breezed into Monaco without realising it. The currency is now the euro. And Monaco’s prince chooses his prime minister from among three Frenchmen picked in Paris.

Quietly but increasingly, people speculate that a future French government will be tempted to exert sovereignty in the absence of a strong leader.

Certainly, Rainier’s shoes will be hard to fill. The prince has spent most of his life remaking Monaco. In the 1950s, he wooed and wed Grace Kelly at the peak of her Hollywood fame, taking the little state into the realm of fairytale. When the princess died on a hairpin bend on the road from Nice, he channelled his grief into yet more public works.

Still tiny, with a population of 32,000 that includes only 7,000 citizens, Monaco grew by 20 per cent on reclaimed land.

After high-rise flats climbed up the mountainside, builders dug deep for underground office space and more parking for Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

Old Monaco, atop its rocky bluff, takes in the turreted stone palace, the cathedral where Grace’s remains are entombed, and a few narrow cobbled streets of ministries and tourist shops.

Monte Carlo lies below, spreading beyond a small port choked with the giant white yachts of European industry kings and Middle Eastern potentates.

Official estimates put the gross domestic product near 750 million (£500 million), making per capita income of more than 22,500 among the world’s highest.

France has urged Monaco to crack down on money laundering, and EU authorities have pressed for a loosening of bank secrecy. In December, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) named only five countries as unco-operative tax havens: Andorra, Liberia, Liechtenstein, the Marshall Islands and Monaco.

Monaco’s government clearly feels a need to adapt to this new European order.

Also, it needs a broader tax base. "Without doubt, we must diversify, bring in new industries and businesses that go beyond casinos and tourism," said Frank Biancheri, the economy minister.

The old attraction is waning. Perpetually jammed traffic dampens the Mediterranean mood. Prices are high.

After Italy allowed its countrymen to repatriate questionable fortunes, 5,000 people moved home to Italy.

Monaco’s character has changed dramatically. "Visitors came for an entire season," said Jacques Ferreyrolles, 83, whose family has run the Balmoral Hotel since 1896. "They had style, a sense of class. Now they just come and go in a few days ... The Americans now, they don’t even change for dinner."

For many Monegasques, the Royal mystique is also wearing thin. Caroline’s third husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover, has been in trouble for punching a German photographer and a hotel owner. Stephanie, with two children born out of wedlock, periodically scandalises Monaco.

On the streets, opinions are mixed. Some are rude about their royalty. Others are enthusiastic.

But nearly everyone defines the principality by its prince, Lucie Rinaldi, a shipchandler at the old port for 40 years, shrugged when asked about a future after Rainier.

"We don’t know much about what happens up on the Rock. But we know what he has done for Monaco. We will miss him and, whatever does happen next, the place won’t be the same."

 

[Independent woman]

Thanks, for the post. I was about to post the article. I have no doubt that in the future all royal families will have problems to keep to their thrones. I believe Albert has a good change to survive. And if he will able to figure out his personal life, I can tell you for sure he will be around for a long time. I just hope he won’t end up with some dumb beauty.

We simply need Monaco the world wouldn’t be the same place. I had mention earlier about Monaco’s relation with EU. Some work need to be done. Today’s political and economical situation is changing very quickly. We are in a process of globalization and world is becoming a small place.

 

[rarotonga]

I agree. All royal families must find a way to keep up with the changing world environment while holding on to age-old traditions. It's a difficult balance to say the least. I guess that's also true for businesses....they must always find innovative ways to market their products, services, what have you, to stay afloat. Just think of the many ways Coca-Cola and Pepsi have marketed themselves throughout the years. Still the same "great taste" with variations along the way. Or, like Madonna who has gone from pop queen to Material Girl to her Justify-My-Love video days, to yoga fanatic, to Kaballah follower, to children's books author.

I also agree that Albert has to sort out his personal life. Maybe he already has but still hasn't met that person. That person must realize that it's not champagne wishes and caviar dreams every day. I mean, aside from She has got to have the business sense to know how to keep the family enterprise afloat, and be strong enough to take in the challenges ahead with grace.

 

[grecka]

Once Albert marries Florence Henderson, everything will be fine.