From Swedish Expressen
Here is an article, translated by me, that the Swedish "newspaper" Expressen did for her 40th birthday.
The Princess and her men
She has old five million records, designed bathing wear and is Europe’s most tattooed royal. She has lived together with two bodyguards, one acrobat, one bartender, one croupier, a number of Formula 1 drivers and an elephant trainer – thought not at the same time.
- I’ve had an unusual career for a Princess, says Stéphanie of Monaco who turns 40 today.
Stéphanie is the afterthought who was born in the palace library, temporarily changed into a private maternity ward, on 1 February 1965.
- She is my wild child, Princess Grace said, and the nurses resigned one after one after not being able to handle the little Princess with the strong will who screamed: I hate to be a Princess!
Nude in the palace
As a 14-year-old she started to walk naked in the hallways when she was going to the bathroom, to see how the guards reacted and to irritate daddy Prince Rainier. The guards reported and daddy ordered that a pyjama would be used. Stéphanie was the one who was closest to mother Grace. And it was she who was with her mother on the fatal day in 1982. The day when Princess Grace suffered a cerebral haemorrhage, lost control of the big Range Rover and the car crashed. It meant death for Grace, and the beginning of a lifelong grief for Stéphanie. She was then 17.
Cocaine and short skirts
Adventurous was something she had been from the beginning, but now the real carousel began. Design studies in Paris, but even more night club-studies. Far too many cocktails, cocaine, fishy boyfriends and late nights. Orange hair, green hair, short skirts and bold make up – as far away from mother Graces elegant and cool princess image one could possibly get.
Sportier Madonna
Rebel – well it depends on what one means a normal life should be, Stéphanie herself says.
She worked in the fashion industry, became a model, designed bathing wear. The sporty, muscular, lightly tanned Princess was perfect as a model for the bold swimming suits. It wasn’t for nothing that fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld called her a sportier version of Madonna.
Late music career. She got a hit with “Comme un ouragan” in the south of Europe and sold five million records. Stéphanie wanted to create her own career, show that she is more than just a Princess to honour mother Grace. She tries design, fashion, launches a perfume, moves to Los Angeles and tries to become an actor. But nothing is a real success.
Found safety, but…
During the whole time, boyfriend have come and gone. The only mutual thing between them is that they are not royal and often not suitable either. Half dubious businessmen, bodyguards, rally drivers, circus guys and actors.
Stéphanie has three children. Two with the bodyguard Daniel Ducruet. Stéphanie lived a home life and at last it seemed she had found safety and calmness. And after much nagging on the reluctant father Rainier, there was finally a wedding.
One year after the ceremony, the crash came. Paparazzi photographers cached Daniel when having sex with the 1995 winner of the Belgian Miss Topless, Fili Houteman, in a pool. The newspapers of the world were filled with pictures. A fast divorce came. Then another bodyguard lover who abandons her. Soon after, the daughter Camille is born – on whose birth certificate it says “father unknown”.
Today: like a circus
Since then there has been an elephant trainer, a bartender, an acrobat and some others.
Men can come and go, but Stéphanie’s safety seems to be the children: Louis, 12, Pauline, 11, and Camille, 6, and the family with father Prince Rainier who faithfully stands behind her. Except for the time when she after a love affairs with his butler went on to the gardener. Then Stéphanie was kicked out of the palace for a while.
Stéphanie herself says:
- The most important thing is to be happy with your own choices. I don’t regret anything.
Today she lives with her children in a suite at the Sun Plaza in Monaco. She has the responsibility for the international circus festival in Monaco, and she also works for her own foundation.
The Princess’s dramatic love life:
- Car thief. Anthony Delon, French actor and rally driver. Convicted for car theft and illegal possession of a weapon. Stéphanie dumped him since she understood that it was Anthony who called and tipped the photographers about where they were going to party.
- F1 driver nr.1. Alain Prost, legendary Formula 1 driver and one of France’s greates sportsmen
- F1 driver nr. 2. The Swedish Formula 1 driver Lill-Lövis Johansson was “hot” in the 80’s
Playboy. Dodi Al Fayed, Egyptian businessman, later Diana’s boyfriends who dies with her in 1997
- Circus director. Franco Knie, Swiss circus director and elephant trainer. His wife Claudine has said that Stéphanie once told her “I always get what I want and no one tells me what to do”.
- World Champhion. Fabien Barthez, French goalkeeper, pro in Olympique Marseillle.
- Bodyguards – and father? Jean-Raymond Gottlieb, French bodyguard. Probably the father of Stéphanie’s daughter Camille Marie Kelly, born 1998.
- Actor 1. Jean-Claude Van Damme, Belgian-American action actor.
- Actor 2. Rob Lowe, American actor, known from “The West Wing”.
- Rock manager – and nightmare. Mario Jutard, French rock manager. Worked at a nightclub, was among things charged of rape, Rainier’s nightmare. Mario was never let into Monaco, he had to stay at a hotel in Cannes when Stéphanie had to go home to represent. Today he is a waiter in Los Angeles.
- Bodyguard – and father. Daniel Ducruet, French bodyguard. Stéphanie lived with him for four years, the last year as married. Father of Stéphanie’s child Louis, born 1992, and Pauline, born 1994.
- First love. Paul Belmondo, French rally driver (son of Jean-Paul Belmondo), 1981-84. The first big love. Rainier liked him. A proper, sporty guy who did not hang around nightclubs.
- Skiing instructor. Boris Brun, French skiing instructor, died in a fall accident last year.
- Rock singer. Miguel Bosé, Spanish rock singer.
- Croupier – and married. Franck Brasseur, married French croupier. The picture from the Riviera last year.
- Bartender. Pierre Pinello, bartender from Korsika.
- Sister’s ex-husband. Philippe Junot, businessman and Caroline’s ex-husband.
- Actor nr. 3. Urbano Barberini, another actor.
- Record producer. Ron Bloom, American record producer.
- Swedish model. Marcus Schenkenberg, model.
- Businessman. Jean-Yves Le Fur, successful French businessman.
- Anonymous. Rainier’s gardener 2001.
- Acrobat – and husband. Adans Lopez Peres, Portuguese acrobat. They were married for ten months.
- Butler. Richard Licas, Rainier’s butler.