Rainier III, Prince of Monaco: biography, children

Monaco is a dwarfish state in the south of the European continent, which is famous mainly for its world-famous casinos and as a venue for Formula 1 competitions. Since the end of the thirteenth century, the dynasty of Grimaldi ruled by him, represented by Prince Albert II, who took the throne after his father Rainier III. This monarch, who died in 2005, at the time of his youth became the hero of one of the loudest royal novels of the last two centuries.

Parents

The future monarch, whose full name sounded like Louis-Henri-Bertrand Grimaldi, was born in 1923 in the family of the illegitimate daughter of Louis II Charlotte, who four years before was officially recognized as the heir to the throne. The fact is that otherwise the throne could go to his second cousin - Wilhelm von Urach, who fought in the First World War on the side of Germany. The prospect of seeing the prince of Monaco as a German did not suit France, which in this case threatened to occupy the principality. Therefore, Prince Louis II went on to violate all laws, assigning the girl the title of Duchess Valentinois, and also giving her a marriage to the Frenchman - Count Pierre de Polignac. The marriage of Rainier's parents did not last long and was terminated when the boy turned ten years old, because of his father's homosexual relations, information about which became public.

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco: biography before the accession to the throne

The future monarch attended a course of study at the best private schools in Switzerland and the UK, and then received a certificate of completion of a general humanities education in Montpellier and graduated from the Paris School of Political Science. Having reached adulthood, Louis-Henri Grimaldi volunteered to serve in the French army as an officer and took part in hostilities against Nazi Germany in the territory of Alsace.

In the role of Crown Prince

In the same year 1944, his mother, with the consent of Prince Louis II, transferred her succession to the son. At the same time, the young man did not give up his military career, for the military merits Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, was awarded the Bronze Star and the Military Cross. After the end of World War II, he was sent with a military French mission to Berlin, where he took part in the resolution of economic issues. In this field, the young man also achieved success, and in early 1947, the president of the French provisional government awarded the heir to the crown of Monaco with the Order of the Legion of Honor and the Knight's Cross.

The reign

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, took the throne in 1949, after the death of his grandfather. From this time came the real golden era in the history of this tiny state. Suffice it to say that it was with him that the country acquired its modern look, large economic and political transformations were made. In particular, in 1962 Rainier III, the prince of Monaco, initiated the adoption of a new, progressive constitution of the country, and in 1993 this state became a member of the UN with all the ensuing rights. In addition, thanks to his wise policy aimed at enhancing the tourist attraction of the principality, the Monte Carlo coast has become one of the most prestigious resort areas of Europe luxury.

Grace Kelly before marriage

This style icon and one of the most charming Hollywood divas was born in the United States in 1928 in the family of a wealthy entrepreneur and former Olympic champion Jack Kelly. He always wanted his children to enter a higher society, and so Grace and her three sisters were raised as little princesses, which helped them a lot in the future. At the age of six, the girl was sent to a strict Catholic college, where she excelled in exemplary behavior and exceptional diligence. Later, in an expensive private school, she got carried away by the theater and performed at student performances, and at nineteen she went to New York with the firm intention of acquiring the specialty of an actress. The extraordinary beauty of a young girl from Philadelphia helped her to become a model first, and then a popular movie star. And long before Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Grace Kelly met, she had many admirers and lovers, including famous Hollywood actors, directors, fashion designers and even the Iranian Shah himself, who was rumored to be her next Wife. At the same time, Grace's parents jealously followed the daughter's personal life and hoped for a profitable marriage. Fate smiled at the Kelly family, when during one of the film festivals their already famous at that time daughter met with Rainier III. The Prince of Monaco, whose photo at that time showed him as a respectable young and sleek man, immediately wrote the girl to the number of potential brides, as he had long been planning to get married.

At the time of the meeting, which took place in the spring of 1955, Grace was at the zenith of fame. She recently received an Oscar, but, oddly enough, she was all alone. Young people liked each other almost at first sight, and soon their engagement was announced.

Marriage

Grace arrived in Monaco in April 1956 on an ocean liner, accompanied by five friends. She was met as a queen and showered with flowers from the side of the helicopter, ordered by the friend of the groom - Onassis. Most of the inhabitants of Monte Carlo sought at all costs to see the bride Rainier III. The prince of Monaco, whose sister, mother and father were present at the ceremony of the meeting, was simply shining with happiness, which could not be said about his relatives. "Wedding of the century," as the journalists called it, was held on April 19, after which the couple went on a honeymoon. Further family life was quite successful, at least the reporters have never been able to convict the prince of treason. Grace gave birth to her husband three children, and the last child was born when she was thirty-six.

The death of his wife

Grace Kelly and Prince of Monaco Rainier III, whose children have long since become parents themselves, have lived together for only 26 years. In 1982, the princess, along with Princess Stephanie, fell into a terrible car accident and died as a result of injuries sustained. The daughter of the couple also suffered serious injuries, but she still managed to save her life. According to the investigators, the princess, who on that day refused the services of the driver and herself drove the car, lost control due to a stroke. As a result, the car fell off the cliff. Although the accident happened early in the morning, the necessary medical equipment was delivered to the hospital, where Grace Kelly was brought, only in the evening. Precious time was missed, and the next doctors told the family that even if the princess was alive, she would be permanently paralyzed and could never return to normal life. Then Prince Rainier, conferring with older children, decided to turn off the artificial life support devices.

So one of the most coveted and charming women of the planet died, whose memory is still alive today, more than 35 years after her death.

A son

In 1958, Grace Kelly gave birth to her son Albert. Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, rejoiced most of all. Growth, weight and appearance of the baby he was interested in much less than sex, since he had long dreamed of a son. The boy from childhood was fond of sports and five times participated in the Olympic Games as a bobsledder. In 2006, he visited the North Pole and even took part in the Dakar rally. In 2005, Prince Albert II inherited the throne, but remained childless until recently. Only in December 2014, his wife Charlene Whittstock gave birth to a monarch of twins: a boy and a girl. According to the laws of the principality, after Albert II the throne will pass to his son Jean.

Daughters

First-born Rainier III (Prince of Monaco) and Grace Kelly became Princess Caroline, who was born in 1957. At the moment she has already been married four times and has four children. As for the second daughter of a princely couple, Princess Stephanie was born in 1965. In her youth she was known for her erratic temper and even for a while she was successful as a pop singer, her disks were divided by multi-million copies. In particular, the single "Hurricane" in France is considered one of the most famous hits of the 80s of the twentieth century. She has two daughters and a son from two marriages.

Grandchildren and great-grandsons

The genealogical tree of Grimaldi after the marriage of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly gave many branches. After all, in total at the moment, this pair, long ago departed into a different world, nine grandchildren. More recently, great-grandchildren also appeared. In particular, a couple of years ago, the elder grandson of Prince Rainier married Andrea Casiraghi, the son of Princess Caroline. In this marriage, his son Alexander and daughter India were born. In 2013, Rafael Elmacher, the son of Charlotte Casiraghi , was born .

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. Sister Antoinette

In the marriage of Charlotte, the Duchess of Valentinois, and Pierre de Polignac, besides the son of Louis-Henri, a daughter was also born. The girl was born in 1920 and was named Antoinette. Since before the age of 33, Rainier III, the prince of Monaco, was not married and had no children, the princess born first hoped to ever take the place of her brother on the throne, or at least put on him her young son, born from a marriage with tennis player Alexander But eh. It is said that she tried in every possible way to prevent the young monarch from marrying. In particular, Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and his sister seriously quarreled when the woman put an end to her brother's novel with Giselle Pascal, letting the rumor that this young French actress was fruitless. However, all attempts to do the same in relation to the American Grace Kelly were not crowned with success. Most likely, that's why, after the movie star married Rainier III and gave birth to his heir, the monarch's sister, along with her lover, withdrew from the courtyard. She settled in solitude on the coast along with a huge number of cats and dogs and rarely appeared in the light. However, until her death in 2011, Antoinette of Monaco remained an ardent defender of animal rights.

Death

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, whose children are often the objects of the attention of the yellow press, died in 2005. He is buried in the family crypt in Monte Carlo next to his beloved Grace. The main thing that Rainier III did for his country, Prince of Monaco - is the growth of the well-being of its inhabitants and the transformation of the state into one of the most prestigious resorts in Europe. And in the memory of people around the world he remained thanks to a beautiful novel with the charming Grace Kelly.