Charlotte Casiraghi has never been a princess from a ‘fairy tale.’ Passionate about literature with a philosophy degree from the Sorbonne in Paris and admired for her beauty and elegance inherited from her grandmother Grace Kelly and her mother, Princess Caroline of Monaco, her life was marked early by the loss of her father, Stefano Casiraghi, who died in an accident when she was just four years old.
“At a time when memory is not yet formed, it is a great challenge that should not be trivialized,” she told the French magazine Les Inrockuptibles. Literature then became her refuge. In addition to her well-known literary gatherings, Rendez-vous littéraires rue Cambon with Chanel, seven years ago she published her first book, Archipelago of Passions, with her philosophy teacher at the François Couperin Institute in Fontainebleau, Robert Maggiori. Horseback riding became another ‘school of life’ and led her to compete in some of the most prestigious equestrian events.
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© WireImageOn August 3, she turned 39. Just a step away from entering a new decade, the ‘Princess Philosopher’ shares a fate with her mother, Princess Caroline of Monaco. It seems she too has not escaped the curse that a lover of Rainier I cast on the family: “No Grimaldi will be happy in marriage unless they marry after the age of 50,” a prophecy said to only weigh upon the women of the family.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesCaroline said “I do” three times. At the age of 18, she married Philippe Junot, who was 17 years older than her, but they divorced after two years together. In 1983, she married Stefano Casiraghi, who was the father of Charlotte, Andrea, and Pierre but tragically lost his life seven years later in an offshore powerboat race. In 1999, she tied the knot with Ernst of Hanover, the father of her daughter Alexandra, but the couple remained separated for years without a divorce.
© Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesHer aunt Stephanie, known as the rebellious princess, has also experienced misfortune in her romantic life. After several romances in her youth and a broken engagement to Jean-Yves Lefur, it came as a surprise to many when it became known she was dating her bodyguard and pregnant with her first child, Louis, born in 1992. Two years later, Pauline was born. In 1995, she married Daniel Ducruet, but her happiness did not last long. A year later, photos emerged that made headlines worldwide, showing her husband with a dancer.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesStephanie left him for being unfaithful and secluded herself for ten months. She found love again with another bodyguard, Raymond Gottlieb, with whom she had her third child, Camille. In the 2000s, her life dramatically changed when she fell in love with Franco Knie, the elephant trainer and director of the Swiss circus. The princess distanced herself from the palace and began a new nomadic life until, in 2002, she began a new relationship with Adans L. Peres, a tightrope walker from the Knie Circus, whom she secretly married in 2003. This, too, was not “forever”—they split in 2004.
Meanwhile, Charlotte, after several relationships, including one with comedian Gad Elmaleh, with whom she had her son Raphaël, walked down the aisle in 2019 with producer Dimitri Rassam, son of actress Carole Bouquet, a close friend of her mother. Sadly, there was no happily ever after.
© WireImageAfter four years of marriage and a son together, Balthazar, they separated, and in February 2024 rumors surfaced of a relationship with one of France’s most acclaimed writers, Nicolas Mathieu—with whom she has been photographed several times, though without official confirmation.
© Getty ImagesHer brothers, on the other hand, have had a different kind of luck. Pierre has just celebrated his 10th wedding anniversary with Beatrice Borromeo. They are parents to two sons, Stefano and Francesco, and will soon be welcoming another baby.
© Getty Images for Christian DiorAndrea has been happily married for eleven years to Tatiana Santo Domingo, with whom he leads a happy and discreet life in Switzerland and with whom he has had three children: Sasha, India, and Maximilian.
© Getty ImagesOnly time will tell if Charlotte will finally manage to break the ‘spell.’
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