In love and carrying on Grace Kelly’s legacy

Charlotte Casiraghi turns 40 on Monday, August 3, and the milestone finds her in one of the most fulfilling periods of her life. Princess Caroline of Monaco’s daughter is in love with novelist Nicolas Mathieu, has published her first solo book, and is taking on a more visible role at the principality’s most important events.

Long known for guarding her privacy, Charlotte now appears more settled and self-assured. As she balances family life, philosophy, literature, and official duties, she is shaping a path of her own while carrying forward the elegance and cultural legacy of her grandmother, Grace Kelly.

Princess Caroline of Monaco’s daughter appears to be happier and more at peace than ever. Always discreet, yet surrounded by an air of elegance and mystery, she has found a balance among her personal life, professional pursuits, and official responsibilities. After years of rarely appearing alongside the Grimaldis, she has become an important source of support for her uncle, Prince Albert. He increasingly relies on his nieces and nephews to help represent the principality at official events, including Monaco’s National Day celebrations.

Charlotte Casiraghi, more “princess-like” than ever

Although she does not hold the title of princess and generally keeps out of the spotlight, Charlotte has become increasingly visible at Monaco’s most important events. Gone are the days when she avoided public appearances and fiercely guarded the privacy of her children: Raphaël, 12, from her relationship with French actor and comedian Gad Elmaleh, and Balthazar, 7, whom she shares with her former husband, French film producer Dimitri Rassam.

Today, Charlotte shines at every official engagement. She is now a fixture at National Day celebrations, when the entire Grimaldi family, including its youngest members, gathers to support the sovereign.

One of the most recognizable Grimaldis and an heir to Grace Kelly’s legacy

Charlotte Casiraghi has become one of the most recognizable faces of Monaco’s princely family, thanks not only to her style but also to her commitment to culture and her presence at major events. Many see her growing role as a natural continuation of Grace Kelly’s legacy. Charlotte inherited more than her grandmother’s beauty. She also possesses the same ability to captivate the public across generations.

A restless intellectual curiosity

Charlotte has been a Chanel ambassador since 2021, but fashion is only one facet of her life. One of her most defining qualities is her intellectual curiosity.

She earned a degree in philosophy from the Sorbonne in Paris, helped establish Monaco’s philosophical and literary gatherings, and has long demonstrated a deep passion for literature. She has also begun putting her own reflections into writing.

In early 2026, she published Le Fêlure, her first book as a sole author. In it, she wrote candidly about some of the most painful experiences of her life, including the death of her father, the late Stefano Casiraghi, and how she found the strength to recover from such a devastating loss. The book also examines the lives of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ingeborg Bachmann and explores maternal love, romantic love, and the turbulent relationships of several women writers.

The therapeutic letters she wrote after her father’s death

Among the personal reflections Charlotte shares in Le Fêlure are the letters she wrote to her father after the fatal boating accident that claimed his life on October 3, 1990. Putting her feelings into words helped her “become certain that the absent could be summoned and made eternally present,” she recalled. “I felt almost invincible in the refuge my journal had become.”

Before long, however, she decided to “come out of her shell.” She realized that her letters and poems were isolating her from others and confining her within “a melancholy bubble.”

Although Le Fêlure was her first book as a sole author, it was not her first published work. She previously co-wrote Archipelago of Passions with her former professor, Italian writer Robert Maggiori. The brief philosophical treatise describes emotional states as a collection of solitary islands connected by desire. Charlotte dedicated the book entirely to her father.

In love with Nicolas Mathieu, a fellow writer and father

Charlotte’s personal life is flourishing as well. For more than two years, she has quietly been in a relationship that appears to be growing increasingly serious.

In late February 2024, after her marriage to Dimitri Rassam ended following four years and one child together, the French magazine Voici reported that Charlotte was dating writer Nicolas Mathieu, now 47.

Since then, the couple has been photographed together on the streets of Paris, strolling, laughing, and appearing completely at ease in each other’s company. For Charlotte, it seemed, the fairy tale had finally come true.

The clearest sign of their deepening relationship came in April 2026, when they made a public appearance together at an ATP tennis match. Charlotte and Nicolas sat side by side in the stands at Court Rainier III at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. They looked calm and relaxed and attended the event alongside Prince Albert, another indication that their relationship has become more serious. Nicolas’s 12-year-old son, Oscar, joined them.

Who is the writer who captured Charlotte Casiraghi’s heart?

Nicolas Mathieu rose to prominence after winning the Prix Goncourt, France’s most prestigious literary award, and has since established himself as a major voice in contemporary literature. Private by nature, he followed an unusual path to fame.

From a modest childhood far removed from elite social circles to his more recent life in the spotlight, Mathieu has a compelling story. It is easy to see how he captured the heart of one of today’s most fascinating women.

In 2018, Mathieu won the Prix Goncourt for his novel And Their Children After Them. Drawing on his teenage years in France’s Grand Est region during the 1990s, the novel captivated readers.

Mathieu grew up outside Épinal, in the Vosges. His mother worked as an accountant, and his father was an electromechanical technician. Raised in modest circumstances, he first became aware of social class and its divisions at school.