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Princess Stéphanie of Monaco

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Princess Stéphanie
Countess of Polignac
Princess Stéphanie in 1986
Born (1965-02-01) 1 February 1965 (age 59)
Monaco
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 1996)​

​
​
(m. 2003; div. 2004)​
IssueLouis Ducruet
Pauline Ducruet
Camille Gottlieb
Names
Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth
HouseGrimaldi
FatherRainier III, Prince of Monaco
MotherGrace Kelly

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac (Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi; born 1 February 1965) is the youngest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and actress Grace Kelly, and the sister of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Caroline, Princess of Hanover. Currently the tenth in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne, she has been a singer, swimwear designer and fashion model.

Early life and education

Princess Stéphanie walking with her mother in 1969

Stéphanie was born to Rainier III and Grace Kelly on 1 February 1965. She is the youngest of their three children, after Caroline and Albert II. Stéphanie was named after her great-great-great-great-grandmother Stéphanie de Beauharnais. Her godparents are her maternal uncle John B. Kelly Jr. and paternal first cousin Elisabeth-Anne de Massy.[1] Her mother, who described Stéphanie as a "warm, bright, amusing, intelligent and capable girl" and a "good athlete", lovingly called her "wild child" (French: enfant terrible).[2]

On 13 September 1982, while returning home from their farm in Rocagel, France, Stéphanie and her mother had a car accident. Grace died the next day, on 14 September, while Stéphanie sustained a hairline fracture of a neck vertebra. Although the official version was that Grace suffered a stroke while driving, it was rumoured that Stéphanie, who had to miss her mother's funeral due to her recovery, was the one actually driving. Stéphanie herself refused to speak publicly about her mother's death until 1989, when she gave an interview to the author Jeffrey Robinson, insisting that the story was untrue. She said, "There was a lot of pressure on me because everyone was saying that I had been driving the car, that it was all my fault, that I'd killed my mother... It's not easy when you're 17 to live with that."[3] She did not discuss the subject again until a 2002 interview with the French magazine Paris Match in which she repeated her earlier denial, and discussed the trauma of being beside her mother at the time of the accident. She said, "Not only did I go through the horrible trauma of losing my mother at a very young age, but I was beside her at the moment of the accident. Nobody can imagine how much I've suffered, and still suffer."[4][5]

Stéphanie is fluent in French, Monegasque, English and Italian.[citation needed] She was educated at the Dames de Saint-Maur in Monaco, and then at the Dupanloup in Paris, France. Stéphanie received her baccalauréat in 1982. During her school years, she studied classic dance and piano, and also competed in gymnastics and horse riding. She also attended Camp Oneka, an all-girls summer camp in the Pocono Mountains, where both her sister and mother had attended previously.[6]

Career

Fashion

In 1983, after her physical recovery from the accident which killed her mother, Stéphanie started an apprentice programme at Christian Dior under the direction of head designer Marc Bohan.[7] The following year, she debuted as a model on the biannual haute couture special published by Spanish magazine ¡Hola!, a venture that she repeated in 1990. In 1985, Stéphanie covered German Vogue and the American edition of Vanity Fair.[8] She also became the spokesperson of the Swiss beauty line La Prairie, for which she was photographed by Horst, and she appeared on the cover of French Vogue, photographed by the late Helmut Newton, in September 1986.

Dignitaries gather at the National Portrait Galley in October 1986 for the presentation of a portrait head of Princess Grace of Monaco by her family. Includes (l-r): Stefano Casiraghi, Princess Stephanie, Princess Caroline, Prince Ranier III, First Lady Nancy Reagan and Secretary Robert Adams.

In 1986, Stéphanie launched a swimwear line Pool Position with Alix de la Comble, whom she had met during her internship at Dior. The fashion show to present the line, held at the Sporting Club in Monaco and attended by Prince Rainier III, Prince Albert and Princess Caroline, was a major event covered by the worldwide media.[9] In 1989, Stéphanie launched her own self-titled perfume.[10]

Stéphanie co-owns Replay cafes and stores in both Monaco and Barcelona. In December 2008, she guest-edited and covered the Vogue Paris.[11][12]

Musical career

In February 1986, Stéphanie self-produced and released her first single with the French label Carrere, under the production of Yves Roze. The song "Ouragan" and its English version "Irresistible" were both international hits, reportedly selling more than 2 million copies. "Ouragan" is one of the best-selling singles in France of all time.[13] The full album Besoin, released as Stéphanie in some countries, sold more than 1.5million units, with 100.000 in France only.[14] The single "Flash", as well as its English version "One Love to Give", also achieved success throughout Europe. In January 1987, Stéphanie released the single "Young Ones Everywhere" to benefit UNICEF.

The same year, Stéphanie moved to Los Angeles to record a new album. However, it took her five years to release it. The album Stéphanie, released in 1991, met with disappointing sales and negative reviews,[15] despite the promotional tour that included the performance in The Oprah Winfrey Show.[16] Stéphanie then ended her music career after recording "In the Closet" with Michael Jackson for his album Dangerous. The song became a worldwide hit and reached the top ten in the United States but Stéphanie was credited on the single under the alias "Mystery Girl" and her involvement in the song was not revealed until a few years later. She made a brief return to singing in 2006, when she recorded "L'Or de nos vies", a charity single, along with her foundation Fight AIDS.[17]

Philanthropy and patronages

Princely family of Monaco

The Prince
The Princess

The Princess of Hanover
Princess Stéphanie

Stéphanie is the president of several associations, including Monaco Youth Centre and Princess Stéphanie Activity Centre, and is an honorary board member of the Princess Grace Foundation – United States. She has also been the patron of the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, which she regularly attends,[18] and the World Association of Children's Friends (AMADE), which was founded in 1963 by her mother Grace, Princess of Monaco.[19] Since 1985, Stéphanie has been the president of the Monte-Carlo Magic Grand Prix and the International Festival of Amateur Theatre.[1] She is also the president of the Théâtre Princesse Grace.[20]

In 2003, Stéphanie created her own Women Face the AIDS Association, which became Fight AIDS Monaco in 2004, in order to support people living with HIV and to combat the social stigma attached to the disease. Since 2006, Stéphanie has been a Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) ambassador. The same year, along with the group of singers, she released a charitable single "L'Or de nos vies".[17] On 26 June 2010, Stéphanie inaugurated, in the presence of Prince Albert, the House of Life (French: Maison de Vie) in Carpentras, Vaucluse, France, which offers both psychological and material aid to persons living with either HIV and AIDS and their families.[21] Stéphanie has organised numerous events, such as auction sales, concerts and galas, to support her foundation.[22][23][24]

Personal life

Royal Monogram

Stéphanie had dated Paul Belmondo,[25] Anthony Delon,[26] Rob Lowe and Jean-Yves Le Fur before she began a relationship with her bodyguard Daniel Ducruet in 1992.[27]

The couple had two children:

The children were included in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne, when Stéphanie married Ducruet on 1 July 1995 in Monaco.[28] The couple divorced on 4 October 1996.

Stéphanie gave birth to her third child:

Although she did not identify the father's name on the birth certificate, it has been rumoured Camille's father is Jean Raymond Gottlieb.[30] As her parents never married, Camille is not included in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne.

In 2001, Stéphanie began a relationship with married elephant trainer Franco Knie and moved, along with her three children, into Knie's circus caravan. However, that relationship came to an end in 2002, and Stéphanie and her family returned to Monaco.[31] On 12 September 2003, Stéphanie married Portuguese acrobat Adans Lopez Peres, a member of Knie's circus ensemble.[32] The marriage ended in divorce on 24 November 2004.[33]

Stéphanie is the godmother to Andrea Casiraghi, the eldest son of her sister Princess Caroline.[34][35]

Princess Stephanie and her family live in the Villa Clos Saint-Martin in Monaco-ville.[36]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Chart
FR GER AUT SWE
1986 Besoin
Released: 1986
Label: Julisa/Carrere 		6 12 59 6
1991 Stéphanie
Released: 1991
Label: WTG/Epic 		48 — — —

Compilation albums

Year Album Chart
FR GER AUT SWE
2011 Collection Référence 80 - Le meilleur des Années 80
Released: 2011
Label: LM Music 		— — — —

Singles

Year Single Chart Album
FR SUI GER AUT SWE NOR UK
1986 "Ouragan/Irresistible" 1 11 2 5 — — 84 Besoin
"Flash/One Love to Give" 4 28 10 — 1 — —
1987 "Fleurs du mal" 16 — — — — — —
"Live Your Life" — — — — — 9 —
1991 "Winds of Chance" — — 54 — — — — Stéphanie
"You Don't Die from Love" — — — — — — —

Promotional singles

Year Single Chart Album
FR SUI GER AUT SWE NOR UK
1987 "Young Ones Everywhere" — — — — — — — Besoin
Year Single Chart Album
US Hot
Dance 		Hot
R&B 		UK AUS AUT BEL GER FRA ITA NL NOR ESP SWE SUI
1992 "In the Closet" (Michael Jackson featuring Stéphanie) 6 1 1 8 5 23 14 15 9 9 9 10 2 29 25 Dangerous
2006 "L'or de nos vies" (as part of Fight AIDS) — — — — — — 14 — 5 — — — — — 43 Non-Album single

Title, styles, and honours

Titles and styles

  • 1 February 1965 – present: Her Serene Highness Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac

Honours

See also List of honours of the Monegasque Princely Family by country

Ancestry

Family of Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
16. Count Charles of Polignac
8. Count Maxence of Polignac
17. Caroline Joséphine Le Normand de Morando
4. Prince Pierre of Monaco, Count of Polignac
18. Isidoro Fernando de la Torre y Carsí
9. Susana Mariana de la Torre y Mier
19. María Luisa de Mier y Celis
2. Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
20. Albert I, Prince of Monaco
10. Louis II, Prince of Monaco
21. Mary Victoria Hamilton
5. Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois
22. Jacques Henri Louvet
11. Marie Juliette Louvet
23. Josephine Elmire Piedefer
1. Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
24. Brian Kelly
12. John Henry Kelly
25. Honora Margaret McLaughlin
6. John B. Kelly Sr.
26. Walter Costello
13. Mary Anne Costello
27. Anne Burke
3. Grace Kelly
28. Johann Karl Majer
14. Carl Majer
29. Luise Wilhelmine Adam
7. Margaret Katherine Majer
30. Georg Berg
15. Margaretha Berg
31. Elisabetha Röhrig

References

  1. ^ a b "H.S.H. Princess Stéphanie". Prince's Palace of Monaco. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  2. ^ Hauptfuhrer, Fred (5 April 1982). "Aging Gracefully". People. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  3. ^ "Princess Grace's Fatal Crash: Her Daughter's Account". Chicago Tribune. 23 October 1989. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Princess Stephanie breaks her silence on the accident that killed her mother". Hello. 11 October 2002. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Stephanie: 'I was not at wheel when Grace was killed'". Guardian. 11 October 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  6. ^ "The youngest Grimaldi girl". Hello. 1 February 2005. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  7. ^ Diliberto, Gioia (19 November 1984). "High Intrigue and Haute Couture: the Tainted Troubled Times of Monaco's Princess Stephanie". People. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  8. ^ "Princess Stephanie: Her Model's Portfolio". People. 15 April 1985. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  9. ^ "Thanks to a Curious 'Family Friend,' Princess Stephanie's in the Swim—and Daddy's in Deep Water". People. 30 September 1985. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  10. ^ "Latest news and profile of Princess Stephanie of Monaco". Hello. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  11. ^ Wass, Andy (5 December 2008). "Mag Hag: Princess Stephanie of Monaco for Vogue Paris". fashionindie.com. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  12. ^ "Royalty as Cover Models: Princess Stephanie of Monaco Does Vogue". trendhunter.com. December 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  13. ^ "Les meilleures ventes tout temps de 45 T. / Singles". Infodisc.fr (in French). Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  14. ^ "Les Certifications depuis 1973, database" (in French). Infodisc. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  15. ^ Hiltbrand, David (9 September 1991). "Picks and Pans Review: Stephanie". People. Retrieved 6 February 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  16. ^ "Monaco's Princess Stephanie". The Oprah Winfrey Show. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  17. ^ a b "UNAIDS Special Representative HSH Princess Stephanie of Monaco leads creative AIDS fundraising activities". Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  18. ^ "Estefanía de Mónaco y su hija Pauline Ducruet se reúnen con la gran familia del circo". ¡Hola! (in Spanish). 18 January 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  19. ^ "Estefanía de Mónaco y Charlene Wittstock, dos mujeres unidas por una misma causa". ¡Hola! (in Spanish). 18 July 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  20. ^ "Théâtre Princesse Grace". Gouvernement Princier: Principaute de Monaco. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  21. ^ "HSH Princess Stephanie, Chairperson of Fight Aids Monaco (FAM), lays the cornerstone of La Maison de Vie in Carpentras". Prince's Palace of Monaco. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  22. ^ "World Aids Day – Auction Sale on behalf of Fight Aids Monaco (F.A.M.)". Prince's Palace of Monaco. 1 December 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  23. ^ "Fight Aids Monaco (F.A.M.) Summer Gala featuring Christophe Maé in concert". Prince's Palace of Monaco. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  24. ^ "Jungle Fight celebrated its second anniversary". Prince's Palace of Monaco. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  25. ^ Diliberto, Gioia (7 February 1983). "After Tragedy, a Healing Love". People. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  26. ^ "Stephanie Wards Off the Autumn Chill with a Batch of Beaus". People. 12 November 1984. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  27. ^ Green, Michelle (15 June 1992). "A Princess Reborn". People. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  28. ^ Barron, James (3 July 1995). "Chronicle". New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  29. ^ "Princess Stephanie's pretty daughter Pauline takes centre stage at circus fest". Hello. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  30. ^ "Mum's the Word". People. 13 April 1998. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  31. ^ Hall, Alan (15 August 2003). "Trailer park princess". Daily Mail. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  32. ^ "Prinses Stéphanie van Monaco opnieuw getrouwd". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). 16 September 2003. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  33. ^ "The turbulent love life and marriages of Albert's sisters". Hello. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  34. ^ Andrea Casiraghi, Retrieved 6 February 2012[better source needed]
  35. ^ Diliberto, Gioia (25 June 1984). "A New Beginning for Monaco's Princess". People. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  36. ^ "Monegasque Royal Residences".
  37. ^ http://www.palais.mc/en/biography-1-10.html
  38. ^ http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5L213Ip_Dg4/SwbgogptHfI/AAAAAAAAFuk/qT4TZk6V3e0/s1600/princess+stephanie+of+monaco.jpg
  39. ^ http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Princess+Stephanie+Monaco+National+Day+Celebrations+wYt85_XXnQil.jpg
  40. ^ http://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Princess+Stephanie+Monaco+National+Day+Celebrations+4W8_krA4S7ql.jpg
  41. ^ http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Princess+Stephanie+Monaco+National+Day+2012+FMiXIDJsNWgl.jpg
  42. ^ Palais
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
Born: 1 February 1965
Lines of succession
Preceded by Line of succession to the Monegasque throne
10th position 		Succeeded by

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