Though we usually talk about the Windsors, today we will be looking at the Grimaldis! For almost 20 years - he was crowned on April 6, 2005 - Albert II of Monaco has reigned on the Rock. While his relationship with his wife Charlène has been the focus of much debate in recent years, with the couple facing major crises, many are also interested in the Prince's relationship with his two sisters, Caroline and Stéphanie of Monaco.
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These two women, on paper, seem to have nothing in common. The eldest, Caroline, mother of Princess Charlotte Casiraghi, has always been known as the sibling's voice of reason, bending to court protocol with disconcerting ease. On the contrary, her little sister Stéphanie is considered the family rebel. The 59-year-old mother of Louis, Pauline and Camille has had a rather atypical life for a princess.
Stéphanie de Monaco: the life of the rebellious princess
Unlike her sister Caroline, who has never imagined herself as anything other than an official member of the princely family, Stéphanie de Monaco has always dreamed of being a singer. Between 1986 and 1991, she released several pop songs, in French. This includes the now iconic Ouragan, a song which had been rejected by famous French singers of the time Jeanne Mas and Sheila. Stéphanie then released her first album, Besoin, which brought her another hit with the track Flash, which quickly climbed to the top of the Top 50. Though her music career is interesting, Stéphanie de Monaco's private life has also been much in the news.
After brief romances with Anthony Delon and Paul Belmondo - both of whom nearly fell out over the matter - the princess married the father of her children Pauline and Louis, Daniel Ducruet, at the time her bodyguard, on July 1, 1995. The union was short and it ended on October 4, 1996. A few years later, she had another daughter, Camille, from her relationship with Jean-Raymond Gottlieb, another of her former bodyguards. These high-profile love affairs have given her the image of a rebellious princess, which is precisely why Prince Albert II of Monaco feels much closer to her than to their sister Caroline.
Albert II of Monaco opens up about his sister Stéphanie
In the documentary Monaco, la saga des Grimaldi, Albert opens up with rare sincerity about his relationship with his two sisters. In particular, he admits to having experienced some tension with his eldest sister, Caroline. He explains:
My sister never did me any favors when we were kids. She used to play tricks on me to keep me offbalance. I also think that when I was born and she was no longer the center of attention, there was an element of jealousy
However, he says he now gets on 'very, very well' with her. He admits, nevertheless, that he has always been closer to the youngest of his siblings.
Stephanie was the rebellious Highness, Caroline was the perfect Highness, so they were two completely different sisters. The father of twins Jacques and Gabriella continues:
Maybe I felt I'd been given a mission that wasn't mine, which was to protect her [Stéphanie] (...) That's what I did, and maybe that's what brought us together. I thought that maybe she was more fragile than her sister and needed more protection
Touching confidences from a big brother about his little sister.
This article was translated from Voici
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