10 JUNE 2002
Turning 18 is a big moment in any adolescent’s life, but for Andrea Casiraghi, the oldest son of Princess Caroline of Monaco, it has a special importance.

Andrea celebrated his birthday last Saturday and, following the change to the constitution two months ago, he is now in line to the throne of the principality, after his mother. The change to the inheritance laws, which Prince Rainier himself proposed, states that siblings of the ruling prince’s only son, Prince Albert, are eligible to accede to the throne should the crown prince die childless.

As one of the next generation of royal heartbreakers – which looks set to include his younger sister Charlotte – Andrea has already projected the glamorous image of a 21st century prince. He is the living image of his father Stefano Casiraghi, who died in a tragic accident in 1990, and has reportedly done all that is possible to recapture his dad’s élan.

The young royal was recently named in the American People Magazine as one of “People’s 50 Most Beautiful People” alongside a host of Hollywood stars, and has stood out at his French boarding school for his talents on the football and track fields.