Meet Grace Kelly’s 3 children on what would have been her 95th birthday

The eldest daughter and first-born of Grace and Rainier, Princess Caroline was the Hereditary Princess of Monaco and heir presumptive to the Monegasque throne until the birth of her brother Albert in 1958, according to Monaco’s male-preference primogeniture model of succession.

Caroline opened up about her relationship with her late mother in the book Albert II of Monaco, The Man and the Prince (2018) by Isabelle Rivère and Peter Mikelbank. “For my brother and I, Maureen was the key figure in our life,” she said of her childhood nanny. “When we were little, we were probably closer to our nanny than to our parents”.

The Princess attended the Sorbonne University, and married Parisian banker Philippe Junot in 1978; after the couple divorced two years later, she went on to marry Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian powerboat racer and businessman, and the couple had three children: Andrea (1984), Charlotte (1986), and Pierre (1987). Stefano tragically died during a racing accident in 1990, and Caroline later married Prince Ernst August of Hanover in 1999, becoming the Princess of Hanover. The couple have one daughter together, Princess Alexandra (1999), and Caroline also became stepmother to Prince Ernst’s sons, Ernst August (1983) and Christian (1985).

Princess Caroline is known as a dedicated philanthropist and has spent much of her royal career championing the arts. She created the world-famous Ballets de Monte-Carlo in 1985 and is the president of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. She’s also a leading member of the Princess Grace Foundation, which supports up-and-coming artists in memory of her late mother.

Albert was born in 1957 and immediately became heir apparent to the Monegasque throne. After training in princely duties, he went on to study political science at Amherst College in Massachusetts, returning to his mother’s birth country. An enthusiastic sportsperson, he went on to later compete in bobsleigh during the Winter Olympics, and was also a judo black belt.

Albert assumed his father’s duties in March 2005 when the Prince’s health began to fail, and his father passed away the following month. Albert ascended to the throne in July 2005 following a period of mourning, and has been ruling ever since. He’s known for being an outspoken environmentalist, founding the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in 2006 to advocate for better renewable energy sources and ecological conservation.

He married Charlene Wittstock, a former Olympic swimmer, in 2011, who then became Monaco’s first lady, taking over the role from Caroline who had held it de-facto since her mother passed. The couple had twins in 2010 – daughter Gabriella and son Jacques – the latter of whom is the Hereditary Prince of Monaco. The Prince also had two children prior to his marriage – daughter Jazmin (1992) with American actress Tamara Jean Rotolo, and son Alexandre (2003) with flight attendant Nicole Coste.

Speaking to USA TODAY about his mother’s enduring legacy, the Prince shared: “It was her personality and the way she engaged with people, she touched the lives of so many around the world and not only through her acting. When she passed away we got calls from all over the world, from countries she hadn’t even visited. It was unbelievable and still is.”

The youngest child of Grace and Rainier, Princess Stéphanie was just 17 when her mother passed away, and sustained injuries in the same car accident that left her unable to attend Grace’s funeral. 

Following her physical recovery, Stéphanie embarked on a career in fashion, beginning with an apprenticeship at Christian Dior. After also dabbling in modelling, and appearing on the covers of French and German Vogue, Stéphanie launched her swimwear line, Pool Position, and the subsequent fashion show was a popular event attended by royalty and celebrities alike.

Stéphanie began a relationship with her bodyguard, Daniel Ducruet, in 1992, and the pair had two children: Louis (1992) and Pauline (1994). After marrying in 1995, the couple divorced a year later. She later had her third child, daughter Camille Gottlieb, in 1998, and although the father was not publicly identified, Camille has publicly acknowledged her mother’s Head of Security, Jean Raymond Gottlieb, as her father. Stéphanie was also married to acrobat Adans Lopez Peres for a year in 2003.

"I had my arms open to the future and I said to myself, 'This could be all over tomorrow,’” Stéphanie has previously said, reflecting on her life after her mother’s tragic passing. “Nobody has really tried to understand me or my behaviour, which just reflected my decision to enjoy life to the full.” 

Like her siblings, Stéphanie is a dedicated humanitarian and charity patron, and is currently both an AUNAIDS ambassador and president of Fight Aids Monaco.