There was much celebration in Monaco on 10 December 2014 when it was announced that Princess Charlene had given birth to twins.
Prince Albert and his wife welcomed their first children together at the Princess Grace Hospital centre, three years after their grand wedding at the Prince’s Palace.
Little Princess Gabriella was born first, two minutes ahead of her brother, Prince Jacques. Watch their proud mother's recent birthday tribute to her twins here...
Nevertheless, she missed out on becoming heir to the Monegasque throne, conceding the title to her younger sibling.
Under the constitution of Monaco, the crown passes according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture meaning that Jacques was instead bestowed with the name Hereditary Prince of Monaco.
Gabriella, meanwhile, received the title Countess of Carlades from her father.
© Photo: InstagramThe male preference rule accords succession to the throne by a female member of the family only if she has no living brothers and no deceased brothers with surviving descendants.
A dynast’s sons and their lines of descent all come before the dynast’s daughters and their lines.
It was a rule that previously applied to the British royal family. That was until the Succession to the Crown Act 2013 came into effect.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe bill, which ended succession to the crown based on gender, meant that Prince William and Princess Kate’s first child would become monarch regardless of their sex.
It also meant that Princess Charlotte was not superseded by her younger brother Prince Louis when he was born in April 2018.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCurrently, Monaco and Spain still practice the male preference primogeniture. King Felipe ascended to the throne ahead of his two older sisters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina.
However, since Felipe and wife Queen Letizia are parents to two daughters, their eldest, Princess Leonor is heir presumptive to the throne of Spain.
The 17-year-old, who was born in October 2005, is an older sister to Infanta Sofia, born in April 2007.
If Leonor ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Spain's first queen regnant since her ancestor Isabella II, who reigned from 1833 to 1868.
