Monaco royal Charlotte Casiraghi turned 25 on August 3

August 05, 2011 - 10:57 BST hellomagazine.com

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On August 3, 1986, at Princess Grace Hospital, 29-year-old Princess Caroline of Monaco and her husband of almost three years, Stefano Casiraghi, welcomed their second child, Charlotte Marie Pomeline.

Thought by many to be the love of Caroline's life, Stefano was handsome, charismatic and the son of a wealthy Italian industrialist.

In all the couple had three children, Andrea, born in 1984, Charlotte and Pierre, who arrived in 1987

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Like her brothers, the 6lb-8oz little girl didn't receive a royal title, taking instead her father's last name.

In making this decision, her mother presumably hoped Charlotte, named after her grandfather Prince Rainier's mother, would be able to lead a normal life, escaping the difficulties associated with being a princess

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Any promise of a fairytale family life came to an end with Stefano's death in 1990.

He was killed in a tragic speed boat accident during a world championship trial race off the coast of Monaco.

One legacy Charlotte's dashing young father left her – and her heart-throb siblings for that matter – was his Italian good looks.

And the radiance of her American film star grandmother Grace Kelly has also carried through the generations

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After her husband's death, widowed Caroline settled, along with Charlotte and her siblings, in the French village of Saint Remy de Provence.

It was the secluded location she needed to deal with the unbearable loss - her second following the death of her mother Princess Grace in a car crash eight years earlier.

"For personal reasons she wanted to move away from the gossip and hoopla of Monaco," said her brother Prince Albert, who is currently the reigning sovereign

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The press caught on early that Charlotte would take after her gorgeous mother and grandmother.

She was just five years old when newspaper headlines trumpeted her as "Princess Charming" and heralded "the next generation of Grimaldi beauties"

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By the time she reached her mid-teens, style-conscious Charlotte was already setting trends

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"She has class – like her grandmother," says a family friend

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Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld recognised her charisma early on, and compared her to a youthful Brigitte Bardot

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The death of her grandfather in 2005 signalled the handing over of the torch to the younger generation.

Even though she has no title, Charlotte is playing her part in the new era to the full

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In 2010, the family moved back to Monte Carlo, where Charlotte is a regular at the Rose Ball, the most glittering event in the principality's social calendar

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All eyes are on Caroline's vivacious daughter when she takes to the floor

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When Albert's aunt died the senior royals didn't attend the annual ball out of respect.

Instead, Charlotte and her brothers ably stepped in to host the fundraiser

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As she blossomed into a beautiful young woman, royal watchers were keeping an eye on her developing friendships with male pals.

Her first boyfriend was Felix Winkler, the son of a wealthy Brussels-based attorney, whom she met whilst studying in Paris

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Since 2007 she has been squired by Alex Dellal, a gallery owner, whose father Guy is a millionaire property owner and whose mother is a Brazilian model named Andrea

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They make a golden couple and are often seen at the most fashionable parties from Paris and Monte Carlo to Ibiza and Milan

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Her presence adds social cachet to any gathering

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By 2011, she had well and truly captured the attention of the fashion world, with designers falling over themselves to invite her to sit front row at their presentations

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Stella McCartney is a friend and mentor.

The British fashionista is said to have enlightened Charlotte about the way in which the fashion industry harms the ecosystem

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And she's at ease with even the most iconic names in the business

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But the Monegasque royal is more than just a pretty face.

She is passionate about equestrian sports and has also started Open Ever, a magazine on fashion and art from an environmentally-friendly perspective

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In the perfect marriage of glamour, royalty and elite sports, Gucci created the riding line that she wears in amateur competitions

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Through all the tragedies and the negative press they have suffered, the family has remained united. And no one is more loyal than Charlotte

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When Princess Charlene – then Charlene Wittstock – joined the royal family, she was one of the first to offer her friendship and was able to advise the newcomer on how to handle herself in the glare of the public eye

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She attended her uncle's wedding to Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer, ensuring that the principality shone with the world's attention turned on it

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After the ceremony installing the new princess of Monaco, the stunning brunette, who was elegantly dressed as always in Giambattista Valli couture, helped host 450 VIPs in lavish style at the Opera House.

And fittingly for someone whose discretion and beauty recall her famous grandmother, she was wearing a colour dubbed 'Princess Grace blue' by the fashion house