Caroline, Princess of Hanover
Encyclopedia
Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco (Caroline Louise Marguerite Grimaldi, Prinzessin von Hannover, Erbprinzessin von Monaco), formally styled Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover (born 23 January 1957), has been heiress presumptive
to the throne of Monaco since 2005, a position which she previously held from 1957 to 1958.
She is the wife of Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, the head of the House of Hanover
and pretender
to the former throne of the Kingdom of Hanover
as well as senior male-line descendant of George III of the United Kingdom
.
and his wife, the American former film actress Grace Kelly
. As a child she spent time at the home of her maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. She belongs by birth to the House of Grimaldi
and was also heiress presumptive in 1957 and 1958, between her own birth and the birth of her brother, Albert
, the current Sovereign Prince of Monaco. She also has a younger sister, Stéphanie
. She is a legitimate patrilineal descendant of the Dukes of Polignac
, and as such belongs to the historical French nobility
.
(high school or A level) degree in 1974 with honors. She was educated at St Mary's School Ascot, and continued her studies at the University of Paris
in Paris, where she received a diploma in Philosophy
and minors in Psychology
and Biology
. She is fluent in French
, English
, Spanish
, German
and Italian
.
(b. 19 April 1940), a Paris
ian banker. They were married civilly in Monaco
on 28 June 1978, religiously on 29 June 1978 and divorced on 9 October 1980, without having had issue. In 1992, the Roman Catholic Church
granted the princess a canonical
annulment
.
Princess Caroline was briefly engaged to Robertino Rossellini, son of Roberto Rossellini
and actress Ingrid Bergman
, before her second marriage.
(8 September 1960 – 3 October 1990), the sportsman heir to an Italian industrial fortune. They were married in Monaco
on 29 December 1983, and had three children:
The two younger children are named for their maternal great-grandparents, Princess Charlotte of Monaco
and Prince Pierre of Monaco
, whilst Andrea was named for a childhood friend of his father's. Stefano Casiraghi was killed in a speed-boating accident in 1990, aged 30 years.
and great-grandson of the last reigning duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
, Ernest August II, duke of Cumberland, a great-grandson of British King George III.
Caroline and Ernst August V married in Monaco
on 23 January 1999. He had divorced his previous wife, Chantal Hochuli
, in September 1997. (She had previously been a friend of Princess Caroline).
Princess Caroline and her third husband have one child together:
Her husband's family titles had been abolished by the Weimar Republic
in 1918, along with all royal and noble German titles. Neither she nor her husband (whose legal name is Ernst August Prinz von Hannover) has any royal rank in Germany
, but Monaco recognizes her German royal titles and her style as a Royal Highness.
On 11 January 1999, shortly before Caroline and Ernst's wedding, his distant cousin Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
issued this Order in Council, "My Lords, I do hereby declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between His Royal Highness Prince Ernst August Albert of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg
and Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco...". Without the Royal Assent
, the marriage would have been void
in Britain, where the groom's family owned substantial property, because Ernst August is subject to the Royal Marriages Act 1772
. Likewise, the Monégasque court officially notified France
of Caroline's contemplated marriage to Prince Ernst August and received assurance that there was no objection, in compliance with Article 2 of the 1918 Franco-Monégasque Treaty.
, it is reported that she has separated from Ernst August
and returned to live in Monaco. In January 2010, photos emerged of Ernst August
kissing a woman who was not identified as Caroline, leading press to speculate that the couple are divorcing.
from the European Court of Human Rights
condemning Germany for non-respect of her right to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
. The case concerned, for instance, the publication of pictures of her taken secretly at the Monte Carlo Beach Club.
and has been president and chairperson of The Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra
, Monte Carlo Opera, Prince Pierre Foundation
, The Spring Arts Festival
, The Monte Carlo Garden Club and The Princess Grace Foundation.
She founded the children's charity Jeune J'écoute, is a patron of the Peter Le Marchant Trust
, a boating
charity for disabled people, and president of Amade Mondiale.
In 2006, the Princess was awarded the UNICEF Children's Champion Award.
to the crown of Monaco because her brother Prince Albert II
has no legitimate
children. If Albert leaves no legitimate dynastic issue and should she outlive Albert, Caroline will one day become the second Sovereign
Princess in Monaco's history. Her ancestress Louise-Hippolyte Grimaldi
held that title for a few months in 1731.
There is precedent
for a Monégasque prince to adopt his own illegitimate child and thereby place that child at the head of the line of succession to the Monegasque throne
, as was done for Caroline's grandmother, Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois
. However, due to the changes to the constitution of Monaco in 2002, this is no longer an option.
Although Albert has publicly acknowledged two children born out of wedlock (Alexandre Coste
, son of Togo
lese flight attendant Nicole Coste
and Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, daughter of Tamara Rotolo of Palm Springs
), unless Albert were to legitimize
Alexandre by marrying his mother, Caroline cannot constitutionally
be displaced in the succession order
by either child.
Albert's lack of legitimate children prompted Prince Rainier to change the constitution so as to ensure there would be a successor to the throne, which strengthened the places of Caroline and her descendants in the line of succession. On 2 April 2002 Monaco passed Princely Law 1.249, which provides that if the Sovereign Prince assumes the throne and then dies without a legitimate direct heir, the throne will pass to his dynastic
siblings and their descendants according to the rule of male-preference primogeniture
. The law was then ratified by France, as required by a 1918 Franco-Monégasque treaty, on 4 October 2005. Before this change, the crown of Monaco could pass only to a direct descendant of the last reigning prince, excluding such collateral relations as siblings (e.g., Caroline), nephews, and nieces.
, not only is the heir apparent
to the Monégasque throne titled Hereditary Prince
, but whenever there is no heir apparent the heir presumptive
legally bears the title of Hereditary Prince(ss)
. Therefore, Caroline first became the Hereditary Princess of Monaco at birth. From the birth of her only brother until his accession to the throne as Albert II
, she was legally Princess Caroline of Monaco; at Albert's accession she resumed the position of heiress presumptive and Hereditary Princess. So long as Prince Albert remains without legitimate heirs, Princess Caroline remains first in line to succeed him on the throne. However, Albert's firstborn legitimate child would displace her in the line of succession and become Hereditary Prince/ss, either as Albert's heir apparent if male, or as his heir presumptive if female.
In Monaco and other monarchies, Caroline is usually referred to and addressed by the female form of the style
attributed by tradition
to her husband, i.e. Her Royal Highness
The Princess of Hanover
, rather than by her own legal title (Her Serene Highness
the Hereditary Princess of Monaco
). Historically, styles associated with kingdom
s, such as Ernst August's, have been deemed of higher rank and status than those associated with principalities
.
Should Caroline succeed Albert and become reigning Princess of Monaco, she would become Her Royal Highness (by virtue of her married title) Caroline I, Princess of Monaco, although her father and brother both bore the lower style of Serene Highness because Monaco is a principality
, not a kingdom. She would retain the attribute of Royal Highness consistent with the tradition
that conferred that style, for example, upon descendants of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg as a result of her 1919 marriage to HRH Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma
, member of a deposed dynasty that once reigned over a kingdom
. As reign
ing princess, however, Caroline would re-assume her dynastic maiden name of Grimaldi, pursuant to Article I of the principality's 2002 law on the sovereign family. However, Caroline's successor (e.g., her eldest son, Andrea Casiraghi) would not be entitled to use the style Royal Highness, since styles are normally passed only through the male line, and would assume the traditional style of Serene Highness.
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Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the throne of Monaco since 2005, a position which she previously held from 1957 to 1958.
She is the wife of Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, the head of the House of Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
and pretender
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
to the former throne of the Kingdom of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
as well as senior male-line descendant of George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
.
Early life
The Princess of Hanover is the eldest child of the late Prince Rainier III of MonacoRainier III, Prince of Monaco
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco , styled His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.Though he was best known outside of Europe for having married American...
and his wife, the American former film actress Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
. As a child she spent time at the home of her maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. She belongs by birth to the House of Grimaldi
House of Grimaldi
The House of Grimaldi is associated with the history of the Republic of Genoa and of the Principality of Monaco.-History:The Grimaldi family descends from Grimaldo, a Genoese statesman at the time of the early Crusades. He might have been a son of Otto Canella, a consul of the Republic of Genoa in...
and was also heiress presumptive in 1957 and 1958, between her own birth and the birth of her brother, Albert
Albert II, Prince of Monaco
Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He is the son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Grace Kelly...
, the current Sovereign Prince of Monaco. She also has a younger sister, Stéphanie
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac is a member of the princely family of Monaco. She is the youngest child of Grace, Princess of Monaco and Rainier III of Monaco, and the sister of Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline...
. She is a legitimate patrilineal descendant of the Dukes of Polignac
Duke of Polignac
The title of Duke of Polignac is a French dukedom.The title was originally created in 1780 by brevet, which meant it was not hereditary. It was made heritable in 1783...
, and as such belongs to the historical French nobility
French nobility
The French nobility was the privileged order of France in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern periods.In the political system of the Estates General, the nobility made up the Second Estate...
.
Education
The princess received her French BaccalauréatBaccalauréat
The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
(high school or A level) degree in 1974 with honors. She was educated at St Mary's School Ascot, and continued her studies at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
in Paris, where she received a diploma in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and minors in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. She is fluent in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
.
First marriage
Princess Caroline's first husband was Philippe JunotPhilippe Junot
Philippe Junot is a venture capitalist and property developer with business interests in Paris, New York and Detroit. He is best known as the first husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco. His claim to the family of General Junot cannot be traced.Son of Michel Junot, Deputy Mayor of Paris, and...
(b. 19 April 1940), a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian banker. They were married civilly in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
on 28 June 1978, religiously on 29 June 1978 and divorced on 9 October 1980, without having had issue. In 1992, the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
granted the princess a canonical
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
annulment
Annulment
Annulment is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almost as if it had never taken place...
.
Princess Caroline was briefly engaged to Robertino Rossellini, son of Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...
and actress Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
, before her second marriage.
Second marriage
Her second husband was Stefano CasiraghiStefano Casiraghi
Stefano Casiraghi was an Italian sportsman, heir, socialite and businessman. He was the son of Giancarlo Casiraghi and wife Fernanda Palici, and became the second husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco.-Early life:...
(8 September 1960 – 3 October 1990), the sportsman heir to an Italian industrial fortune. They were married in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
on 29 December 1983, and had three children:
- Andrea Albert Pierre CasiraghiAndrea CasiraghiAndrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi is the first of three children born to Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi, an heir to an Italian oil fortune. His maternal grandparents were Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and Princess Grace...
, born 8 June 1984 - Charlotte Marie Pomeline CasiraghiCharlotte CasiraghiCharlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi is the second child of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco, and the late Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist. She is fourth in line to the throne of Monaco...
, born 3 August 1986 - Pierre Rainier Stefano CasiraghiPierre CasiraghiPierre Rainier Stefano Casiraghi is the younger son of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi....
, born 5 September 1987
The two younger children are named for their maternal great-grandparents, Princess Charlotte of Monaco
Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois
Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois , was the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of Prince Rainier III...
and Prince Pierre of Monaco
Pierre de Polignac
Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois was the father of Rainier III of Monaco, and thus the paternal grandfather of Albert II of Monaco...
, whilst Andrea was named for a childhood friend of his father's. Stefano Casiraghi was killed in a speed-boating accident in 1990, aged 30 years.
Third marriage
Caroline's third and present husband is Ernst August Prinz von Hanover the dynastic head of the House of HanoverHouse of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
and great-grandson of the last reigning duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
, Ernest August II, duke of Cumberland, a great-grandson of British King George III.
Caroline and Ernst August V married in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
on 23 January 1999. He had divorced his previous wife, Chantal Hochuli
Chantal Hochuli
Chantal, Princess of Hanover , is heiress to a Swiss chocolate fortune. She is the former wife of Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover.-Biography:Chantal was born in Zürich, Switzerland. She is the daughter of Johann Gustav Hochuli and Rosmarie Lembeck....
, in September 1997. (She had previously been a friend of Princess Caroline).
Princess Caroline and her third husband have one child together:
- Princess Alexandra Charlotte Ulrike Maryam Virginia of Hanover, born 20 July 1999 in VöcklabruckVöcklabruckVöcklabruck is the administrative center of the Vöcklabruck district, Austria. It is located in the western part of Upper Austria, close to the A1 Autobahn as well as the B1 highway, and has been ranked in the top 10 most-visited cities in Austria....
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Her husband's family titles had been abolished by the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
in 1918, along with all royal and noble German titles. Neither she nor her husband (whose legal name is Ernst August Prinz von Hannover) has any royal rank in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, but Monaco recognizes her German royal titles and her style as a Royal Highness.
On 11 January 1999, shortly before Caroline and Ernst's wedding, his distant cousin Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
issued this Order in Council, "My Lords, I do hereby declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between His Royal Highness Prince Ernst August Albert of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg
Brunswick-Lüneburg
The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , or more properly Duchy of Brunswick and Lüneburg, was an historical ducal state from the late Middle Ages until the late Early Modern era within the North-Western domains of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, in what is now northern Germany...
and Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco...". Without the Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
, the marriage would have been void
Void (law)
In law, void means of no legal effect. An action, document or transaction which is void is of no legal effect whatsoever: an absolute nullity - the law treats it as if it had never existed or happened....
in Britain, where the groom's family owned substantial property, because Ernst August is subject to the Royal Marriages Act 1772
Royal Marriages Act 1772
The Royal Marriages Act 1772 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which prescribes the conditions under which members of the British Royal Family may contract a valid marriage, in order to guard against marriages that could diminish the status of the Royal House...
. Likewise, the Monégasque court officially notified France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
of Caroline's contemplated marriage to Prince Ernst August and received assurance that there was no objection, in compliance with Article 2 of the 1918 Franco-Monégasque Treaty.
, it is reported that she has separated from Ernst August
Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover
Ernst August, Prince of Hanover , is the third husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco...
and returned to live in Monaco. In January 2010, photos emerged of Ernst August
Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover
Ernst August, Prince of Hanover , is the third husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco...
kissing a woman who was not identified as Caroline, leading press to speculate that the couple are divorcing.
Defense of privacy
On 24 June 2004 the Princess obtained a judgmentfrom the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
condemning Germany for non-respect of her right to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
. The case concerned, for instance, the publication of pictures of her taken secretly at the Monte Carlo Beach Club.
Cultural and charitable interests
The Princess was awarded, in 2005, the insignia of Commander of Cultural Merit in recognition of her commitment to the Arts. She founded Les Ballets de Monte CarloLes Ballets de Monte Carlo
Les Ballets de Monte Carlo is a classical ballet company established in 1985 by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hanover in accordance with the wishes of her mother, Princess Grace of Monaco...
and has been president and chairperson of The Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra
Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra is the main orchestra in the principality of Monaco...
, Monte Carlo Opera, Prince Pierre Foundation
Prince Pierre Foundation
The Fondation Prince Pierre was established by Prince Rainier III of Monaco in February 1966 to promote culture and the arts through the creation and the awarding of prizes...
, The Spring Arts Festival
The Spring Arts Festival
The Printemps des Arts, which was created in response to the wishes of the late Princess Grace and which is today under the patronage of SAR the Princess Caroline of Hanover, proposes, at a time of the year where festivals are scarce, a selection of musical events of international quality, with an...
, The Monte Carlo Garden Club and The Princess Grace Foundation.
She founded the children's charity Jeune J'écoute, is a patron of the Peter Le Marchant Trust
Peter Le Marchant Trust
The Peter Le Marchant Trust is a waterway society, a charitable trust and a registered charity number 273207, based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, UK....
, a boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
charity for disabled people, and president of Amade Mondiale.
In 2006, the Princess was awarded the UNICEF Children's Champion Award.
Succession issues
Princess Caroline is heiress presumptiveHeir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the crown of Monaco because her brother Prince Albert II
Albert II, Prince of Monaco
Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He is the son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Grace Kelly...
has no legitimate
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
children. If Albert leaves no legitimate dynastic issue and should she outlive Albert, Caroline will one day become the second Sovereign
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
Princess in Monaco's history. Her ancestress Louise-Hippolyte Grimaldi
Louise-Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco
Louise Hippolyte , was the only female Sovereign Princess of Monaco. She is the ancestress of the current reigning princely family of Monaco.-Biography:...
held that title for a few months in 1731.
There is precedent
Precedent
In common law legal systems, a precedent or authority is a principle or rule established in a legal case that a court or other judicial body may apply when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts...
for a Monégasque prince to adopt his own illegitimate child and thereby place that child at the head of the line of succession to the Monegasque throne
Line of succession to the Monegasque Throne
The line of succession to the Monegasque throne passes to the descendants of the reigning Prince of Monaco in accordance with male-preference primogeniture...
, as was done for Caroline's grandmother, Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois
Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois
Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois , was the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of Prince Rainier III...
. However, due to the changes to the constitution of Monaco in 2002, this is no longer an option.
Although Albert has publicly acknowledged two children born out of wedlock (Alexandre Coste
Alexandre Coste
Alexandre Éric Stéphane Coste is the son of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and Nicole Coste, a native of Togo in west Africa. His paternal grandparents were the late Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and Princess Grace...
, son of Togo
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
lese flight attendant Nicole Coste
Nicole Coste
Nicole Valérie Coste is a former Air France flight attendant from Togo. From 1997 until late 2002 or early 2003, she had a relationship with Albert II, Prince of Monaco, which produced a child, Alexandre Coste, who was born in August 2003. She also has two sons from a previous marriage...
and Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, daughter of Tamara Rotolo of Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
), unless Albert were to legitimize
Legitimation
Legitimation or legitimization is the act of providing legitimacy. Legitimation in the social sciences refers to the process whereby an act, process, or ideology becomes legitimate by its attachment to norms and values within in given society...
Alexandre by marrying his mother, Caroline cannot constitutionally
Constitution of Monaco
The Constitution of Monaco, first adopted in 1911 after the Monegasque Revolution and heavily revised by Prince Rainier III on December 17, 1962, outlines three branches of government, including several administrative offices and a number of councils, who share advisory and legislative power with...
be displaced in the succession order
Order of succession
An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...
by either child.
Albert's lack of legitimate children prompted Prince Rainier to change the constitution so as to ensure there would be a successor to the throne, which strengthened the places of Caroline and her descendants in the line of succession. On 2 April 2002 Monaco passed Princely Law 1.249, which provides that if the Sovereign Prince assumes the throne and then dies without a legitimate direct heir, the throne will pass to his dynastic
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
siblings and their descendants according to the rule of male-preference primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
. The law was then ratified by France, as required by a 1918 Franco-Monégasque treaty, on 4 October 2005. Before this change, the crown of Monaco could pass only to a direct descendant of the last reigning prince, excluding such collateral relations as siblings (e.g., Caroline), nephews, and nieces.
Titles, styles, honours, and arms
Contrary to usage in most other monarchiesMonarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
, not only is the heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the Monégasque throne titled Hereditary Prince
Hereditary Prince of Monaco
The Hereditary Prince' of Monaco is the title given to the heir apparent or heir presumptive of the Monegasque throne. Traditionally, a male Hereditary Prince is also given the title Marquis of Baux...
, but whenever there is no heir apparent the heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
legally bears the title of Hereditary Prince(ss)
Hereditary Prince of Monaco
The Hereditary Prince' of Monaco is the title given to the heir apparent or heir presumptive of the Monegasque throne. Traditionally, a male Hereditary Prince is also given the title Marquis of Baux...
. Therefore, Caroline first became the Hereditary Princess of Monaco at birth. From the birth of her only brother until his accession to the throne as Albert II
Albert II, Prince of Monaco
Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He is the son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Grace Kelly...
, she was legally Princess Caroline of Monaco; at Albert's accession she resumed the position of heiress presumptive and Hereditary Princess. So long as Prince Albert remains without legitimate heirs, Princess Caroline remains first in line to succeed him on the throne. However, Albert's firstborn legitimate child would displace her in the line of succession and become Hereditary Prince/ss, either as Albert's heir apparent if male, or as his heir presumptive if female.
In Monaco and other monarchies, Caroline is usually referred to and addressed by the female form of the style
Style (manner of address)
A style of office, or honorific, is a legal, official, or recognized title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal...
attributed by tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
to her husband, i.e. Her Royal Highness
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...
The Princess of Hanover
House of Hanover
The House of Hanover is a deposed German royal dynasty which has ruled the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , the Kingdom of Hanover, the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, rather than by her own legal title (Her Serene Highness
Serene Highness
His/Her Serene Highness is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein and Monaco. It also preceded the princely titles of members of some German ruling and mediatised dynasties as well as some non-ruling but princely German noble families until 1918...
the Hereditary Princess of Monaco
Hereditary Prince of Monaco
The Hereditary Prince' of Monaco is the title given to the heir apparent or heir presumptive of the Monegasque throne. Traditionally, a male Hereditary Prince is also given the title Marquis of Baux...
). Historically, styles associated with kingdom
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
s, such as Ernst August's, have been deemed of higher rank and status than those associated with principalities
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
.
Should Caroline succeed Albert and become reigning Princess of Monaco, she would become Her Royal Highness (by virtue of her married title) Caroline I, Princess of Monaco, although her father and brother both bore the lower style of Serene Highness because Monaco is a principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
, not a kingdom. She would retain the attribute of Royal Highness consistent with the tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
that conferred that style, for example, upon descendants of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg as a result of her 1919 marriage to HRH Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma
Felix of Bourbon-Parma
Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma , later Prince Félix of Luxembourg, was the husband of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and the father of her six children, including Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.-Early life:Prince Félix was one of the...
, member of a deposed dynasty that once reigned over a kingdom
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
. As reign
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
ing princess, however, Caroline would re-assume her dynastic maiden name of Grimaldi, pursuant to Article I of the principality's 2002 law on the sovereign family. However, Caroline's successor (e.g., her eldest son, Andrea Casiraghi) would not be entitled to use the style Royal Highness, since styles are normally passed only through the male line, and would assume the traditional style of Serene Highness.
Titles and styles
- Her Serene Highness The Hereditary Princess of MonacoHereditary Prince of MonacoThe Hereditary Prince' of Monaco is the title given to the heir apparent or heir presumptive of the Monegasque throne. Traditionally, a male Hereditary Prince is also given the title Marquis of Baux...
(1957–1958) - Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline of Monaco (1958–1999)
- Her Royal Highness The Princess of HanoverHanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Princess of Monaco (1999–2005) - Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco (2005–present)
See also
- Line of succession to the Monegasque throneLine of succession to the Monegasque ThroneThe line of succession to the Monegasque throne passes to the descendants of the reigning Prince of Monaco in accordance with male-preference primogeniture...
- List of heirs to the Monegasque throne
Ancestry
External links
- Caroline, Princess of Hanover at the Prince's Palace of MonacoPrince's Palace of MonacoThe Prince's Palace of Monaco is the official residence of the Prince of Monaco. Built in 1191 as a Genoese fortress, during its long and often dramatic history it has been bombarded and besieged by many foreign powers. Since the end of the 13th century, it has been the stronghold and home of the...
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