The Gypsy Curse That Unleashed 500 Years of Tragedy for the Grimaldi Family

What is the jinx of the Grimaldi family?

Was all this a product of the curse?

Myth or reality?

If it happened, it got to be hard to know.

One of those cases seems more like a legend than a reality, but even so, subsequent events show that it could have happened.

No one doubts that the Royal Family of Monaco is one of the most famous in the world.

However, a curse would have fallen on it from one of their ancestors.

King Raniero 1st conquered the Principality with his brother, monk Francesco Grimaldi.

It said that in his reign, he sexually abused several women.

One of them, however, apparently condemned all the members with a simple but forceful sentence against the Monarch:

"Because of you, the Grimaldi will never find love."

This woman's revenge on a philandering ancestor indicates that neither he nor all his descendants will be happy in their sentimental life unless they marry after the age of 50.

That conflict arose after a Grimaldi promised a wedding and eternal love to this gypsy woman, whom he later deceived.

Centuries later, the curse continues to affect the whole family.

Prince Louis II of Monaco

In the early 20th century, the reigning Prince Louis II of Monaco — Rainier's grandfather — was faced with the problem of being unmarried and having no legitimate descendants to inherit the throne of the princedom.

He solved this problem by adopting his illegitimate daughter Charlotte Louise Juliette,

She was born in French Algeria in 1898, from the affair he had with cabaret singer Marie Juliette Louvet when he was serving with the French Legion in Algeria.

In 1911, he changed the laws, and Louis II made his daughter the crown princess to the throne of Monaco.

Charlotte was only 13 years old and began to live surrounded by luxury.

In 1918 she received the surname Grimaldi and the title of Duchess of Valentinois for life.

Marie Juliette Louvet, who had also worked as a seamstress and laundress — she was the great love of Louis II, although her father Louis I forbade him to marry her — was no longer spoken of in Monaco.

Charlotte of Monaco and Pierre de Polignac

Charlotte was a very bold girl and fell in love with every man she met.

When she was 22, her father "arranged" marriage with Count Pierre de Polignac, a French aristocrat who adopted the surname Grimaldi and made Prince of Monaco.

Princess Charlotte married Pierre de Polingnac in 1920.

As Charlotte married pregnant, a few months later was born the princess Antoinette, 1920, whose father was believed to be a lover who had Charlotte.

In 1923 Prince Rainier was born, who reigned until he died in 2005.

Charlotte and Pierre never occupied the throne because the princess ceded her rights to her son Rainier on his 21st birthday.

His grandfather Louis II was the one who raised his grandson Rainier and the succession of the throne was from grandfather to grandson.

From the beginning, this union was absurd, as Pierre was known to be homosexual.

His best friend was the famous writer Marcel Proust, who was outraged to learn that Pierre agreed to be bought and forced into a marriage by the Grimaldi.

Still, Pierre tried to be a good prince and had excellent ideas for Monaco, which his father-in-law, Louis II, appreciated, as he felt great affection for him.

In 1930, Charlotte left her family and left Monaco to live with her doctor, the Italian Dalmazzo; afterward, she had affairs with the Marquis de Strozzi and the English millionaire Sir Basil Zaharoff.

When she left home, Charlotte said:

"I am the most unhappy woman in the world. I have been given everything material, but I never had the opportunity to love and marry the man of my free choice."

Charlotte's father, outraged, ordered her divorce from Pierre.

The question many asked was whether Pierre was Rainier's genetic father or not,

But that mystery continued.

Charlotte left everything behind and moved to an estate on the outskirts of Paris, where she became interested in helping others.

She studied Social Service at the university and turned her mansion into a rehabilitation center for ex-convicts.

Her children Rainier and Antoinette were concerned for her safety, as she lived surrounded by ex-offenders

But Charlotte ignored them and fell in love with one of them, the French ex-jewel thief René Girier.

Although she never went to Monaco, her children and grandchildren visited her often.

She died at the age of 79 in 1977.

Pierre got banished by his father-in-law Louis II.

Pierre de Polignac lived in Paris until he died at 69 in 1964.

He was a frequent visitor to Monaco, as he had a good relationship with his son and daughter-in-law, Grace Kelly.

He was a cultured man, an official of UNESCO and the International Olympic Committee.

He created the Prix Littéraire Prince-Pierre-de-Monaco literary prize, of which his granddaughter, Princess Caroline, is the president.

Rainier III of Monaco and Grace Kelly

When Rainier married Grace Kelly on April 19, 1956, the world's eyes fell on Monaco.

The tiny princedom was until then almost unknown.

So much so that the bride's mother believed that her future son-in-law was a prince but from Morocco.

Grace was a Hollywood star, but one of the old ones, from those times without networks or cell phones. An acclaimed actress and one of Alfred Hitchcock's favorites.

Her elegance, unparalleled beauty, ability to "generate hormones" with her gaze, and belonging to one of Philadelphia's wealthiest and most noble households made her a regular protagonist of films, galas, social events, and news in the newspapers.

With the wedding between the Prince of Monaco and the queen of Hollywood, media attention, tourism, investments, and scandals would reach the princedom.

To them was added the tragic death of Grace Kelly in an accident on September 14, 1982.

Antoinette of Monaco

In the case of his sister, Antoinette, she had three marriages.

First, she married Alexandre Athenase Noghés, who already had three children, but their union only lasted four years.

Then, she came to the altar again with Dr. Jean Charles Rey, and they were married for ten years.

Her last marriage was to dancer John Brian Gilpin, who died suddenly only six weeks after the wedding.

The children Antoinette had with Alexander have also divorced on at least one occasion.

Carolina Grimaldi

Carolina Grimaldi, the firstborn, was the center of attention and speculation since her birth on January 23, 1957, nine months after her parents' big wedding.

The question was whether Grace had married pregnant, a scandal at the time.

The princess grew up in the palace surrounded by nannies, but not by the loving presence of her parents.

They were only allowed to sit at the table with them when they turned 14.

Carolina only cried inconsolably when her nanny left and not when her parents traveled.

Carolina grew up to become the bride of Europe.

Her parents dreamed of a queenly destiny and arranged a meeting with Prince Charles of England.

But the Englishman committed the worst sin you can have on a date: he was deadly bored.

To escape the rigid protocol, at the age of 18, she went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne.

With an impossible beauty, graceful and cultured -she spoke fluent French, English, Italian, Spanish, and German- she soon began to be approached by candidates.

Of all the possible boyfriends, she fell in love with Philippe Junot, one of those men of certain words but dubious past.

Despite her parents' opposition, they married on June 29, 1978.

Two years and 41 days later, the marriage ended.

Carolina could not stand her husband's infidelities.

And she especially learned that he seduced her after a bet made with friends in a Monaco cabaret.

After Junot, Carolina had affairs with Roberto Rossellini and Guillermo Vilas.

On September 14, 1982, her mother died in a dubious accident with her daughter Stephanie, and Carolina found herself taking over her role.

In 1983 she fell in love with Stefano Casiraghi, a billionaire heir.

They married six months after they met.

The rush was because the princess was pregnant, horror for the conservative princedom.

The couple looked happy and in love.

Andrea was born, and then Charlotte and Pierre.

They became a picture-postcard family: happy, beautiful, the best image of the princedom.

But on October 3, 1990, a new tragedy struck them: Stefano died in an accident with his motorboat.

His eldest son was six years old, and the youngest, just 3, his widow had turned 33.

Carolina became the saddest princess in the world.

For two years, she went into seclusion in Saint-Rémy, a small town in Provence.

Gradually she returned to some of her protocol functions in Monaco until January 23, 1999, when she surprised everyone by marrying the German Prince, Ernest of Hanover.

The chosen one of impeccable pedigree had been married for 16 years to Chanta Hochuli.

She had been a friend of his now-wife.

Alexandra was born six months later.

For ten years, they participated in royal trips and weddings.

And they starred in the occasional role-play as when Carolina appeared alone at the wedding of Felipe of Spain and Letizia because her husband stayed at the hotel overcoming a hangover.

Ernesto's alcohol problems continued, and he moved away from Monaco.

Although they have not seen or spoken to each other for more than ten years, they never legally divorced.

Albert II of Monaco

While Carolina was grieving for love, her brother Alberto seemed a prudent boy.

Without scandalous courtships,

He could be homosexual since he had no known girlfriends or mistresses.

But it seems that Alberto was a master in the art of misleading.

In 1993 he had a passing relationship with German model Claudia Schiffer and was also linked to Naomi Campbell.

He also had a brief affair with Diana Ross -13 years his senior- Tatum O' Neal, and Angie Everheart.

In 1992, a scandal broke out when Tamara Rotolo, a California woman, filed a paternity suit against the Prince.

Tamara claimed that her daughter, whom she named Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, it a crazy night with Alberto.

On May 31, 2006, a DNA test confirmed that he was the father.

In May 2005, Nicole Coste, a flight attendant originally from Togo, claimed that her son Alexandre was Alberto's.

A few months later, a statement was issued in which the Prince confirmed the paternity.

On July 1, 2011, after turning 50, Albert of Monaco married Charlene Wittstock, a beautiful South African Olympic swimmer.

But days before the wedding, the girl had tried to flee Monaco after learning that her future husband had had another child with a lover during their five-year courtship.

And the former swimmer was forced to sign a marriage contract that required her to give him at least one heir and spend five years married until she was eligible for divorce.

On the wedding day, instead of a radiant bride, she was a sad and overwhelmed woman, so much so that she got baptized ("the imprisoned princess") and ("the saddest bride in royalty").

They traveled to South Africa to enjoy their honeymoon but stayed in different hotels.

In December 2014, the couple's children were born: princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, heir to the throne.

It would seem that Alberto escaped the curse of the gypsy, perhaps because while he resides in Monaco, his wife spends most of her time in a house located in the south of France.

Prince Albert continues to deny marital problems and official sources reject the hypothesis of divorce being more or less close.

At the moment, it is not precisely Alberto II who is her principal supporter but Vladislav Doronin, a Russian man rich known for having had a relationship with the top model of the 90s, Naomi Campbell.

Stephanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi

For many, Stephanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi was the one who suffered the most from the Grimaldi curse.

She was the one who saw her mother die in the car accident that ended her life in 1982 and was the one who for years lived in the shadow of Caroline.

Beautiful but without eclipsing or surpassing her older sister, Estefania exceed her in her hectic love life.

Already at her baptism, she showed that she would be a rebellious girl: she urinated on Cardinal Tisserand, who officiated the ceremony.

At sixteen, she began a relationship with Urbano Sforza, then had affairs with Ted Kennedy, Philippe de Liège, and a longer courtship with Paul Belmondo, son of the actor.

They lived together in Paris while she worked as a fashion designer for Dior.

They broke up when she fell in love with Anthony Delon and had a three-week affair.

Fleeting relationships continued, and she had relationships with F1 driver Stefan Johansson, photographer François Darmigny, actors Christopher Lambert and Rob Lowe, and record producer Ron Bloom with whom she lived in Los Angeles.

There would be a wedding with businessman and playboy Jean-Yves Lefur, but she left him for millionaire Jérôme Lausseure.

In 1991, she surprised the world by starting a love affair with Daniel Ducruet, her bodyguard.

A year later, their firstborn son Louis was born.

Rainero had to accept the fact, but Ducruet got not attend official events and would not deal with the royal family.

Two years later, Pauline was born, and Raniero authorized his daughter to marry Ducruet.

On July 1, 1995, the wedding took place at the Grimaldi residence.

It seemed that stability was coming and the gypsy curse was going away, but it was not.

Photos of Ducruet being unfaithful with a stripper appeared, and the marriage was divorced.

Estefania returned to the fleeting relationships that included again the millionaires, among them Dodi Al Fayed, the last partner of Princess Diana, to stay with another of her bodyguards, Jean Raymond Gottlieb, with whom she had her third daughter: Camille Marie Kelly.

The relationship was short-lived, and the youngest of the Grimaldi family began an affair with her ski instructor, Olivier Chooset.

But then Franco Knie, a Swiss circus manager who specialized in taming elephants, came into her life.

They lasted little more than two years.

The princess broke up with Knie after meeting Portuguese acrobat Adan Lopes Peres, ten years her junior.

They married in 2003 in a private ceremony.

Within a year, the couple divorced.

She found comfort in the arms of croupier Franck Brasseur.

And she followed the waiter Mathieu Snieft, the singer Merwan Rim, the athlete Sebastien Gattuso and the Moroccan acrobat Shaffik Mohamed, 20 years her junior.

On February 1, Estefania will be 57 years old, and although she passed the age of the gypsy curse seven years ago, she is not known to have a new relationship that will help her feel fully loved and happy.

Sources:

https://www.larazon.es

https://informalia.eleconomista.es

https://www.vanitatis.elconfidencial.com

https://es.wikipedia.org

https://www.infobae.com

https://www.quien.com