PRINCE ALBERT will inherit Monaco’s throne without fulfilling the order delivered in blunt terms by his father a few years ago. “Before succeeding me, he must give himself an heir,” Prince Rainier said.
At the age of 47, Monaco’s new ruler remains the world’s most eligible bachelor. He says that there is no urgency for him to marry and have children and, in a sense, he is right.
In 2002 Prince Rainer changed the law to allow women to inherit the Monégasque throne, and thus paved the way for Prince Albert’s sisters, Princess Caroline and Princess Stéphanie, and their seven children to succeed to the throne.
The reform took a weight off Prince Albert’s shoulders: under a 1918 treaty, Monaco will be absorbed into France if ever the ruling Grimaldi family fails to provide a sovereign.
Yet the Prince knows that he will continue to be haunted by the succession question unless he finds a bride.
The dozen or so paparazzi who make a living out of the Grimaldi children have photographed him over the years with models such as Claudia Schiffer, Emma Sjöberg and Tasha de Vasconcelos and actresses such as Angie Everhart.
Each time the glossies predict an imminent marriage and then, when the engagement fails to materialise, they speculate on the Prince’s sexuality.
The rumours have had no outward effect on Prince Albert’s standing among Monaco’s fervently royalist residents, but many admit privately that they would be happier if their party-going Prince settled down. Monaco’s success as a tax and investment haven depends upon its stability — and its stability depends upon its ruler. Uncertainty is bad for business and Prince Albert’s bachelor status leaves unanswered questions.
His marital status apart, he has a background that appears highly appropriate for a Monégasque ruler. He was educated at the Lycée Albert 1er in Monaco and then at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
There followed a tour of duty in the French Navy and work experience at an investment bank, an international law firm and a French luxury goods group. In Monaco he chaired the Yacht Club, the Red Cross, the International Television Festival and the Grimaldis’ 700th anniversary celebrations.
Between all this, he found time to indulge in his true passion: sport. He never became the professional footballer he dreamt of being, but hardly ever misses a Monaco home game and has taken part in four Winter Olympic Games as a member of the country’s bobsleigh team.
He is handsome, polite, speaks French, English, German and Italian fluently and has made no gaffes since assuming responsibility for Monaco’s affairs during his father’s decline.
Yet doubts remain. Commentators say that he has shown little sign of his father’s cunning and determination. They describe him as discreet to the point of being shy; he has a slight stutter when he speaks French, the language of his father, though none in English, the language of his mother, Princess Grace.
One reason may be his upbringing. Prince Rainier was reportedly severe with his son, and far more liberal with his daughters, Princess Caroline 48, and Princess Stéphanie, 40.
The two sisters are as extrovert as their brother is guarded. Both are headstrong and neither has his reluctance to marry. Princess Caroline’s first husband was a playboy jetsetter, her second a property developer who was killed in a speedboat accident, and her third is Prince Ernst of Hanover.
Princess Stéphanie married her bodyguard, Daniel Ducruet, but left him when he was photographed by a swimming pool in the arms of a Belgian stripper. Then she had a child with another of her bodyguards before enjoying a series of love affairs, most recently with an elephant trainer.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article378228.ece
