Princess Caroline of Monaco was born on January 23, 1957. She is known as the Princess of Hanover because she is married to Prince Ernst August. She is the oldest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Grace Kelly. Her younger siblings are Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Princess Stéphanie.

For a time, she was the Hereditary Princess of Monaco. This meant she was next in line to the throne. She was the heir from her birth in 1957 until her brother Albert was born the next year. She became heir again in 2005 when Albert became prince. This lasted until his twins, her niece Gabriella and nephew Jacques, were born in 2014.

Family and Early Life
- Education
Activities
Personal Life
Privacy and the Media
Succession to the Throne
Titles, Styles, Honours and Arms
See also

Family and Early Life

Left to right: Prince Albert, Princess Caroline, Camille Gottlieb, Princess Stéphanie at a tribute to Grace Kelly in 2018

Caroline was born on January 23, 1957, at the Prince's Palace in Monaco. She is the first child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and his wife, the American actress Grace Kelly. Her full name is Caroline Louise Marguerite. She is part of the House of Grimaldi, the royal family of Monaco.

From her birth until March 14, 1958, she was the "heiress presumptive." This means she was expected to inherit the throne. However, her brother Prince Albert was born on that date. Her younger sister Princess Stéphanie was born on February 1, 1965.

Her mother, Grace Kelly, once described Caroline and Stéphanie as "warm, bright, amusing, intelligent and capable girls." She said they were good students and athletes, enjoying skiing and swimming. They could also cook, sew, play piano, and ride horses.

As a child, Caroline visited her mother's parents in Philadelphia, USA. In the summer of 1971, when she was 14, she went to Camp Oneka in the Pocono Mountains. The United States Secret Service protected her there without her parents knowing.

Princess Grace died on September 14, 1982. This happened after she had a stroke while driving with Princess Stéphanie. Their car crashed, and both were injured.

Education

Princess Caroline finished her French high school diploma, called the baccalauréat, with honors in 1974. She also studied at St Mary's School Ascot in England. After attending Sciences Po, she continued her studies at the Sorbonne University. There, she earned a degree in philosophy and also studied psychology and biology. She can speak French, English, Spanish, German, and Italian.

Activities

Princess Caroline and Albert, then Hereditary Prince of Monaco, with Ronald and Nancy Reagan in Washington, D.C., on March 28, 1983

In 1979, her parents made Princess Caroline the president of Monaco's committee for the International Year of the Child. In 1981, Caroline started the Jeune J'écoute association. This group created a 'youth hotline' where young people could talk about their problems.

Caroline has also worked with other charity groups. These include the World Association of Children's Friends (AMADE Mondiale), the Princess Grace Foundation, the Prince Pierre Foundation, and UNICEF. She supports the Peter Le Marchant Trust, which offers canal boat trips for sick and disabled people.

She is also a patron of the International School of Paris and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, which she helped create. She supports the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Monte Carlo Garden Club. In 1992, she became the president of the International Contemporary Art Prize.

After her mother's death in 1982, Caroline acted as the "first lady" of Monaco. She held this role until her brother married Charlene Wittstock in 2011. She often attends important events in Monaco. These include National Day, the Rose Ball, the Red Cross Ball, and the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix.

Because of her work for charity and the arts, Caroline was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2003. UNICEF gave her the Children's Champion Award in 2006. The next year, she met former South African president Nelson Mandela. In 2011, the World Association of Children's Friends honored her for her "tireless efforts."

Personal Life

Caroline enjoys riding horses, swimming, and skiing. Since she was young, she has been seen as a fashion icon. She is considered one of the best-dressed women in the world. In 2011, an exhibition honoring Princess Caroline opened at the National Museum of Monaco.

Caroline was linked to several famous men. These included tennis player Guillermo Vilas and Henri Giscard d'Estaing. She was also briefly engaged to Robertino Rossellini.

First Marriage

Princess Caroline's first husband was Philippe Junot, a banker from Paris. They had a civil wedding in Monaco on June 28, 1978. A religious ceremony followed on June 29, 1978. Many famous guests, like Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra, attended their wedding.

The couple divorced on October 9, 1980. They did not have any children. In 1992, the Catholic Church said their marriage was not valid.

Second Marriage

Her second husband was Stefano Casiraghi. He was a sportsman and heir to an Italian business fortune. They married in Monaco on December 29, 1983. They had three children:

Andrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi (born June 8, 1984, in Monaco). He married Tatiana Santo Domingo in 2013. They have three children:
- Alexandre "Sasha" Andrea Stefano Casiraghi (born March 21, 2013, in London).
- India Casiraghi (born April 12, 2015, in London).
- Maximilian Rainier Casiraghi (born April 19, 2018, in Monaco).
Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi (born August 3, 1986, in Monaco). She has two sons:
- Raphaël Elmaleh (born December 17, 2013, in Monaco) with her former partner.
- Balthazar Rassam (born October 23, 2018, in Monaco) with her husband.
Pierre Rainier Stefano Casiraghi (born September 5, 1987, in Monaco). He married Beatrice Borromeo in 2015. They have two children:
- Stefano Ercole Carlo Casiraghi (born February 28, 2017, in Monaco).
- Francesco Carlo Albert Casiraghi (born May 21, 2018, in Monaco).

Stefano Casiraghi died in a speed-boating accident in 1990. He was 30 years old.

Third Marriage

Caroline's third husband is Prince Ernst August of Hanover. He is the head of the House of Hanover. His family used to rule the Kingdom of Hanover.

The couple married in Monaco on January 23, 1999. Ernst August had been married before and had two sons. Caroline and Ernst August have one daughter together:

Princess Alexandra Charlotte Ulrike Maryam Virginia of Hanover (born July 20, 1999, in Vöcklabruck, Austria).

In 2009, it was reported that Caroline had separated from Ernst August. She returned to live in Monaco.

Privacy and the Media

Princess Caroline has often had a difficult relationship with the media and paparazzi. She once said she "could not live the life of a normal student" because of them. She has taken legal action to protect her private life from photographers.

In 2004, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Germany had not respected her right to privacy. She continued to fight in court to stop photos of her private life from being published. The courts had to balance her right to privacy with the media's right to freedom of expression.

Succession to the Throne

Princess Caroline was the "heiress presumptive" to the crown of Monaco. This means she was next in line to the throne. She held this position until her brother Albert was born. She became heir again when he became prince, until his own children were born.

In 2002, Monaco changed its constitution. This was done to make sure there would always be a successor to the throne. The new law said that if the Prince dies without a direct heir, the throne would pass to his siblings and their children. This change strengthened Caroline's place in the line of succession.

Titles, Styles, Honours and Arms

Titles and Styles

January 23, 1957 – January 23, 1999: Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline of Monaco
January 23, 1999 – present: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover

Honours

National Honours

Monaco: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles
Monaco: Knight Commander of the Order of Cultural Merit (November 10, 2005)
House of Hanover: Knight of the Order of Saint George

Foreign Honours

Brazil: Grand Officer of the Order of Rio Branco (December 1, 2022)
France: Member of the Order of the Legion of Honour
France: Commander of the Order of Agricultural Merit (July 3, 2014)
France: Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (May 20, 2014)
Sweden: Recipient of the 50th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf (April 30, 1996)

International

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador (December 2, 2003)

Arms and Monograms

Alliance coat of arms of Prince Ernst and Princess Caroline of Hanover	Royal monogram of Princess Caroline	Dual cypher of Prince Ernst and Princess Caroline

Princess Caroline of Monaco facts for kids

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