Monaco Prince Albert and his family. Prince Albert II of Monaco: biography, photo, personal life
Since childhood, the future monarch was fond of sports. Albert was involved in football, swimming, judo and bobsleigh.
In 2005, after the death of his father, Albert II became the reigning Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois.
On July 1, 2011, Albert II married professional swimmer from South Africa Charlene Wittstock, whom he first met in 2000 at Olympic Games in Sydney. In 2006, Charlene moved from Republic of South Africa in Monaco and got a job as a school teacher. At a swimming competition, she met the prince again, and a romance began between them.
Two months before the wedding, Charlene made an attempt to go home to Africa, and thus avoid marriage with the ruler of Monaco. The reason for this was the numerous novels of Albert II and his illegitimate children - Jazmine Grace Grimaldi (1992) and Alexander Coste (2003). However, this scandal was hushed up. On July 2, 2011, the couple got married.
On December 10, 2014, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene gave birth to twins Jacques and Gabriella. Son received titles crown prince Monaco and Marquise de Beau, and the daughter - the titles of Princess of Monaco and Countess de Carladez.
It has long been known that there is no smoke without fire, so the pre-wedding stories about the quarrel between Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock, as it turned out, were based on very real events.
The life of crowned heads is usually extremely boring: the protocol that they must follow 24 hours a day simply does not allow them to lead a frivolous lifestyle. However, in Monaco things are a little different. There has long been talk about a certain curse that has hung over the ruling Grimaldi dynasty since the death of Albert II’s mother, the beautiful Grace Kelly, in 1982. Prince Rainier III was grieving the death of his wife, and their three common children (Albert has two more sisters, Caroline and Stefania), with their behavior only brought the day of their father’s death closer.
The eldest Princess Caroline was married three times, tying the knot first with a French banker, then with an Italian businessman and, finally, with Prince Ernst of Hanover. Youngest daughter Stefania, when choosing her chosen ones, obviously, the last thing she thought about was her origin, when in 2005 she walked down the aisle with a circus performer.
All hopes for a bright future for the Monegasque throne rested on the son of Rainier and Grace Albert. It seemed that the wedding of the young heir was a matter of time, but no one imagined that so much time would pass...
There were enough contenders for the title of Princess of Monaco. IN different time the prince was credited with affairs with Gwyneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields and Naomi Campbell, however, even if relationships with these beauties really took place, they ultimately did not end in anything serious. Albert’s reluctance to tie the knot was attributed to his frivolity and love of freedom, but the events of 1992 gave rise to other versions in the press.
In the early 90s, Albert was seen more than once in the company of Claudia Schiffer. The tabloids have already called the supermodel the prince's bride. Then the Prince of Monaco offered his son a deal: Albert would marry Claudia, and Rainier would abdicate the throne in his favor. Albert’s refusal plunged not only Claudia and his father into bewilderment, but also the entire world community.
It was then that the press first started talking about the prince’s non-traditional sexual inclinations. However, no one found evidence of this, and the conversations quickly stopped. In addition, it turned out that Albert has two illegitimate children: from a French flight attendant and an American waitress. The latest argument against the prince's homosexuality was the announcement of the engagement of Albert and an African swimmer in 2010.
For the last year, Monaco has only lived in anticipation of a grandiose event - the wedding of the prince. Because Prince Albert (he received this title immediately after his father’s death) was finally getting married, his bride was even forgiven for her absence blue bloods. It seemed that the “Monaco curse” had come to an end and that the principality would soon return to its age-old traditions. But the joy turned out to be premature...
The scandal erupted a few days before the wedding, when a report appeared in the French press about Charlene's attempts to flee the country. Albert's lawyers rushed to refute such statements, calling them "nonsense and lies." However, as a French writer living in Monaco told Buro 24/7, there is much more truth in these reports than we would like royal family. On the eve of the wedding, Charlene actually bought a one-way ticket to her homeland, but while trying to escape she was detained at Nice airport.
Today all the world media are talking about what happened next. Albert and Charlene played magnificent wedding. Journalists attributed the sadness and melancholy in Charlene's eyes to pre-wedding excitement, and Albert's jubilation to immense love for his chosen one.
The prince really has enough reasons to be happy. Availability legal wife will disarm those who spoke without hesitation about unconventional sexual orientation Alberta. According to the Monegasque throne, for Charlene, her current title and status more than compensate for the need to be the wife of an “unconventional” prince.
Text: Anna Velmakina
5-time participant in the Winter Olympic Games, public figure, partygoer and ladies' man, he, despite everything fantasy stories about his love affairs, he married late, and the secrets about his numerous novels are covered in such darkness that to this day it is not known for certain where the truth is and where the lies are. On the prince's birthday, we remembered the most amazing love stories his life.
This mystical story from the “Was there a boy” series is still one of the most obscure in the history of the twentieth century. Dutch supermodel, one of the main beauties of the 90s, Victoria's Secret angel Karen Mulder was considered a real star: Helmut Newton himself named it the most beautiful woman era. Like many other supermodels of the 90s, she was often seen in the company of Prince Albert. As usual, both spoke of a tender friendship and denied the affair. The scandal happened many years later: on French TV in 2001, Karen unexpectedly admitted that she and other top models were used as sex slaves by the most influential people in the world - politicians and monarchs, including Prince Albert of Monaco. erupted huge scandal: The host of the show, who did not expect such a statement, was forced to interrupt the program, and a non-disclosure agreement was taken from the audience in the studio. Karen Mulder was later declared mentally unstable, she left the profession, divorced her husband and was treated for drug addiction. However, as in the famous joke, the aftertaste from her speech remained.
A bright love story in the prince’s biography is connected with the name of the Ukrainian figure skater, two-time Olympic champion Oksana Grischuk, whom he met at the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano. Albert competed at the Olympics in bobsleigh competitions and, like a mere mortal, settled in the Olympic Village. He ate in the common dining room and talked with the athletes. Oksana was the main star that year figure skating, and their romance began literally during preparations in the Olympic Village. They celebrated the athlete’s triumph together. Their relationship developed rapidly: they appeared together at royal receptions in Monaco, on Bill Gates' yacht, and on the red carpet. Albert even introduced Oksana to his father, King Rainier of Monaco. Neither Oksana’s scandalous reputation nor the stories about her mental instability frightened the prince. What happened next - history is silent. There are rumors that current wife Prince Charlene, a famous South African swimmer, threatened Grischuk, harassed her and participated in the launch of an entire PR campaign aimed at ruining her rival’s image. Whether this is true or not is not known for certain. And we all know how the story ended: Charlene gave birth to Albert’s heirs.
Photos of naked Claudia Schiffer on the prince’s yacht spread across the pages of all the world’s newspapers: the shy, smart, beautiful and highest-paid supermodel of the 90s was at that time officially the girlfriend of magician David Copperfield. Now we know that the relationship with the illusionist was fake, but then the world believed in the sincerity of their intentions. Schiffer tried to make excuses: they say, we are close friends, sunbathed, relaxed, with whom does not happen. The paparazzi began hunting for this couple. And not without success: Claudia and Albert were almost inseparable. They said that the German beauty was forced to hide because of her contract with Copperfield, and the prospect of becoming the new Grace Kelly seemed very attractive to her. However, the prince’s temperament cooled the blonde’s ardor: his affairs with Schiffer’s inner circle, including Karen Mulder, hurt her pride.
The affair with the “black panther” was one of the most positive and problem-free for the prince: both did not get seriously attached, loved parties, and even after breaking up, they sometimes met at friendly or not-so-friendly rendezvous. Albert maintained a warm relationship with Naomi long years: Campbell was even invited to his wedding.
Famous German figure skater Katharina Witt lured the prince, a big fan of famous athletes, into the network by asking Albert to take a photo with her at one of the social events. They say that she was one of the few girls in his life who took the initiative in relationships. This is what eventually tired the monarch. Katarina had a hard time with the breakup: after the prince left her, the girl suffered from prolonged depression.
Marina Anisina
Another athlete in the Don Juan’s track record is Nikita Dzhigurda’s current wife, 2002 Olympic champion in ice dancing Marina Anisina. Albert was present at the triumph of Marina, who competed for France (the Russian woman, whom Ilya Averbukh left for Irina Lobacheva, was forced to look for a partner in another country). The figure skater, about whom the whole world was talking, made such an impression on the prince that he almost fell in love. However, it all ended quite quickly: the imperious and principled Marina demanded too much, and Albert was not ready for serious obligations.
Prince Albert fell in love with yet another athlete, as usual, from the VIP stand. They had known each other for many years, but a serious affair happened when the prince had already had his fill and was under pressure: the world was waiting for an heir. When blond Charlene received the medal, the prince already knew that a romance awaited them: this was his favorite type - a blonde who looked like his mother. Despite the regulated relationship, their romance was full of passion. Just look at the scandal with Charlene’s disappearance on the eve of the wedding: the whole world was discussing the gossip that the girl tried to escape from the wedding, but the secret services brought her back under pressure. However, later both persistently refuted this version. The world is still wondering whether Charlene ran away from the wedding, whether the special services caught her, and if so, what happened to the girl for whom fate had prepared such a chance? As a result, she gave birth to heirs to the prince, fulfilling her duty.
Albert II(French Albert II), full name- Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi - Reigning Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois since 2005, of the House of Grimaldi, son of Rainier III and Grace Kelly. Has the title of His Lordship (Serenite). Albert II has the title "14th Prince of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois, Marquis de Beau, Count of Carlade, Baron de Buis, Lord of Saint-Rémy and Matignon, Count of Thorins, Baron of Saint-Lo and La Lutumier, Duke of D' Etauteville, de Mazarin, de Mailerand and de Mayenne, Prince de Château-Borsa, Comte de Ferretti, de Bellefort, du Tanne and de Rougemont, Baron von Altkirche, Lord of Tenheim, Marquis de Scilly, Comte de Longjumeau, Baron de Matty, Marquis de Giscard."
Place of Birth. Education. Albert II was born on March 14, 1958 at the Grimaldi Palace in Monaco. Son of Prince Rainier III and his wife, American actress Grace Kelly.
In 1976, Albert graduated with honors from the Albert I Lyceum in Monaco. In 1977-1981 he studied in the USA at Amherst College in Massachusetts and received the title of licentiate in political science. The list of disciplines that Albert studied also included economics, psychology, philosophy, art history, anthropology and sociology. In addition, the future ruler of Monaco sang in the university choir and even toured with it in Europe and the Middle East.
Albert has been fluent in French since childhood and English languages, and subsequently also studied Italian, German and Spanish.
In 1981-1982 he was on active duty military service, which he served as a lieutenant on board the French helicopter carrier Jeanne d'Arc.
Accession to the throne. IN last years reign due to poor health, Prince Rainier III transferred to his son some of the functions related to the current management of the principality and his international affairs. Albert was entrusted, in particular, with the duties of Monaco's representative to the UN, and in 2004 he represented the principality at the official ceremony of Monaco's accession to the Council of Europe, held in Strasbourg.
As Crown Prince, Albert paid great attention to social and humanitarian issues, as well as charity, heading, in particular, the Red Cross organization in Monaco.
During his father's dying illness, from March 31, 2005 until Rainier's death (April 6), Albert served as regent.
Sport. Albert is also known as a big sports fan. He played football and handball almost professionally, and was fond of swimming, athletics, and judo. He also competed in the Paris-Dakar Rally and competed at the Olympic Games four times as a bobsledder. Since 1994, he has headed the Monaco Olympic Committee, in addition, he heads a number of other sports associations and is a member of the IOC.
Personal life. Albert remained a bachelor for many years and was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in Europe. Numerous novels were attributed to him. Albert recognized the paternity of two children - a girl (1992) and a boy (2003) - from two different women. They have no right to the throne. In 2002, in order to ensure succession to the throne and ensure the retention of the crown by the Grimaldi dynasty, which has a history of more than 700 years, changes were made to the Constitution of Monaco. New law provides that the right of succession may be exercised by the brothers and sisters of the deceased monarch, as well as his nephews and nieces. Thus, Albert's heirs could be his sisters - the eldest and youngest Caroline Stefania, or one of their seven children.
On June 23, 2010, Albert II announced his engagement to Olympic swimming champion from South Africa, 32-year-old Charlene Wittstock. Prince Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock were married on July 1, 2011. After the wedding, Charlene Wittstock received the title of Princess Charlene.
On December 10, 2014, Princess Charlene gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The children were named Jacques-Honoré-Renier and Gabriella Teresa-Marie. The son received the titles of Crown Prince of Monaco and Marquis de Beau, and the daughter received the titles of Princess of Monaco and Countess de Carladez.
The wife of the Prince of Monaco threatened the Russian figure skater
An extraordinary event happened last weekend. Prince Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre GRIMALDI of Monaco, who was known as an incorrigible Don Juan and never wanted to walk down the aisle, finally got married. At 53 years old! His chosen one was the South African swimmer Charlene WITTSTOCK, who for a long time refused to be received at the princely palace.
According to the official version, Albert and Charlene met in 2007, although in fact their first meeting took place ten years ago. The South African swimming champion came to Monte Carlo for an international competition, and Prince Albert (he became a prince in 2005 after the death of his father Rainier III) out of curiosity, he looked into the pool, where he was immediately seated on the VIP stand. When blonde Charlene received the medal, the prince glared at her: Wittstock was surprisingly similar to his mother - a Hollywood actress Grace Kelly, whom Albert adored and who died in a car accident.
However, the prince did not forget her. I specially flew to the World Cup in Germany to see Charlene. Later, journalists photographed them together at the Winter Olympics in Turin, and a year later Wittstock settled in Monaco.
However, it would be naive to believe that all these ten years Charlene, the daughter of the operator computer company from the South African province of KwaZulu, lived in the heart of the ruler of Monaco. Albert II, even before he became a prince, had a great time playing. The author of these lines once came to Paris for an IOC session and attended a reception where Prince Albert was invited (he is a member of the committee).
Famous German figure skater Katharina Witt, with whom we found ourselves at the same table, as soon as she saw the prince, she asked Albert to take a photo with him and then take her to the ladies' room. Katarina literally did not give him a pass all evening. And later I became an involuntary witness as the figure skater was brought to his luxurious apartment. At the entrance, by the way, stood a dozen long-legged beauties.-What are they waiting for?- I asked naively.
“They are waiting for the prince’s choice,” one of Albert’s associates answered laconically.
The notorious womanizer from Monaco is credited with having love affairs with Naomi Campbell, Brooke Shields, Claudia Schiffer and other world famous beauties. They say that he was extremely polite and careful with them, and always took precautions. But here are two love stories with simpler girls - a waitress from the USA Tamara Rotolo and a flight attendant from Togo Nicole Cost- ended with Albert II having illegitimate children. Moreover, Nicole gave birth to his son during the period when the prince was already dating Charlene! Both children, son Erica-Alexandra and daughter Jasmine Grace, Albert was forced to admit, but they cannot lay claim to the throne. Now the entire princely family hopes that 32-year-old Charlene Wittstock will give birth to a legitimate heir to the ruler of Monaco. By the way, when Albert celebrated his 50th birthday, he invited Nicole Coste to the celebration. The offended Charlene, seeing the flight attendant, caused a scandal and refused to sit at the same table with her.
On Bill Gates' yacht
The list of women he seduced also includes two famous figure skaters from Russia. With two-time Olympic champion Oksana Grischuk The prince met at the 1998 Games in Nagano. He himself competed at the Olympics - in bobsleigh competitions. And like a mere mortal he settled in the Olympic Village. He ate in the common dining room, where he “drove up” to our Ksyusha. After some time, Albert II invited her to his place in Monaco and settled her in the princely palace. Grischuk was even honored to attend the birthday party of Prince Rainier III, who was still alive at that time. Albert took her to receptions and showered her with gifts, and one day they ended up together on a luxurious seven-deck yacht Bill Gates, and Oksana involuntarily burst out: “I wish I had one like that!” The prince smiled condescendingly, but after that his relationship with Grischuk, which lasted several years, quickly faded away. They say Wittstock also added fuel to the fire. The swimmer from South Africa was already familiar with Albert and, having learned that he was having an affair with a Russian figure skater, she firmly said: “Either me or her!” And for greater persuasiveness, she threatened Grischuk herself over the phone: they say, it’s better to leave in an amicable way. Oksana, by no means a timid girl, got cold feet and silently stepped aside. Eyewitnesses claim that when the name Charlene Wittstock was mentioned, Grischuk always shuddered involuntarily.
Albert became interested in the 2002 Olympic champion Marina Anisina, who played for France and lived in Lyon at the time. When Anisina is paired with Gwendalem Peyser became the world champion in ice dancing (this happened in Nice), Albert was present at her triumph.
Fortunately, his principality is located very close. After that, they began a love affair. Skater mom Irina Chernyaeva She had already begun to make far-reaching plans, but Albert clearly did not dream of such a mother-in-law. The Russian actor had the pleasure of experiencing her cool temperament Nikita Dzhigurda. Chernyaeva told him this:
My daughter dated the Prince of Monaco. And who are you?
But Dzhigurda, unlike Albert, married Marina.
By the way
According to the treaty of 1815, if ruling prince After his death, Monaco will have no legal heirs; this principality, now independent, will again come under the jurisdiction of France.
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While in public next to ALBERT, Marina ANISINA pretended to be modest |
