Albert Grimaldi, Prince of Monaco

Prince of Monaco

• Born: March 14, 1958
• Birthplace: Monaco

Prince Albert Grimaldi assumed the throne of Monaco in July 2005, continuing the Grimaldi dynasty that had ruled Monaco for more than seven hundred years. Prince Albert generally succeeded in avoiding the public scrutiny that plagued his sisters, Princess Caroline of Hanover and Princess Stéphanie, Countess of Polignac, but until his marriage in 2011 and the birth of his son and daughter in 2014, his single lifestyle and lack of a legitimate heir had put him squarely in the sights of the press. An avid sportsman, Prince Albert competed in five consecutive Winter Olympic Games. He also committed himself to environmental causes and used his personal fame and wealth to draw awareness to issues such as climate change and marine protection.

Early Life

Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi was born on March 14, 1958, in the Prince's Palace in Monaco. The only son of Prince Rainier III and his wife, actor-turned-princess Grace Kelly, Albert assumed the title of His Serene Highness the Hereditary Prince of Monaco, first in line to the throne of Monaco. His family, the Grimaldis, first became rulers of Monaco in 1297.

After graduating from Albert I High School (named after his great-great-grandfather) in 1976, Prince Albert spent one year learning about Monaco's government and his eventual role as prince. He then attended Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he studied political science and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1981. Albert's choice of an American college was not at all unexpected; he had spent his teenage summers at a camp in New Hampshire, first as a camper and then as a counselor.

Prince Albert served in the French Navy (France is charged with protecting Monaco's national security) from September 1981 until April 1982. He trained on the Jeanne d'Arc, a helicopter carrier, and attained the rank of enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe (ensign of ship-of-the-line, second class). Beginning in 1983, Albert began a series of internships with various companies in the United States and France, training in financial management, marketing, and international law.

Sporting Career

In the mid-1980s, Prince Albert made the first of many contributions to the sporting world. He had a long history of involvement with sports, winning a championship in swimming while at high school and holding a black belt in judo. He became president of the Monegasque Swimming Federation in 1983 and president of the Monegasque Athletics Federation the following year. He headed the Monegasque delegation to the 1984 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles, and became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1985.

Prince Albert founded the Monegasque Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton Federation in 1987 and competed for Monaco in the 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, and 2002 Winter Olympics, becoming the first bobsledder to compete in five Olympics. In 1994, he was named chairman of the Monegasque Olympic Committee, and he served on various commissions for the IOC over the years.

Humanitarian & Environmental Causes

In 1982, Prince Albert became the chairman of the Monegasque Red Cross, honorary chairman of Monaco Aide et Présence (MAP), and the deputy chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation. The latter two organizations had been founded by Kelly, and responsibility for them fell to Albert and his two sisters, Caroline and Stéphanie, after her death in 1982. MAP provides medical care and other necessities to children in developing countries, while the Princess Grace Foundation supports the arts through scholarships and also provides assistance for children with special needs.

After participating in the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1985 and 1986, Prince Albert was instrumental in having MAP build a free health center in Nigeria. Opened in 1988, the facility, later called the Prince Albert Maternity and Childhood Centre, became the primary health care provider in northern Nigeria.

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation was founded in 2006 with the goal of promoting sustainable management of natural resources. Prince Albert noted his goal of making Monaco a center for environmental research, and he brought attention to global environmental issues through such acts as signing the Kyoto Protocol and going on an expedition to the North Pole. He also worked with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), becoming a patron of the Billion Tree Campaign, and with the Académie de Marine to help preserve marine environments. In 2015 Albert received the UN's Global Advocate Award for his promotion of conservationism and climate change research.

Throne of Monaco

Beginning in 1984, Prince Albert took an active role in the running of Monaco alongside his father, Prince Rainier III. He brought Monaco into the United Nations (UN) in 1993, leading the delegation to the general assembly. When Rainier took ill in March 2005 at the age of eighty-one, Albert was named regent, meaning that he would act in his father's place as prince. Rainier died on April 6, 2005, and Prince Albert was named Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

Throughout the final years of Prince Rainier's life, the question of Prince Albert's bachelorhood and lack of a legitimate heir were repeatedly raised by the media. The critical issue lay in the wording of Monaco's constitution, which stated that only legitimate male descendants could succeed to the throne. In 2002, the wording was changed so that if a reigning prince died without a legitimate heir, the throne would go to his siblings and their descendants, whether male or female (although males would come before females if possible). This meant that if Albert died without marrying and having a legitimate child, his sisters and their children would be eligible for the throne. At this time, Caroline, the elder sister, became the heir presumptive.

Prior to marrying, Albert was known to have two illegitimate children. In 1992, a California woman came forward, claiming that Albert was the father of her daughter, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi; it was not until 2006 that Prince Albert publicly confirmed his paternity, following a DNA paternity test. A second paternity claim was brought forward in May 2005 by Nicole Coste, Prince Albert's former girlfriend, who claimed that her son, Alexandre Coste, was Prince Albert's child. DNA tests showed that he was the father, and Prince Albert confirmed the results in July 2005. However, due to their illegitimacy, neither was eligible to inherit the throne.

In July 2011, Prince Albert married Charlene Wittstock, a former Olympic swimmer and Sports Illustrated model from South Africa. Wittstock, who became Princess Charlene of Monaco, gave birth to twins Gabriella Thérèse Marie and Jacques Honoré Rainier in December 2014, finally putting to rest any succession concerns. Jacques became the Hereditary Prince of Monaco, while Gabriella received the title Countess of Carladès.

Bibliography

Albert II. Interview by Pierre Erwes. BioMarine Business Convention. BioTopics, 27 May 2011. Web. 16 Jan. 2015.

Kurth, Peter. "The Pleasure Principality." Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 5 Nov. 2005. Web. 16 Jan. 2015.

"Monaco Princess Charlene Gives Birth to Twins." BBC News. BBC, 10 Dec. 2014. Web. 16 Jan. 2015.