Rainier III of Monaco
Prince Rainier III,
Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi (born
May 31,
1923), is the hereditary Prince and
head of state of the Principality of
Monaco. His full titles and styles are
His Serene Highness Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, Duc de Valentinois, Marquis des Baux, Comte de Carlades, Baron de Buis, Seigneur de Saint-Rémy, Sire de Matignon, Comte de Thorigny, Baron de Saint-Lô, de la Luthumière et de Hambye, Duc d'Estouteville, de Mazarin et de Mayenne, Prince de Château-Porcien, Comte de Ferrette, de Belfort, de Thann et de Rosemont, Baron d'Altkirch, Seigneur d'Isenheim, Marquis de Chilly, Comte de Longjumeau, Baron de Massy, Marquis de Guiscard.
He was born in the principality of Monaco, the only son of Princess
Charlotte Louise Juliette of Monaco (
1898 -
1977) – the illegitimate and later legitimated Algeria-born daughter of
Louis II of Monaco and
Marie Juliette Louvet, reportedly either a cabaret singer or a laundress – and her husband, Prince Pierre-Marie-Xavier-Antoine-Melchior of Monaco (
1895 -
1964), né Prince Pierre de Polignac. He had one sister, Princess Antoinette.
Rainier was first sent to study at St. Leonards-on-Sea in
England, then at
Stowe, a prestigious private English school. From there, he went to
Institute Le Rosey,
Rolle/
Gstaad,
Switzerland before going on to university in France.
His grandfather,
Prince Louis II, had been a General in the
French army and during
World War II. Rainier served as an artillery officer in the army. Second Lieutenant Rainier fought so courageously during the German counter-offensive in
Alsace that he won the
Croix de Guerre, the
Bronze Star and was given the rank of Chevalier in the
Legion of Honor.
On
May 9,
1949, Rainier became the Prince of Monaco on the death of his grandfather, Louis II. His mother had previously renounced her rights to the throne in his favor.
In
1956, His Serene Highness the Prince Rainier III of Monaco married
Oscar-winning American actress
Grace Patricia Kelly (
1929 -
1982). Their children are:\n#
Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite, born
January 23,
1957\n#
Prince Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre, heir to the throne, and
Marquis of Baux, born
March 14,
1958\n#
Princess Stephanie Marie Elisabeth, born
February 1,
1965
As Prince, Rainier III was responsible for Monaco's new constitution in
1962 that significantly reduced the power of the sovereign. The changes ended autocratic rule, placing power with the prince and a National Council of eighteen elected members.
He is the world's second longest-serving
Head of State, ranking just below King
Rama IX of
Thailand but above Queen
Elizabeth II of the
United Kingdom.
In the years since his wife's death, he was reportedly involved with a distant cousin, Princess
Ira von Fürstenberg, a former movie actress turned jewelry designer who is also a
Fiat heiress and the former sister-in-law of fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg. Like him, she is a great-grandchild of Lady
Mary Douglas-Hamilton, the Scottish-Bavarian wife of Prince
Albert I of Monaco, though by Lady Mary's second marriage.
Rainer III is also known to be a
football fan, having followed
AS Monaco FC to the
2004 Champions League final.
