THE HOUSE OF GRIMALDI
What’s behind Monaco’s curious coat of arms? And are there clues hidden within it that reveal an ancient curse?
On the face of it, the tiny sovereign nation of Monaco seems to have everything going for it. It has one of the lowest crime rates on the planet. And despite being the second-smallest country in the world (only the Vatican is smaller), it’s also the richest nation in Europe. About 30 percent of its population is comprised of millionaires. Monaco lays claim to the most legendary casino on Earth and hosts, arguably, the most prestigious Grand Prix Formula 1 auto race anywhere.
What’s not commonly known, however, is that there’s a mysterious series of tragedies buried in Monaco’s history resulting from — legend has it — a witch’s curse that has caused misery for the Monegasque royals for more than 700 years.
CRAFTY CLERICS
To find clues, one need only look at Monaco’s strange coat of arms, which shows two sword-wielding Catholic friars — an order not commonly thought of as warlike. Here’s the story behind it.
Monaco has been ruled since its inception by the Grimaldi dynasty. (The name “Grimaldi” is used interchangeably with “Rainier.”) It began in the year 1297, when Rainier Grimaldi and his devious stepfather Francesco “The Malicious” Grimaldi sneakily captured the Rock of Monaco by disguising themselves as harmless friars, hiding swords under their clerical robes and begging to be let inside the fortress. Once inside, they threw the gates open and allowed their soldiers to swarm the place.
The Grimaldis were courageous, cunning and resourceful warriors. But the first generation turned out to be awful rulers. Upon capturing the fortress, they immediately went drunk with power and decided they had the right to enjoy the pleasures of any woman who struck their fancy.
It all turned bad when one of them forced himself on the wrong woman. Immune to his charms, she resisted. He ordered her burned at the stake. As she was catching fire, the story goes, she transformed herself into a witch and screamed the dreaded curse that, reportedly, is still in effect to this day: “Never will a Grimaldi find true happiness in marriage!”
Since then, the Rainier line has been plagued with abandoned husbands, abused wives, furious marital disharmony and more than a few premature deaths.
A WITCH’S CURSE?
Let’s start with the most well-known catastrophe. In 1956, American actress Grace Kelly gave up her immensely successful screen career to marry Prince Rainier III. In 1982, she died in a car crash after suffering a stroke while driving. Scandal followed after rumors spread that her daughter Stephanie had actually been at the wheel. Those rumors were only dispelled decades after the wreck. Prince Rainier, devastated, lived another 23 years but never married again.
In 1995, the aforementioned Princess Stephanie married her bodyguard Daniel Ducruet. But things went sour after Ducruet was caught romancing Muriel Mol-Houteman, a former adult pageant champion. The couple divorced in 1996.
In 1998, Stephanie created another scandal by having a daughter out of wedlock. The birth certificate doesn’t list the father’s name. In 2001, she took up with married elephant trainer Franco Knie. The affair lasted until 2002 and ended acrimoniously.
In 2003, Stephanie took another stab at marriage, this time, with wedding circus acrobat Adans Lopez Peres. It lasted just over a year.
Stephanie’s big sister Caroline had no better luck. In 1978, when she was just 21, she married millionaire banker Philippe
IN 1956, AMERICAN ACTRESS GRACE KELLY GAVE UP HER IMMENSELY SUCCESSFUL SCREEN CAREER TO MARRY PRINCE RAINIER III.
Junot, who was 38 at the time. He turned out to be a notorious womanizer and the marriage went south just two years later.
In 1983, the princess took the plunge again, this time with Italian multimillionaire Stefano Casiraghi. Just seven years later, she was widowed when Casiraghi was killed in a boating accident.
But long before these relatively recent upheavals, countless other Monaco royals also suffered other unusual calamities.
In 1662, Monaco’s Prince Louis I had the misfortune of marrying the wild and beautiful Catherine Charlotte de Gramont. Big mistake.
Almost immediately, she began having steamy affairs with a virtual who’s who of European royalty. Her nickname at court was “Catherine the Torrent.” Contemporary noblewoman Madame de Sevigne described her as “greedy for pleasure.”
In 1666 she finally walked out on her husband and became the mistress of another Louis — King Louis XIV of France.
Two years later, in 1688, Prince Antoine Grimaldi I (son of Louis I) married Marie de Lorraine. They had six daughters.
Only three of them lived past the age of 10. Antoine, a serial adulterer, also had at least three illegitimate children with three different women.
Marie, not to be outdone, also had a long string of affairs. In 1846, Monaco’s Prince Charles III married 18-year-old Antoinette de Merode. It was her substantial dowry that allowed Charles to finance the famed Monaco casino. But after bearing him only one child (Prince Albert I) she died at the young age of 35.
In 1869, at the tender age of 20, Prince Albert I — who was not only Monaco’s ruler but also an esteemed oceanographer and explorer — married Mary Victoria Hamilton. They split 11 years later.
Nine years after that, he married Alice Richelieu. At first they seemed well-matched, with Alice participating in his scientific expeditions and even capturing the first specimen of the deep
PRINCESS STEPHANIE MARRIED HER BODYGUARD DANIEL DUCRUET.
sea eel Grimaldichthys profundissimus. But the union hit rough waters after the couple had a vicious and very public screaming match. At the high-society Theatre of Monte Carlo, in front of a host of shocked patrons, Albert loudly accused Alice of cheating and slapped her.
She promptly left Monaco, living the rest of her life in London.
A SWEETER LEGACY
Although many blame those sword-swinging friars on the Grimaldi arms for giving rise to these marital miseries, there is a bright side to their legacy. The breathtakingly beautiful town of Port Grimaud was named for them.
Located near Saint-Tropez and Sainte-Maxime, in the very heart of the French Riviera, it is for all practical purposes traffic-free. Residents and visitors get around on foot or by boat. Like Venice, to which it is often compared, Port Grimaud is laced with lovely interconnecting canals. Bridges, both quaint and majestic, make walking a pleasure.
The beach is stunning, and boats are for rent everywhere you look — either for guided tours or selfconducted excursions.
And anyone interested in the history of the area can find it at Grimaud Castle, where guides elaborate on the material provided here and much, much more.