Tragic deaths, scandalous love affairs and bitter divorces – the Monaco royal family has faced them all many times over, apparently the result of a curse that dates back to 1297, when a witch proclaimed, “Never will a Grimaldi find happiness in marriage.”
But one royal has decided that it’s now time to fight back.
Aware that over the years it’s been the royal women who have borne the brunt of the damaging curse, Woman’s Day has learned Princess Charlene, 47, has taken it upon herself to do all she can to “end it once and for all” for the sake of her precious 10-year-old daughter Princess Gabriella.
“For years, Charlene would rubbish this idea of a curse, like most of the members of the Grimaldi family. However, now her daughter is getting older, she’s not taking any chances,” explains a royal insider.
“Gabriella has her whole life ahead of her. If there’s even a remote possibility that there’s some truth to it, Charlene’s pledged to do whatever it takes to have it lifted.”
Charlene – whose son Prince Jacques is Gabriella’s twin and first in line to the throne – has faced a number of well-publicised struggles since becoming a royal after her marriage in July 2011.
There were reports she attempted to escape Monaco before her wedding after hearing that Prince Albert, 66, had a love child. During the ceremony, Charlene was famously shown in floods of tears.
Then in 2021, Charlene appeared to have quit royal life for good. She spent an extended time in her home country of South Africa to deal with ongoing health issues. Even when she returned to Monaco, reportedly desperate to be reunited with her children, she and Albert were plagued with rumours that they lived separate lives.
It wasn’t the first time the famous Grimaldi curse affected a royal relationship.
Albert’s movie-star mother Grace Kelly’s marriage to Prince Rainier appeared to be a romantic fairytale. However, behind the scenes, Grace had to endure her husband being repeatedly unfaithful.
In 1982, Grace was killed in a car accident, which many blamed on the curse. Her then-17-year-old daughter Princess Stéphanie was in the car at the time but walked away with minor injuries.
Amid rumours of a royal hex, Stéphanie, now 60, found herself hounded by stories that she had in fact been driving the car. The princess later told a journalist she felt “guilty for surviving”.
For the next 20 years, as she pursued a career in pop music, Stéphanie was labelled a “wild child” and “royal rebel”. Her reputation was not helped by her controversial and ultimately unsuccessful relationships with bodyguards, an elephant trainer and an acrobat. She was also linked to Michael Jackson, with whom she recorded the duet In The Closet.
Stephanie’s sister Princess Caroline, 68, has also been unlucky in love, with her first marriage lasting just two years.
Her second, to Stefano Casiraghi, the father of her three children, ended in tragedy. He died in a speed-boating accident aged 30. Caroline’s third marriage, to Prince Ernst August of Hanover in 1999, reportedly ended in 2009, although they haven’t divorced.
Recently it was reported that her eldest daughter, Charlotte Casiraghi, 38, had also split from her husband of five years.
Meanwhile, Charlene feels determined that her children will have happy and successful marriages in the future. She’s searching for someone to help end the curse asap.
“She believes there may be someone powerful enough who can lift this curse,” tells our insider. “She’s seeking guidance from all sorts of spiritual advisors.”
We’re told Albert is “aware and sceptical” of her mission. Regardless, he’s happy for her to “do her thing”, as long as it doesn’t embarrass the family.
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