Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy (Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne Grimaldi; 28 December 1920 – 18 March 2011) was a member of the
princely family of Monaco. She was the elder sister of
Prince Rainier III
Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...
. Her parents were
Count Pierre de Polignac and
Charlotte, Hereditary Princess of Monaco and
Duchess of Valentinois
Duke of Valentinois (french: Duc de Valentinois; it, Duca Valentino) is a title of nobility, originally in the French peerage. It is currently one of the many hereditary titles claimed by the Prince of Monaco despite its extinction in French law ...
.
She was born in Paris, of French and Monegasque ancestry.
Children
Princess Antoinette had a long-term liaison with
Alexandre-Athenase Noghès
Alexandre-Athenase Noghès (15 June 1916 – 16 February 1999) was an international tennis champion, married Marinette Bastel, having one son Lionel (racing driver), best known as the first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, whom he marri ...
, a Monegasque-born attorney and international
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
champion, in the mid-1940s. The couple had three children born
out-of-wedlock
Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...
who were
legitimated by their parents' eventual marriage and, henceforth, included in the
line of succession to the Monegasque Throne
Line most often refers to:
* Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity
* Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system
Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to:
Arts ...
until the death of Antoinette's brother,
Prince Rainier III
Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...
, in 2005;
Elizabeth Ann de Massy (1947–2020),
Christian Louis de Massy
Baron Christian Louis de Massy (born 17 January 1949) is the son of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness de Massy, and her husband, international tennis champion Alexandre-Athenase Noghès. His grandfather, Antony Noghès, created the world ...
(born 1949), and Christine Alix de Massy (1951–1989).
Marriages
# Princess Antoinette and Alexandre-Athenase Noghès subsequently married at the Monaco consulate in
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
on 4 December 1951 (her first, his second) and divorced in 1954.
On 15 November 1951, Antoinette was created Baroness of Massy (''Baronne de Massy''). Her children (Elizabeth-Ann, Christian-Louis and Christine-Alix) were named Grimaldi at birth. They subsequently had their names changed to ''de Massy.'' He claims the tie of Baron through their mother, but he is not entitled to it.
# She married her second husband, Dr. Jean-Charles Rey (Monaco, 22 October 1914 – Monaco, 17 September 1994), president of the
Conseil National, the Parlement de Monaco in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
on 2 December 1961 and they divorced in 1974.
#Her third and last husband was
John Brian Gilpin (
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, 10 February 1930 – London, 5 September 1983), a British ballet dancer, whom she married in Monaco on 28 July 1983. He died suddenly six weeks later.
Life account
Having divorced Noghès, she and her lover Jean-Charles Rey hatched a plan to depose her brother
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...
, and declare herself regent on the basis of having a son who would one day inherit the throne. This led to the breakup of the relationship.
Rainier's marriage to
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956.
Kelly ...
in 1956 and the arrival of his heirs,
Princess Caroline in 1957 and
Prince Albert in 1958, effectively scuttled Antoinette's plans. She was removed from the Palace by her sister-in-law, Princess Grace, and thereafter was estranged from the princely family for many years.
She was known to be somewhat eccentric and was described as "completely mad"
by her servants. Having been banished from Monaco in the late 1950s, she lived down the coast from Monaco at
Èze
Èze (; oc, Esa; it, Eza) is a seaside commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera, 8.5 km (5.2 mi) to the northeast of Nice and 4.5 km (2.7 mi ...
, with a large collection of dogs and cats.
She was the president of Monaco's Society for the Protection of Animals and Refuge
and a patron of the UK-based Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
Upon the accession of Albert II in 2005, Antoinette and her descendants lost their place in the
line of succession to the Monegasque throne
Line most often refers to:
* Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity
* Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system
Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to:
Arts ...
, which is limited to the current sovereign's descendants, siblings, and siblings' descendants.
The
Princess Antoinette Park The Princess Antoinette Park on the Boulevard de Jardin Exotique is a municipal park in the La Condamine ward of Monaco. It is named for Princess Antoinette of Monaco, the elder sister of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
Rainier III (Rainier Loui ...
in Monaco's
La Condamine
La Condamine ( lij, A Cundamina ) is the central ward in the Principality of Monaco. Its landmarks include Port Hercules, the Rainier III Nautical Stadium, and the Princess Antoinette Park. Its farmer's market at the ''Place d'Armes'' dates fro ...
district was named in her honour.
Death
On 18 March 2011 Princess Antoinette died at
The Princess Grace Hospital Centre
The Princess Grace Hospital Centre (french: Centre hospitalier Princesse-Grace, CHPG) is the only public hospital in Monaco.
Overview
The hospital is open 24/7. It is the only public hospital in Monaco.
History
The hospital was opened in 1902 by ...
, aged 90.
Her funeral took place on 24 March 2011. She is buried in the Chapel of Peace in Monaco beside her parents, her daughters Elizabeth-Ann and Christine-Alix, her last husband
John Brian Gilpin and her nephew by marriage,
Stefano Casiraghi.
Patronages
* President of the Society for the Protection of Animals and Refuge of Monaco.
* President of the Canine Society of Monaco.
* President of the “Monaco Interviews on Energy Medicines”, which became, the “Monaco International Interviews”.
* President of the Monegasque Tennis Federation.
* President of the
Monte Carlo Country Club
Monte Carlo Country Club (MCCC) is the home of the ATP's Monte Carlo Masters tournament. It is also the base of the Monte Carlo Tennis Academy.
Despite the club's name, it is not located in Monte Carlo or even in Monaco: it is actually located i ...
.
* Vice-President of the
Monegasque Red Cross
The Red Cross of Monaco (french: Croix-Rouge monégasque) is the national Red Cross Society of Monaco, founded in 1948 by Louis II of Monaco in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Presidency
* 1948 - 1949: Prince Louis of Monaco
* 1949 - 195 ...
.
* Patron of The Puppy and Kitten Clinic
Titles and honours
;Titles
* 28 December 1920 – 15 November 1951: ''Her Serene Highness'' Princess Antoinette of Monaco
* 15 November 1951 – 18 March 2011: ''Her Serene Highness'' Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness of Massy
;Honours
* : Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of Saint-Charles
The Order of Saint Charles (french: Ordre de Saint Charles) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in Monaco on 15 March 1858.
Award
This order rewards service to the State or Prince. In particular cases, it may be granted to foreign ...
(28 December 1938)
* : Medal for Physical Education and Sports, First Class
* : Medal of Recognition of the Monegasque Red Cross
Cloud
/ref>
Ancestry
Bibliography
* ''Palace: My Life in the Royal Family of Monaco'' by Baron Christian de Massy & Charles Higham (1986, Atheneum, )
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antoinette, Princess, Baroness Of Massy
Antoinette of Monaco, Princess
Antoinette of Monaco, Princess
Antoinette of Monaco
Antoinette of Monaco
Regents of Monaco
French baronesses
Monegasque people of Italian descent
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles
Monegasque people of Mexican descent
Monegasque people of German descent
Monegasque people of English descent
Monegasque people of Scottish descent
Polignac family