Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (Charlotte Louise Juliette Grimaldi; 30 September 1898 – 16 November 1977), styled Hereditary Princess of Monaco between 1922 and 1944, was the daughter of

Louis II, Prince of Monaco Louis II (Louis Honoré Charles Antoine Grimaldi; 12 July 1870 – 9 May 1949) was Prince of Monaco from 26 June 1922 to 9 May 1949. Early years Born in Baden-Baden, Louis II was the only child of Albert I, Prince of Monaco (1848–1922), and L ...

, and mother of Prince Rainier III. From 1922 until 1944, she was the

Hereditary Princess of Monaco The Hereditary Prince(''ss'') of Monaco is the title given to the heir apparent or heir presumptive of the Monarchy of Monaco, Monegasque throne, since its official creation on 15 May 1882. Traditionally, a male Hereditary Prince is also given t ...

, heiress presumptive to the throne.

Birth and adoption

Born Charlotte Louise Juliette de Monaco in Constantine,

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

, she was the illegitimate daughter of Marie Juliette Louvet, a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

singer, and Louis, Hereditary Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois, son and heir of Monaco's reigning monarch, Prince Albert I. Louis had no legitimate children or siblings, so even before he succeeded his father as Prince Louis II, the principality sought to forestall a succession crisis, anticipating that its neighbour, the

French Republic France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, might take it amiss if the throne fell someday to Louis' legal next of kin. That heir was his cousin, Wilhelm, 2nd Duke of Urach, who, although born and raised in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

as the son of Princess Florestine of Monaco, was a German subject, property owner and

patrilineal Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

relative of the kings of Württemberg. On 15 May 1911, a law was passed recognising Charlotte as Louis' daughter, and declaring her to be a dynastic member of the sovereign family. Though this act was later held to be invalid under the 1882 statutes, an Ordinance of 30 October 1918 was passed to allow her to be adopted into the dynasty instead. Louis adopted Charlotte in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on 16 May 1919, thereby entitling her to the surname Grimaldi, while her grandfather bestowed upon her the traditional title of the Principality's heir, Duchess of Valentinois, for life. Charlotte became

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of a person with a better claim to the position in question. This is in contrast to an heir app ...

to the throne as Hereditary Princess when her grandfather died and her father inherited the princely crown in 1922.

Legality of adoption

A shadow of doubt existed over the legality of this adoption. The Monegasque Civil Code (Articles 240 and 243) required that the adopting party be at least of age 50 and the adoptee 21. The 1918 Ordinance changed the age limit to 18 (Charlotte was twenty at the time) but not the other age limit; Louis was then only 48.

Marriage

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

, civilly on 18 March and religiously on 19 March 1920, Louis arranged Charlotte's marriage to the then

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Pierre de Polignac of

Hennebont Hennebont (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in the region of Brittany in north-western France. Geography Hennebont is situated about ten miles from the mouth of the River Blavet, which divides it into two parts: the ''Ville Close' ...

, Morbihan,

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, who, by the Prince's ordinance, took the surname Grimaldi and became a prince of the Monegasque princely family. The couple had two children: * Princess Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne (28 December 1920 – 18 March 2011). * Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005). Their marriage was not, however, a happy one; they separated on 20 March 1930 due to his

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

, and Charlotte left him to live with her doctor and Italian lover, Dalmazzo. The couple were divorced on 18 February 1933 by ordinance of Prince Louis II.

Later life

On 30 May 1944, the day before her son's 21st birthday and in full agreement with her father, Charlotte renounced and ceded her rights to the throne to her son Rainier, subject to the stipulation that he not predecease her. From this date, she was no longer Hereditary Princess of Monaco, though she retained the title Princess Charlotte of Monaco. Late in life she went to college, obtaining a degree in social work. After her son assumed the throne (in 1949), Princess Charlotte moved to live at Château de Marchais, the Grimaldi estate outside Paris. Despite the objections of her children who feared for her safety, she turned the estate into a rehabilitation centre for ex-convicts. She lived at the estate with her lover, a noted French former jewel thief named René Girier and nicknamed "René la Canne" (René the Cane). She died on 16 November 1977 in

Titles and styles

* 30 September 1898 – 18 July 1911: Charlotte Louise Juliette de Monaco * 18 July 1911 – 15 November 1911: Charlotte Louise Juliette Grimaldi de Monaco * 15 November 1911 – 16 May 1919: Charlotte Louise Juliette Grimaldi de Monaco, Mademoiselle de Valentinois * 16 May 1919 – 1 August 1922: ''Her Serene Highness'' The Duchess of Valentinois * 1 August 1922 – 30 May 1944: ''Her Serene Highness'' The Hereditary Princess of Monaco * 30 May 1944 – 15 November 1977: ''Her Serene Highness'' Princess Charlotte of Monaco

Ancestry

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Charlotte, Duchess Of Valentinois 1898 births 1977 deaths House of Grimaldi Monegasque princesses People from Constantine, Algeria Dukes of Valentinois Duchesses of Valentinois Hereditary princesses of Monaco Illegitimate children of Monegasque monarchs Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Grimaldi Commanders of the Order of Cultural Merit (Monaco) Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Polignac family Monegasque people of German descent Monegasque people of English descent Monegasque people of Scottish descent Monegasque people of Italian descent People of Ligurian descent Daughters of princes regnant Mothers of Monegasque monarchs Heirs presumptive