Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy
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| Princess Antoinette, Baroness de Massy | |
| Born | December 28, 1920 |
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| Spouse | Alexandre-Athenase Noghès (1951-1954) Jean-Charles Rey (1961-1973) John Gilpin |
| Children | Elisabeth-Anne de Massy, Christian Louis de Massy, Christine Alix de Massy |
Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness of Massy (Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne de Grimaldi), born 28 December 1920, is a member of the princely family of Monaco and the elder sister of the late Prince Rainier III and aunt of Albert II, Prince of Monaco. Her parents were Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois and Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois.
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[edit] Marriages
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Princess Antoinette had a long-term liaison with Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, a Monegasque-born attorney and international tennis champion, in the mid 1940s. Three children were born from this union:
- Elisabeth-Anne (born 1947). Married twice with two children:
- Baron Jean-Léonard Taubert-Natta de Massy (b. 1974)
- Mélanie de Lusignan (b. 1985)
- Christian Louis (born 1949). Married three (possibly four) times with three children:
- Laetizia de Massy (b. 1971)
- Brice de Massy (b. 1988)
- Antoine de Massy (b. 1996)
- Christine Alix (1951 - 1989). Married twice with one child:
- Keith Sebastian Knecht (b. 1972)
- Princess Antoinette and Alexandre Noghès subsequently married in Genoa 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 (Elisabeth-Anne, Christian and Christine) were named Grimaldi at birth. They subsequently had their names changed to de Massy. They claim the title of Baron/Baroness through their mother, but they are not entitled to it. [1] - She married her second husband, Jean-Charles Rey (1914-1994), a writer, in 1961 and they divorced in 1973.
- Her third and last husband was John Gilpin (1930-1983), a renowned British ballet dancer, whom she married on 28 July 1983. He died suddenly six weeks later.
[edit] Life account
Having divorced Noghès, she and her lover Jean-Charles Rey hatched a plan to depose her brother Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and declare herself Regent on the basis of having a son who would one day inherit the throne. She circulated rumours that Rainier's fiancee, actress Gisèle Pascal, was infertile. This led to the breakup of the relationship.
Rainier's marriage to Grace 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 Grace. She maintained a somewhat distant relationship with the Princely Family for many years. The relationship improved with time.
Princess Antoinette is known to be somewhat eccentric, even having been described as "completely mad" by her servants. Having been banished from Monaco in the late 1950s, she lives down the coast from Monaco at Èze, with a large collection of dogs and cats.
Princess Antoinette and her descendants lost their place in the line of succession to the Monegasque Throne, which they acquired in 2002 with the reform of the succession rules, with the death of Rainier III.
[edit] References
- Palace - My Life in the Royal Family of Monaco by Baron Christian de Massy & Charles Higham (1986, Atheneum, ISBN 0-689-11636-5)
[edit] References
- ^ Christian de Massy, Palace: My Life in the Royal Family of Monaco. London: Bodley Head, 1986
