Princess Stéphanie of Monaco

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac (Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi; born 1 February 1965) is a member of the princely family of Monaco. She is the youngest child of Grace, Princess of Monaco and Rainier III of Monaco, and the sister of Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline. Named after her great-great-great-great-grandmother Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Stéphanie has been a singer, swimwear designer, and fashion model; her mother lovingly called the princess her "wild child."

Fashion

In 1983 after her physical recovery from the accident which killed her mother, Stéphanie started an apprentice program at Christian Dior under the direction of head designer Marc Bohan, who had been a friend to Princess Grace. At the end of 1984, she debuted as a model on the biannual haute couture special published by Spanish magazine ¡Hola! (she repeated the assignment in 1990). Soon after, she graced the cover of German Vogue and the American edition of Vanity Fair in July 1985. She also became the face of the Swiss beauty line La Prairie, for which she was photographed by Horst, and she appeared on the cover of French Vogue, photographed by the late Helmut Newton, in September 1986.

In September of the same year she launched a swimwear line called 'Pool Position' with Alix de la Comble whom she had met while an intern at Dior. The fashion show to present the line, held at the Sporting Club in Monaco, was a major event covered by the world's media. The front row included Prince Rainier (her father) and her siblings, Prince Albert and Princess Caroline. A year later a second collection was presented again in Monte Carlo. In 1989 the princess launched her own perfume, called "Stephanie". Later in the mid-1990s, she had a Replay cafe and store in Monaco. She also helped open the Replay Store and Café in Barcelona in 1997.

In late 2008 she agreed to guest-edit the December 2008/January 2009 issue of French Vogue.

Music career

In February 1986 Stéphanie self-produced and released her first single with the French label 'Carrere', under the production of Yves Roze. The song "Ouragan" ("Hurricane") and its English version "Irresistible" quickly reached the international Top 10, reportedly selling more than 2 million copies. In September she released a full album called Besoin reportedly selling more than 1.5 million copies (also released as Stéphanie in some countries) with eight new songs, including "Flash" (in French; its English version "One Love To Give"), which was released as a single and reached the hit parade all over Europe. In January 1987 she released the single "Young Ones Everywhere" to benefit UNICEF.

Later in 1987 Stéphanie moved to Los Angeles, however, it took 5 years for her next recordings to be released, and sales were so disappointing that only 3,000 copies sold in the USA. The album had 10 songs, including the single 'Winds of Chance' for which the video clip was recorded in the Canary Islands. Her first and only live tour took place in the summer of 1991 in Europe and South America to promote the album called Stéphanie released in the U.S. by Sony Music. U.S. critics gave the album negative reviews. She also recorded "In the Closet" with Michael Jackson under the alias of Mystery Girl for his album, Dangerous. She then ended her pop music career.

Marriages and children

In 1992 Stéphanie began a relationship with her bodyguard, Daniel Ducruet, which resulted in the birth of two children:

• Louis Ducruet, born 26 November 1992^[1]
• Pauline Ducruet, born 4 May 1994

Stéphanie married Ducruet on July 1, 1995, in Monaco.^[2] The couple was divorced on October 4, 1996.

On July 15, 1998, at Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo, Monaco^[3][4] she gave birth to her third child, Camille Marie Kelly Gottlieb. The princess did not identify the father's name on the birth certificate.^[5][6]

On September 10, 2003, Stéphanie married Adans Lopez Peres;^[7] the marriage ended in divorce in November 2004.

Titles and Styles

• 1 February 1965 – Present Her Serene Highness Princess Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth of Monaco, Countess of Polignac.

Current interests

Since the death of her father, Prince Rainier, Stéphanie has become deeply involved in the fight against AIDS, becoming a UNAIDS ambassador. She also has created Fight Aids Monaco, her own foundation to support people living with HIV and at the same time to combat the social stigma attached to the disease. In 2006 with a group of French singers, the princess took part in the recording of the song "L'or de nos Vies" (The Gold of our Lives) in order to raise funds for the foundation.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Ancestry

Notes

External links

• Princess Stéphanie of Monaco at the Internet Movie Database
• Prince’s Palace of Monaco
• Fight Aids Monaco