Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois

Princess Charlotte
Duchess of Valentinois
By Philip Alexius de László
Spouse	Pierre de Polignac
Issue
Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy Rainier III, Prince of Monaco
Full name
Charlotte Louise Juliette
House	House of Grimaldi
Father	Louis II, Prince of Monaco
Mother	Marie Juliette Louvet
Born	30 September 1898(1898-09-30) Constantine, Algeria
Died	15 November 1977(1977-11-15) (aged 79) Paris, France
Burial	Chapel of Peace, Monaco

Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (Charlotte Louise Juliette Grimaldi de Monaco; 30 September 1898 – 15 November/16 November 1977), was the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of Prince Rainier III. From 1922 until 1944, she was the Hereditary Princess of Monaco, heiress-presumptive to the throne.

Birth and adoption

Born Charlotte Louise Juliette de Monaco in Constantine, French Algeria, she was the illegitimate daughter of Marie Juliette Louvet, a cabaret singer, and Prince Louis II. On the death of Prince Louis II, theretofore without a legitimate heir, the throne of Monaco was due to pass to Wilhelm, the German 2nd Duke of Urach, Louis II's cousin, a son of Princess Florestine of Monaco; to forestall this event, on 15 May 1911 a law was passed recognizing Charlotte as Louis's daughter, and making her a member of the sovereign family. Though it was later held to be invalid under the 1882 statutes, an Ordinance of 30 October 1918 allowed her to be adopted. Louis legitimated and adopted Charlotte in Paris on 16 May 1919, bestowing on her the surname Grimaldi and granted her the title Duchess of Valentinois for life; she was thus his heir presumptive as Hereditary Princess from 1922 until 30 May 1944 (see below).

She was the 1,098th Dame of the Royal Order of Queen Maria Luisa.

Legality of adoption

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

Marriage

In Monaco civilly on 18 March and religiously on 19 March 1920, Louis arranged Charlotte's marriage to Count Pierre de Polignac of Guidel, Morbihan, Brittany, France who, by the Prince's ordinance, took the surname Grimaldi and became a Prince of Monaco. The couple had two children:

• Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne (28 December 1920 – 18 March 2011)
• Rainier III of Monaco (31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005)

Their marriage was not, however, a happy one; they separated on 20 March 1930 when Charlotte left him to live with her Italian lover, Del Masso. The couple were divorced on 18 February 1933 by ordinance of Prince Louis II.

Late 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 did not predecease her. From this date she was no longer Hereditary Princess of Monaco, though she retained the titles of Princess of Monaco and Duchess of Valentinois.

Late in life she went to college, obtaining a degree in social work. After her son assumed the throne, Princess Charlotte moved to live at Le Marchais, the Grimaldi estate outside of 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).

In 1977, Princess Charlotte died in Paris, France.

Ancestry

External links

• Princely House of Monaco
• Princely and Ducal House of Polignac
• thepeerage.com: Charlotte Grimaldi, Duchess of Valentinois - details of her parents, marriage, children, and titles.
• René la Canne (in French)
• Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois - Picture

Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois House of Grimaldi Born: 30 September 1898 Died: 15 November 1977
Monegasque royalty
Preceded by Louis II	Hereditary Princess of Monaco Heir to the throne of Monaco 1922–1944	Succeeded by Rainier III
Titles of nobility
Preceded by Albert I	Duchess of Valentinois 1919–1977	Succeeded by Rainier III

Persondata
Name	Charlotte, Duchess Of Valentinois
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	30 September 1898
Place of birth	Constantine, Algeria
Date of death	15 November 1977
Place of death	Paris, France