Charlotte Grimaldi 1 2
- Born: 30 Sep 1898, Constantine, Algeria
- Marriage: Pierre Marie Xavier Raphael Antoine Melchior de Polignac on 19 Mar 1920 in Monaco
- Died: 15 Nov 1977, Paris, France aged 79
General Notes:
Her Serene Highness Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (Charlotte Louise Juliette Grimaldi, née Louvet), styled HSH The Duchess of Valentinois, was a member of the royal family of Monaco and the mother of Prince Rainier III.
Birth and adoption
Born in Constantine, Algeria, she was the illegitimate daughter of Marie Juliette Louvet 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 the Duke of Urach, a German prince related to the Grimaldis through Prince Albert's aunt Florestine; to forstall this event, on 15 November 1911 a law was passed recognizing Charlotte as Louis's daughter, and making her part of the sovereign family. Though it was later held to be invalid under the 1882 statutes, another law was passed in 1918 modifying the statutes to guarantee succession rights to an adopted heir. Louis adopted Charlotte in 1919, bestowing on her the surname Grimaldi and the titles of Hereditary Princess of Monaco and Duchess of Valentinois; she was thus his heir apparent from 1919 until 30 May 1944.
Marriage
In 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, born 28 December 1920, and
- Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand, born 31 May 1923.
Their marriage was not, however, a happy one; they separated in 1930 and were divorced in 1933.
Late life
On 30 May 1944, before the death of her father, Charlotte 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 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.
In 1977, Princess Charlotte died in Paris, France.
Noted events in her life were:
• She was a Duchess of Valentinois.
• She was a Princess of Monaco.
Charlotte married Pierre Marie Xavier Raphael Antoine Melchior de Polignac on 19 Mar 1920 in Monaco. The marriage ended in divorce on 18 Feb 1933. (Pierre Marie Xavier Raphael Antoine Melchior de Polignac was born on 24 Oct 1895 and died on 10 Nov 1964.)
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