Older sister (part 1)
Among the inhabitants of the Principality of Monaco, a legend is known about how the distant ancestor of Grimaldi rejected the harassment of a certain lady who turned out to be a sorceress. In revenge, she cursed the whole family, prophesying that there would be no happy marriages in this family. Be that as it may, of the current generation of the princely family, only the 46-year-old Princess Caroline was lucky in her personal life – and even then on the third attempt, when she married the Prince of Hanover. Ernst-Augustus, a native of the old family, the owner of magnificent castles in the north of Germany, is the godfather and grand-nephew of the Queen of England, as well as cousin of Queen Sofia of Spain and the Greek king Constantine. It was precisely such a party for daughters that Princess Grace dreamed of – the former Hollywood star Grace Kelly.
However, in her youth, Carolina, like Stephanie, caused a lot of trouble to her parents, wanting to be free from conventions. She inherited Irish stubbornness from her mother, and her Mediterranean temperament from her father. Carolina wanted to have fun with friends, go to nightclubs, dance. But after each such exit, photographs appeared in the magazines, where she presented, in Grace’s opinion, in an inappropriate form for the princess. Carolina rebelled, defending her independence, and with the maximalism of her youth declared: “My mother wants me to communicate with friends whom she chooses, that I dress, how she likes, and that my future is better than her. But I do not want to bear the burden of unfulfilled ambitions. ”
In 1978, Carolina suddenly announced that she was going to marry a certain Philippe Junot, a financial consultant on real estate. He was 17 years older than the princess and was known as a playboy and ringleader. Parents did everything to prevent mesalliance, but in the end they surrendered to the obstinate daughter. The wedding took place in a narrow circle of members of royal families and close friends from the cinema world – Eva Gardner, Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra. Two years later, as Princess Grace had predicted, the marriage broke up. But the Vatican only 12 years later agreed to terminate this alliance. The death of his mother in a car accident in 1982 nominated Carolina for the role of the first lady of the principality, and Carolina completely surrendered to social life. She led the Princess Grace Foundation, which finances hospitals, created the Monte Carlo Ballet. “From 4 to 13 years old I wanted to become a ballerina,” Carolina recalls. – At first she was engaged in classical dance, then modern. And later she found a way to serve this art by creating a permanent ballet troupe. ” She was driven by the desire to return to the principality the glory of one of the centers of ballet art – in the twenties of the last century, Monaco was the constant refuge of the Diaghilev troupe.
Princess Carolina and Karl Lagerfeld As the first lady, Carolina added sparkle to the high society balls. Her name has become synonymous with beauty and elegance, and the best fashion designers and hairdressers have always worked with her. Her first mentor in the fashion world was the couturier Mark Boan from the House of Dior, who dressed Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor, and the famous Parisian stylist Alexander watched the hairstyles for many years. In everyday life, the princess wears clothes from Kevin Klein and Ralph Lauren, and for official meetings and balls invariably prefers House Chanel, where her great friend Karl Lagerfeld works.
It was during the years of social parties that Carolina met friends with Italian industrialist Stefano Casiraghi. She quickly fell under the charm of this young man, whose face resembled images from paintings of the Renaissance. Soon their civil wedding took place, their son Andrea was born, then their daughter Charlotte and their son Pierre. The princess finally found the inner calm and harmony that she had been looking for so long. But the serene course of family life was interrupted by a new tragedy. On October 3, 1990, Stefano died during a boat race. At that time, many recalled the mythical prophecy of the sorceress, and above all the princess herself, who, like her mother, was superstitious since childhood: by her own admission, for example, she never puts a hat or money on the bed, but “to destroy the negative field” holding a magnet in his pocket. However, she failed to outwit fate. Just before the competition, Stefano said in an interview: “Nothing can make me quit racing. I always loved speed. My wife knows this and respects my hobbies. In our love there are no questions, no doubts. We are both a little fatalists. Which have not be avoided.
