Prince Albert II of Monaco celebrated his 65th birthday on Tuesday, and no doubt his wife, Princess Charlene and their eight-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, made the day special for him.
The Grimaldi family, which has ruled Monaco for eight centuries, is Europe’s longest-ruling royal family.
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Albert II ascended the throne in April 2005, following his father Prince Rainier’s death, but did you know that Albert had an Olympic career before his reign?
Here’s everything you need to know about Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Prince Albert’s early life and childhood
Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi was born on 14 March 1958 at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco to Prince Rainier III and American actress, Grace Kelly.
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Baby Albert pictured in 1958 with his parents
He has an older sister, Princess Caroline, and a younger sister, Princess Stephanie.
Sadly, his mother, Grace, died at the age of 52 following a car crash in 1982.
The then-Prince and Princess of Monaco with their children in 1967
Albert attended the Lycée Albert Premier school before studying political science at Amherst College in Massachusetts, in the US. He speaks several languages and has a passion for sport.
Prince Albert’s Olympic career
The Prince competed in the bobsleigh at five consecutive Winter Olympics for Monaco from 1988 to 2002, taking part in the two-man and four-man events.
Albert competed for Monaco’s bobsleigh team
Sadly he never won any medals, but his best finish was in 1988 when he came 25th in the two-man event.
Prince Albert’s accession and reign
Prince Rainier’s health declined and Albert was appointed as regent on 31 March 2005.
On 6 April 2005, Rainier died at the age of 81 after a battle with lung, heart and kidney problems.
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Albert became Prince of Monaco in 2005
Albert succeeded his father, becoming Prince of Monaco. Causes close to his heart within his charitable work include environmental issues, as well as the arts. He is the vice-chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation – USA, which supports emerging artists in theatre, dance and film.
He also set up the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in 2006, which is dedicated to protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development at a local and global level.
Prince Albert’s marriage to Princess Charlene
The royal met South African Olympic swimmer, Charlene Wittstock, at the Mare Nostrum swimming meet in Monaco in 2000 and made their public debut as a couple at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
The couple announced their engagement in 2010, with Albert proposing to Charlene with a three-carat, pear-cut diamond ring.
The couple at their civil ceremony
Wedding celebrations began on 30 June 2011 with a concert at the Stade Louis II, featuring American rockers, The Eagles.
Albert and Charlene’s civil ceremony took place on 1 July, with the religious service the following day in the courtyard of the Prince’s Palace in Monaco.
Charlene wore a wedding dress by Armani Privé
Royals from monarchies around the world were among the guests, including the then-Earl and Countess of Wessex.
Other high-profile celebrity guests were Naomi Campbell, Karl Lagerfeld and Dame Shirley Bassey.
Sadly, Albert and Charlene spent their tenth wedding anniversary apart in 2021, due to the princess’ ENT infection and subsequent operations, which left her grounded in South Africa.
Prince Albert’s children
Prince Albert became a father on 10 December 2014 when Princess Charlene gave birth to twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques at The Princess Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco.
Despite being younger than his twin sister, Prince Jacques is the heir apparent to the Monegasque throne as the crown passes according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture.
The twins also have two half-siblings. Albert fathered Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, born in 1992, with real estate agent Tamara Rotolo.
She was confirmed as Prince Albert’s daughter in 2006 when she was almost 16 years old. He had previously said he wanted to protect her identity until she was an adult.
Albert was recently reunited with Jazmin and Alexandre in New York
He also confirmed he was the biological father of Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, born in 2003, whose mother is Nicole Coste, a former Air France flight attendant from Togo, in May 2005, just before he was enthroned as Prince of Monaco.
Neither Jazmin nor Alexandre are in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne as their parents never married.
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