Princess Stephanie Might Be Monaco's Most Fascinating Royal

At first glance, it might seem that most European royal families harbor a passion for the rules of propriety. Princess Marie Chantal of Greece, for one, has been incredibly outspoken about the importance of teaching royal children to dress up for their grandparents. Meanwhile, Princess Charlene of Monaco has been conscientious about wearing clothing that is bold without being risky. And, don't even get us started about all the rules that Queen Elizabeth had her family members follow in the bathroom! Hint: The word "toilet" was completely off-limits.

While it is true that many royals continue to respect the protocols and traditions enforced by their ancestors, there is one princess who lived much of her life challenging these old-fashioned ideas. From the time that she was a young child, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco seemed to rail against the constraints of her royal role. Legend has it that her mother, Grace Kelly, would refer to her as the "enfant terrible" — or "wild child — of the royal family. And, Stéphanie certainly lived up to that name. 

Over the years, Stéphanie lived a fascinating life, making music with Michael Jackson, partying with Rob Lowe, and marrying men who were considered absolutely off-limits for a woman of her stature. At one point, she even left the palace to travel with the circus after becoming enamoured with an elephant trainer. These days, Stéphanie continues to create an unconventional royal legacy.

Although Princess Stéphanie was originally  a reluctant royal, she was ultimately given a princess' education. Indeed, as her mother, Grace Kelly, told People in April 1982, "Caroline is perhaps more literary, Stéphanie more mathematical ... Besides being good students, they are good athletes — excellent skiers and swimmers. Both can cook and sew and play the piano and ride a horse." This complete education was likely meant to prepare Princess Caroline and Stéphanie, alike, for their future representing the crown.

Naturally, though, the two girls were not just given a wide range of technical abilities — they were also encouraged to be personable. After all, social skills are an essential part of performing one's royal duties, and Grace likely hoped that both of her daughters would know how to hold themselves in public. In the same interview with People, the former Hollywood actress divulged, "Above all, my children are good sports, conscious of their position and considerate of others. They are sympathetic to the problems and concerns in the world today."

This sense of morality and discipline, of course, was something instilled at home. Chatting with Image in 1979, Grace confessed, "We have had to bring them up to be aware of their duties. And perhaps you could say for this reason I have had to be a little sterner than the average mother."

As if losing her mother was not hard enough, Princess Stéphanie suffered a great deal of press scrutiny in the years after Grace Kelly's tragic death. Certain tabloids alleged that Stéphanie had somehow caused the fatal car wreck, with some publications even going so far as to claim that the young princess was behind the wheel at the time of the accident. Other reports relayed that Grace, indeed, had been driving when the accident took place — but that Stéphanie had caused the wreck by distracting her. 

In the end, these rumors did nothing more than create distress for Stéphanie, who struggled to handle all of the negative media attention. As she told the French outlet, Paris Match, in a 2002 interview, the speculation surrounding what happened on the day of her mother's death grew to be too much to bear (via The Guardian). In fact, the only reason that Stéphanie decided to speak to the press was that she became too overwhelmed. Speaking to Paris Match, Stéphanie confessed "I can't take it any more. All these calumnies that have been spoken and written have sustained a non-existent mystery."

In an effort to clear things up for good, the princess shared her memories of the wreck. "I was not driving, that's clear. In fact, I was thrown around inside the car like my mother, who was catapulted on to the back seat."

Over the years, Princess Stéphanie got involved with a number of men — none of whom were necessarily considered appropriate for a royal woman such as herself. This was especially evident when she fell in love with Daniel Ducruet, a former fishmonger, who eventually became her bodyguard. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Stéphanie's father, Prince Rainier, was firmly against this unconventional match. As the renowned journalist, Bidisha Mamata, revealed in the documentary, "The Curse of Grace Kelly's Children," the Monegasque ruler "mistrusted" Ducruet. What's more, Bidisha claimed that, "He began to suspect that his daughter did not have a very solid sense of what was good for her in relationships."

In spite of Rainier's misgivings, Stéphanie was in love — and she was hardly on the hunt for her father's approval. She and Ducruet went on to have two children out of wedlock, a move that likely rocked royal circles. Indeed, the couple welcomed a son, Louis, in 1992, as well as a daughter, Paulina, just two years later. In 1995, Stéphanie and Ducruet decided to make their relationship official by tying the knot in a small civil ceremony at the Prince's Palace of Monaco. Ever the one to push boundaries, the princess wore a dress that Vogue Australia would later call "one of the shortest dresses in the history of royal weddings." Sadly, though, the couple parted ways just a short 18 months after saying "I do."

Even after Princess Stéphanie became a mom, the Monegasque royal continued to pursue a string of complicated romantic relationships. One of the princess' most unusual affairs began in 1999 when she met a Swiss elephant trainer by the name of Franco Knie at Monaco's International Circus Festival. Knie was married at the time of this initial encounter — but that did not stop sparks from flying. 

Soon after, Stéphanie decided to join her beau for a shared life on the road, which would mostly entail following the traveling circus. Even more scandalously, though, Stéphanie chose to bring her three children on this adventure along with her. As royal expert, Phil Dampier, noted in the documentary, "The Curse of Grace Kelly's Children," this was hardly a conventional choice for a princess of Stéphanie's generation. Dampier explained, "She moved into his trailer and actually traveled around with the circus. And, obviously, it was not ideal for her children. It was very difficult for them to get educated."

Compellingly, according to relationship psychologist Anjula Mutanda, dating these unusual men might have been Stéphanie's attempt to experience life outside of palace walls. As Mutanda explained in the same documentary, "So, I wonder whether this is her way of experimenting. [As in,] I'm going to go for all kinds of different people that I find exciting because they are opposite to duty and restraint."

After her failed marriage to Adans Lopez Perez, Princess Stéphanie took a step back from her more rebellious life decisions. She stopped pursuing unconventional relationships and never married again — at least not as of the publication of this article. Most surprisingly, though, Stéphanie finally committed to her royal duties. She began to do charity work and took a particular interest in funding AIDs research. Indeed, she became the president of Fight AIDs Monaco and also a UNAIDs Goodwill Ambassador. 

That being said, just because Stéphanie has taken on an important cause, does not mean that she has become your typical princess. On the contrary, Stéphanie has long continued to challenge the constraints of her royal role — even performing her duties in a more radical way. In 2006, for example, the princess represented Fight AIDs Monaco at the NRJ music tour, where she shocked the crowds with her unusual choice of clothing. Unlike other royal women, who are known to dress to the nines, Stéphanie turned up at the event in embroidered jeans and a flimsy blue tank top. What's more, the princess' shirt revealed her midriff, which was adorned with a sizable belly button ring.