Albert II Prince of Monaco
- Category : Royalty
- Type : GE
- Profile : 1/3 - Investigating / Martyr
- Definition : Single
- Incarnation Cross : RAX Eden 1
Biography
Monaco royalty, who ascended to the the throne on July 12, 2005 in a ceremony scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM local time. He is known as Prince Albert II.
The only son and heir of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, his mom died in an auto accident 9/14/1982. With a shy, strong character, he shunned the limelight in his earlier years that his two sisters attracted. At college in Amherst, MA up to 1981, he was a political science major. He learned banking on Wall Street in New York in 1983.
He represented his nation on the bobsled team in the 1988 Winter Olympics; he is also an international competitor in sailing and equestrian sports. Though seen in the company of many attractive women, he hold his title as the world's most eligible bachelor.
In 1991, his name was linked with that of Florida native Helen Willis and on 11/04/1991, a tabloid magazine printed an interview with porn star Teri Weigel in which she related the story of her romance with Albert five years before, in which she played hard to get for two weeks before agreeing to a romantic interlude. The media has noted past flings with Brooke Shields, Daryl Hannah and a bevy of other beautiful women. Inasmuch as Monaco reverts to France in the event that there is no male heir, Albert's affections have a greater import than simply the sowing of wild oats of a young man.
Rumors also periodically report that Prince Rainier is ready to turn the throne of Monaco over to his only son. However the people of Monaco question whether Albert spends too much time polishing his love life and his sports skills, making him seem more the child of Monaco than the father-figure that Rainier presented for 40 years. Rainier has no intention of stepping down until he sees Albert securely married, hopefully to a wise choice.
When Rainier became sick, Prince Albert took over the princely duties. Rainier died on April 6, 2005 at 6:35 AM in a Monaco hospital.
Just a few weeks later, in May 2005, a French publication broke the story that the unmarried prince of Monaco had a son. On July 6, 2005, the Prince confirmed that he had fathered a child with former Air France attendant Nicole Coste. The child, Alexandre, was born in August 2003. Under present law, Alexandre cannot inherit the throne of the principality though Albert has assumed financial responsibility. Albert has subsequently hinted that there may be other illegitimate children. On July 12, 2005, Albert assumed the throne of Monaco.
On May 31, 2006, the prince acknowledged that he has a daughter, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, born in 1992 to an American woman with whom he had a brief affair.
He announced his engagement to a former Olympic swimmer from South Africa, Charlene Wittstock, on June 23, 2010. Born on January 25, 1978 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Wittstock is 20 years his junior. The wedding is scheduled for the summer of 2011.
