Andrea Casiraghi
- Category : Royalty
- Type : MS
- Profile : 2/4 - Hermit / Opportunist
- Definition : Single
- Incarnation Cross : RAX Rulership 2
Biography
Andrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi (born 8 June 1984) is the eldest son of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband Stefano Casiraghi, and the grandson of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly. He is currently the second in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne, and will likely succeed to the throne if his uncle, Prince Albert II, should die without legitimate issue.
Family background and early life
Casiraghi was born on 8 June 1984 in the Princess Grace Hospital, La Colle, Monaco, to Princess Caroline of Monaco and her husband, the Italian businessman and athlete Stefano Casiraghi. The eldest grandchild of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and his wife, Grace Kelly, Casiraghi was named after his father's childhood friend, his maternal uncle Prince Albert and his maternal great-grandfather Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois. At his mother's request, he was given no title. Casiraghi's godparents are his maternal aunt Princess Stéphanie and his paternal uncle Marco Casiraghi. His sister Charlotte was born on 3 August 1986, and his brother Pierre on 5 September 1987.
On 3 October 1990, Casiraghi's father was killed in a speedboat accident near Monaco. He was buried a few days later in the Chapel of Peace in Monaco. Princess Caroline did not know how to tell her children that their father had died, so Prince Rainier took on that responsibility. Casiraghi was reported to have suffered nightmares and insomnia. To protect her children from media attention, Princess Caroline moved to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, and later to Paris.
In 1999, his mother married Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, and gave birth to Princess Alexandra of Hanover. Along with a half-sister, Casiraghi gained two stepbrothers, Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Hanover, and Prince Christian of Hanover.
Education and career
Growing up mostly in France, Casiraghi earned his international baccalaureate degree from the International School of Paris in December 2002. Following a period at the McGill University in Montreal, Canada, he eventually graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in visual arts and international politics from the American University of Paris. From 2007 to 2009, Casiraghi studied at The New School in New York City, receiving his master's degree in international affairs, and then did an internship at the embassy of Qatar in France.
Official duties and philanthropy
Since 2004, Casiraghi has been involved, to varying degrees, with the World Association of Children's Friends (AMADE), a philanthropic organization founded in 1963 by his grandmother Grace; it is now presided over by his mother Princess Caroline. He spent eight months teaching children in Senegal, Togo, and Niger. In August 2006, Casiraghi took his involvement deeper and paid a very serious visit to Manila on behalf of a joint venture of AMADE and the Virlanie Foundation. Since 2007, he has been the patron of the Motrice Foundation, which funds research into cerebral palsy. Casiraghi sponsored the Hospices de Beaune charity auction that was held in November 2009.
Casiraghi regularly attends important social events in Monaco related to the Monegasque Princely Family, such as the National Day and the Thanksgiving Day celebrations, the Rose Ball, the Red Cross Ball and the Formula One competition Monaco Grand Prix. In 2011, Casiraghi and his siblings Charlotte and Pierre hosted Monaco's annual Rose Ball, in the absence of Prince Albert, Princess Caroline and Princess Stéphanie who were mourning the sudden death of their aunt Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy, a few days earlier. Casiraghi gave the speech at the start of the event. The same year, he attended the wedding of his uncle Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock, which took place on 1 and 2 July 2011.
Personal and media life
On 4 July 2012, Princess Caroline announced that Casiraghi was engaged to his long–time girlfriend Tatiana Santo Domingo. According to the Vogue Italia, the wedding will take place in 2013. In November 2012, it was confirmed that Casiraghi and Santo Domingo were expecting their first child in early 2013. Santo Domingo gave birth to a baby boy, Sacha, on 21 March 2013. The boy will be third in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne if Casiraghi and Santo Domingo marry.
Casiraghi was previously romantically linked to German socialite Caroline von Stauffenberg and Spanish actress María Jurado.
Casiraghi is fluent in French, Italian, English and German. His hobbies and interests include reading, football, horse riding, water sports, skiing and collecting Swatch watches. In December 2011, Casiraghi had his driving licence taken away after he had been caught speeding at 200 km/h near Lyon, France.
Due to his social status, Casiraghi has been regularly tracked by the tabloids and paparazzi. The media nicknamed him as "enfant terrible" and the "rebel angel". In 1999, Casiraghi was included on the People 50 Most Beautiful People list. Four years later, he was featured in a Town & Country article about young royals and was voted the most stylish royal man by the readers of the Hello magazine. In 2008, Forbes placed him the tenth on their "20 Hottest Young Royals" list. In 2011, Casiraghi was named the second most beautiful male royal of all time by the BeautifulPeople.com, behind Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland. His grandmother Grace was voted the most beautiful female royal of all time, whilst his sister Charlotte placed fifth.