Caroline, Princess of Hanover

Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco (Caroline
Louise Marguerite Grimaldi, Prinzessin[ von Hannover, Erbprinzessin von Monaco), formally styled Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover (born 23 January 1957), has been heir presumptive to the throne of Monaco since 2005.

The Princess of Hanover is the eldest child of the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco and his wife, the former American film actress Grace Kelly. As a child she spent time at the home of her maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. She belongs to the House of Grimaldi and was also heiress presumptive in 1957 and 1958, between her own birth and the birth of her brother, Albert, the current Sovereign Prince of Monaco. She also has a younger sister, Stéphanie. She is a patrilineal descendant of the Dukes of Polignac, and as such belongs to the historical French nobility.

The princess received her French Baccalauréat (high school or A level) degree in 1974 with honors. She was educated at St Mary's School Ascot, and continued her studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, where she received a diploma in Philosophy and minors in Psychology and Biology. She is fluent in French, English, Spanish, German and Italian.
First marriage

Princess Caroline's first husband was Philippe Junot (b. 19 April 1940), a Parisian banker. They were married in Monaco civilly on 28 June 1978 and religiously on 29 June 1978 and divorced on 9 October 1980, without issue (a period of time that had been predicted by the bride's mother, who disapproved of Junot's age and his reputation as a playboy)[citation needed]. In 1992, the Roman Catholic Church granted the princess an annulment.

Princess Caroline was briefly engaged to Robertino Rossellini, son of Roberto Rossellini and actress Ingrid Bergman, before her second marriage.

Second marriage

Her second husband was Stefano Casiraghi (8 September 1960 – 3 October 1990), the sportsman heir to an Italian industrial fortune. They were married in Monaco on 29 December 1983, and had three children:

* Andrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi, born 8 June 1984
* Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi, born 3 August 1986
* Pierre Rainier Stefano Casiraghi, born 5 September 1987

The two younger children are named for their maternal great-grandparents, Princess Charlotte of Monaco and Prince Pierre of Monaco, whilst Andrea was named for a childhood friend of his father's. Stefano Casiraghi was killed in a speed-boating accident in 1990, aged 30 years
As of September 2009[, it is reported that she has separated from Ernst and returned to live in Monaco.[ In January 2010, photos emerged of Ernst kissing a woman who was not identified as Caroline, leading press to speculate that the couple are divorcing.
Third marriage

Her third and present husband is Ernst August, Prince of Hanover,[3] the head of the House of Hanover. They married in Monaco on 23 January 1999, after his September 1997 divorce from Chantal Hochuli (previously, a friend of Caroline's)[4], and have one child together:
* Princess Alexandra Charlotte Ulrike Maryam Virginia of Hanover, born 20 July 1999 in V?cklabruck, Austria.

Her husband's family titles ceased to be recognized by the Weimar Republic and subsequently by the German Republic, after World War I, along with all royal and noble German titles. Additionally, the Kingdom of Hanover has not existed since being annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Neither she nor her husband (whose legal name is, Ernst August Prinz von Hannover, has royal rank in modern Germany as Prince or Princess of Hanover, however Monaco recognizes her German royal title and her style as a Royal Highness.

Moreover, on 11 January 1999, shortly before Caroline and Ernst's wedding, his distant cousin Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued this Order-in-Council, "My Lords, I do hereby declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between His Royal Highness Prince Ernst August Albert of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg and Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco...". Without the Royal Assent, the marriage would have been void in Britain, where the groom's family owned substantial property, because Ernst August is subject to the Royal Marriages Act 1772. Likewise, the Monégasque court officially notified France of Caroline's contemplated marriage to Prince Ernst August and received assurance that there was no objection, in compliance with Article 2 of the 1918 Franco-Monégasque Treaty.

As of September 2009[update], it is reported that she has separated from Ernst and returned to live in Monaco. January 2010, photos emerged of Ernst kissing a woman who was not identified as Caroline, leading press to speculate that the couple are divorcing.
Defense of privacy

On 24 June 2004 the Princess obtained a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights condemning Germany for non-respect of her right to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The case concerned, for instance, the publication of pictures of her taken secretly at the Monte Carlo Beach Club.