Prince Albert to recognize another illegitimate daughter
by CBB Royalty correspondent Char
Crown Prince Albert of Monaco is expected to confirm another illegitimate daughter, a 14 year old from the United States. Albert is known to have a relationship with the girl’s mother while she was on holiday in Monaco with her husband. For the sake of the girl, the situation was handled with extreme care. The announcement is likely to happen between this week and next week. This girl will be the second illegitimate child recognised by the Prince. The first was Alexander, son of an air-hostess from Togo called Nicole Coste. Both announcements happened after only one year of the Prince’s father death, Prince Rainier, in April 2005.
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May 31st, 2006 at 1:08 pm
hahah Albert’s been busy!
May 31st, 2006 at 1:14 pm
I feel bad for his family and the children’s families. Not so much for him though. I hope the press goes easy on the kids. Maybe this will prove that nobody is impervious.
May 31st, 2006 at 3:52 pm
(stepping in as Language Patrol)
Can we move away from using the term “illegitimate” when referring to children?
Generally, the word is used to describe something that is illegal, illogical or improperly used. Is that really how we want to refer to *children*?
If the parents’ marital status is actually relevant, why not talk about the children as being born to unmarried parents or even as born out-of-wedlock? Anything but “illegitimate”.
(stepping out as Language Patrol)
May 31st, 2006 at 4:02 pm
Sorry rincoglionita to have to tell you this, but the very first deffinition in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary for illegitimate is:
Function: adjective
1: not recognized as lawful offspring; specifically: born of parents not married to each other
The word is very much used properly
May 31st, 2006 at 4:20 pm
I have never believed that Albert was actually this girl’s father (don’t know if I can use her name here or not so I won’t), and if he actually does acknowledge her (which the press have been saying he would for months now) I’ll be shocked.
I’ll be honest and say that if he does acknowledge her then I hope that will end it all right there. The way he mother has acted for the last 14 years is a shame and I hate to think her harrassment of Albert, and abuse of her daughter, ends up paying off.
That’s only me though – I know people will think differently but c’est la vie!
May 31st, 2006 at 4:22 pm
*her
May 31st, 2006 at 4:58 pm
The anti-illegitimacy comment just goes to show how PC our society has become. (Probably because some of today’s young families came from either unwed mothers or families of divorce themselves, so it seems…)
Anyway I don’t klnow what to think about Albert’s supposed daughter and esp. the girl’s mother actively pursuing money from Albert, yet keeping the truth from her daughter in the meantime?!
Obviously she wants her daughter to become the “princess” she’s always been in her mother’s eyes, yet taking it to the literal and/or ‘Princess Diaries’ level. (No doubt if her mom told her she was a “Princess of Monaco”, the daughter would be imagining that she’d get to move to Monaco a’la ‘Princess Mia.’)
May 31st, 2006 at 5:26 pm
The girl was given the Grimaldi name from birth so she most likely has always been told that Prince Albert of Monaco was her father.
May 31st, 2006 at 5:35 pm
i read they had a dna test, so i believe it has been confirmed. i don’t like the term illegitimate, either. it’s not nice. it is basically saying a child is “not legitimate”.
May 31st, 2006 at 6:03 pm
I haven’t heard anything about a DNA test… The stories that are coming out now cite one single source to him being her father (Le Figaro), and that source has a book coming out tomorrow. So… I don’t know.
The palace has yet to confirm anything and Albert’s spokesperson has repeatedly stated that Albert is not her father so… =\
We’ll see! =)
I *hope* he isn’t her father… I have a bad feeling about her & her mother. =|
May 31st, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Generally I would agree about not using the word “illegitimate” because it tends to cast a judgement on the child who really is innocent in the situation. It really only has meaning in terms of a child’s relationship to family property and inheritance. The use of the term in this case actually has that consequence: From The Times (UK) online: “Under Monaco law, an illegitimate child of the ruler cannot accede to power unless the ruler marries the mother. Under a 2002 succession law, passed before the death last year of Rainier III, Monaco’s throne will pass to Princess Caroline if the Prince dies without legitimate offspring.”
May 31st, 2006 at 6:12 pm
Even if Albert does claim this child she will not be in-line to the throne. She will not be recognized as a princess, not legally speaking, anyway.
It’s not very fair, but apparently children born out of wedlock to these royals are not recognized officially and are not given titles.
If Albert is indeed the father then he needs to pay up.
I find it interesting that since his father passed, he has claimed a son & now perhaps a daughter too? Prince Rainier was a very traditional and conservative man. I’m sure the news of these children would have been upsetting to him. Perhaps this is why Albert has waited to acknowledge them?
I don’t know. I just hope it works out and that the children are not hurt by all of this.
May 31st, 2006 at 6:50 pm
I guess after all of the bad press relating to Stephanie’s relationships and children, and then Caroline’s latest husbands behaviour Albert didn’t want to add to it. Prince Ranier has not been well for quite a while and the announcement of yet another child born out of wedlock might have been too much for him. Surely Ranier knew of the first child though? It could hardly have been kept secret from him for 14 years?
May 31st, 2006 at 7:46 pm
Rainier was fully aware of this girl, as Albert was sued by the girl’s mother and she has been (in my opinion) harrassing him since her pregnancy.
Rainier was also aware of Albert’s son, Alexander, as the boy’s mother has admitted to attempting to contact him several times, both about her pregnancy and to the birth of the boy.
I have to agree with you about Albert not wanting to add onto his fathers stress. I honestly think Albert did his best to protect himself against these types of women but unfortunately he failed at least once (his son). Hopefully these new allegations are false and he can be left alone.
Anyway, I personally find it odd that Albert would admit right away to fathering Alexander but he has been adament, even since his father’s death, that this girl is not his.
How could that be?
May 31st, 2006 at 7:50 pm
*has
Dang, I can’t talk/type today! LMAO
May 31st, 2006 at 7:51 pm
Oh, dang-dang-dang!! Screw it… y’all know Rainier is dead so whatever. Has or had. You know what I mean. =P
May 31st, 2006 at 8:47 pm
i have wanted to comment here all day – but i cannot at work.
i too wondered why albert waited until after prince ranier’s death to make these acknowledgements… maybe he suddenly realized how important having a father is to a child. now that he is without his father – he sees the need to be one for his children.
oh who knows…
May 31st, 2006 at 11:57 pm
I don’t know how much it’s worth, but the girl looks like him. She even resembles Stephanie’s son Louis.
I think it’s a bit naive to assume Rainier didn’t know about the boy. It just seems to me it would be reflect badly on Albert to recognise him right after Rainier died, just so Rainier didn’t know about him. It seems sleazy. Waiting for his old man to croak so he could acknowlegde the kid…I’d hope that’s not how it was. Maybe Rainier wanted it that way…Peace in his final years. Scandal free.
June 1st, 2006 at 8:05 am
Scandal, titles, and money aside Albert is a deadbeat dad plain and simple. How about stepping up and taking part in your kids life help raising them, and I’m not talking about paying for everything. Start acting like a role model. As far as the word ‘illegitimate’ it is a nasty sounding word but it’s a lot better than bastard, which is how people used to refer to children out of wedlock. My child is out of wedlock but that doesn’t make her any less important. She’s still loved!
June 1st, 2006 at 9:08 am
I am sure they had a DNA test. That can be done anywhere now.
By him not aknowledging the children it makes it seem like the children are not worthy, or tainted. They did nothing wrong. My opinion on their mothers is not important, but children are innocent. Both of my children are legally “illegitimate” and their father and I have been together for 6 years. They are just as important as another child whos parents are married,and may not be happily married. Marriage doesn’t fix all problems. I hate when people think they are better then another person because they got married. Also everyone that has ever had premarital sex knows they could have ended up with an “illegitimate” child themselves. Some people have abortions or were just “lucky” to not get pregnant. My friend has a 12 year old son, and she had a man break up with her because he wanted to be the first to plant a seed in her garden.. What a joke. He was still intimate with her. Their relationship just didn’t produce a child. Funny how people think.
June 1st, 2006 at 10:19 am
Hmmm, I guess Prince Albert doesn’t only come in a can.
June 1st, 2006 at 3:14 pm
It was confirmed that he did order a paternity test done to cofirm that the girl was in fact his daughter and they came back positive and he acknowledges that. However, I find it strange that it mentioned
” Albert’s lawyer said the girl is welcome in Monaco but cannot take the royal throne or bear the Grimaldi family name “
Why can’t she take the family name? I am confused by that. Also, why is it that his illigitimate son was noted as being allowed to vie for the throne, while this girl can’t? That is very strange to me.
June 1st, 2006 at 3:40 pm
The girl’s name IS Grimaldi – her birth certificate is online at lefigaro.fr, I believe – but for some reason the palace is trying to say otherwise (probably since his son has not been given the name). Maybe he had her mother change it? I don’t know, but her name was definitely Grimaldi since her birth.
It’s very confusing right now. LOL I was hoping he would ignore the press and continue on in supporting his daughter privately but alas, her mother & the media wouldn’t allow it. At least for her sake they should have kept it quiet until she was 18 – which Albert is said to have wanted to do. She’s been a private citizen for 14 years – why not allow her to be for another 4?
Just my opinion
June 1st, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Oh, and Alex will never get the throne either. If Albert does not have any legitimate heirs his sister Caroline will succeed him.
June 1st, 2006 at 3:59 pm
Found her certificate for those interested:
http://www.thedesertsun.com/assets/pdf/news/2006/0601birthcertificate.pdf
June 1st, 2006 at 9:46 pm
As I’m sure many of you may have heard, it’s official – Albert is the father. He has admitted paternity.
June 2nd, 2006 at 9:53 pm
Sometimes I wonder if ET’s (Entertainment Tonight) background journalists browse CBB because I mentioned a comparison of Albert’s ‘daughter’ to “Princess Mia” from the “Princess Diaries” movie a few days ago,m and tonight ET had a segment where they compared the girl to “Princess Mia” showing scenes from the film and screenshots of the real teen (as well as Julie Andrews and photos of Princess Grace.)
Hey I should get paid because they stole my idea! lol! (Oh well I guess the comparison was pretty obvious.
)
June 2nd, 2006 at 10:04 pm
He makes my skin crawl. He has every resource on the world (private planes, homes around the world, plenty of vacation time) that would make it easy for him to see his babies. But he abandoned them, at least physically.
Plus, comments bashing the mom are in bad taste. Nothing she has done could ever measure up to Albert’s actions. Period. As far as Albert not wanting to add to his father’s stress- really that makes me more ill. He’s so concerned about his father’s stress, he can’t even imagine the stress on his own daughter growing up without being acknowledged by her dad.
June 2nd, 2006 at 11:56 pm
Nothing she has ever done? Forget the fact that she was on holiday with her husband when this kid was conceived…
I’m not saying that gives Albert the right to be a deadbeat, but until someone comes out and says that he hasn’t been supporting this girl to some extent, I think it’s naive to assume otherwise. Unless he sincerely didn’t believe the child was his. Her mother was married at the time so at least two people could’ve been her father. I’m not trying to rationalise though, as I believe he knew. At least knew enough not to just dismiss them, because he was with the woman.
As for him not seeing the kids, he did see his son, at least. He put him and his mum up in his own Paris flat and was photographed at least once holding the boy before the news broke – but I don’t think he’s been seen with him since. That would be nice – show some affection and not make it seem like he’s resentful. The child is last to blame.
As far as I’m concerned, Albert, Ms. Rotolo and Miss Coste were all consenting adults and are therefore all responsible for their actions. With all his money I find it hard to believe he would just abandon Jazmin – at least finacially – without reasonable doubt. But he could just as possibly be that nasty and neglectful a person for all any of us know.
June 3rd, 2006 at 12:29 pm
Autumn:
Every site I have been on has compared her story to that of The Princess Diaries, so youre not the only one who has. LOL =P It’s a good comparison (aside from the fact that Jazmin has always known her family was royalty). =)
June 3rd, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Annie:
I totally agree with you =)
About Tamara – I have read 2 versions of events: One that she was on holiday with a friend, and the second was that she was on holiday with her husband. Either way she was married. LOL
As far as comments about Albert “abandoning” his kids… Well, that’s not fully true. Albert has ALWAYS cared for those children. The man STILL took responsibility when he didn’t believe he was truly Jamin’s father. That says alot about him, doesn’t it? Would any other man fork out close to $10,000/month on a kid he didn’t believe was really his? Doubt it.
In regards to Alexandre… I recall reading an interview with Albert where he said something along the lines of how Alex’s mother was making it hard for him to see his son (or something like that LOL). He’s still taking care of that boy (AND his mother) even though he’s been treated like he has.
Albert a bad man? Hardly. He might be a moron when it comes to gold-diggers but he’s not the first one to be blind to them. At least he takes responsibility for his kids and allows them to live in a lap of luxury (even when he doubts they are really his) – he could just walk away or force the mothers to have abortions, etc.
But he doesn’t.
I might not like his actions (and might not like him all that much right now) but I can’t deny that he’s a better man then most.
June 3rd, 2006 at 6:51 pm
I was not making any comments regarding his financial support of his children. I’m sure he’s paid support. I was saying he physically abandoned his children. That’s different.