Albert of Monaco: a cousin claims to be the true heir to the throne
Very appreciated by Monegasques, Albert II did not often see his title questioned. Yet it would seem that a man is determined to resolve his truth: Albert Grimaldi should not sit at the head of the principality according to Louis Causans, a distant cousin of the prince. He even accuses him of having usurped his place on the throne.
To read also: Royal wedding: Albert and Charlene of Monaco, the tears of a princess
Louis de Causans, real prince of Monaco?
The case dates back several decades, when Prince Albert 1uh still reigns. Father of a son named Louis who has no children, the sovereign then fears for the main descendants. A situation that has endangered the principality: it can then pass into the hands of the German branch of the royal family, heir to Prince Honoré III. To avoid this, France threatens Monaco with annexation and demands that the rules of succession be changed immediately. For the first time, an illegitimate child is thus recognized within the Monegasque royal family. Charlotte, born of an affair between Louis II and a certain Marie-Juliette, a cabaret hostess in Paris, becomes a princess. An exception that allows the Grimaldi family to keep their place on the Rock and oust the German descent. Or, Louis de Causans is precisely from this German branch! Today, he claims what he considers to be his place. Act to take this matter lightly, the latter affirmed on August 5 to the “Parisian”, to have demanded compensation from the French State to the tune of 351 million euros.
A determined cousin
Louis de Causans is not at his first attempt. In 2019, he had already intended a first legal action, rejected by the court. According to justice, the person in charge did not provide enough proof of his parentage. Law to give up, the cousin of Albert II has just embarked on a second procedure, which could be more successful than the previous one. “The case was taken seriously. For the first time since Charlotte’s adoption, we know the position of the French state, ”his lawyer told“ Parisien ”. A case that resurfaces while Albert II must already manage the long absence of his wife, still recovering in South Africa.