Wednesday April 6, 2022 marked the seventeenth anniversary of the death of Prince Rainier III of Monaco and the arrival on the throne of his son the Prince Albert II. If they always appeared smiling and welded in front of the cameras, father and son actually maintained rather complicated reports. An episode of the documentary Legacy given to the princely family of Monaco, which was broadcast on NRJ12, Thursday April 7, rightly highlighted their sometimes conflicting relationship.

Like the rapporteur several journalists and experts during the film, Prince Rainier involved his future heir in the political and economic life of the principality from his youth. But Grace Kelly’s husband sometimes gave her such a pressure that young Albert had difficulty following. As a teenager, he knows that he will have to reign over the Rock. Above all, it will have to be up to thehuge heritage and demands, often difficult to satisfy, of his father. Rainier III “will put the weight of the Grimaldi dynasty on Albert’s shoulders”explains Philippe Delorme, historian and author of The most beautiful hours of Monaco and the Grimaldi. “We expected him to be perfect”he adds. “Relations between father and son are very often stormy since Rainier is eternally dissatisfied”notes, meanwhile, Bertrand Deckers, journalist and columnist specializing in royal families. “For him, Albert never does enough”he finished.

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If their relationship was therefore often conflicting, the husband of Princess Charlene and her father had to learn to get along and work together. And for good reason, during the last years of his life, Rainier III was for a long time sick. Indeed, Grace Kelly’s husband underwent coronary artery bypass surgery in 1994, and six years later underwent partial lung removal to control a tumor. His health problems forced him to delegate part of the day-to-day business of the Principality to his son. The future Albert II was notably in charge of representing the sovereign during official trips abroad. What prepare him for his accession to the throne, a few years later.

Article written in collaboration with 6Medias.

Photo credits: DOMINIQUE JACOVIDES / BESTIMAGE