Charlotte Casiraghi on her father’s death: ‘My dad gave me courage’
Grace Kelly’s granddaughter opened up during an emotional interview and talked about her dad’s death, her new book and how she faces critics
Charlotte Casiraghi is in the midst of a whirlwind tour to unveil a very special personal project - Archipelago of Passions, the book she wrote with her philosophy teacher Robert Maggiori. Prince Albert of Monaco’s niece was in Italy over the weekend, where she visited writer Massimo Gramellini’s programme, Le Parole della Settimana to talk about her literary work, but she also opened up about many other issues, such as the tragic death of her father Stefano Casiraghi.
Charlotte’s father died in 1990 in a speed boat accident during an offshore competition during which he was defending his World Champion title. Even though she was just a four-year-old girl when this happened, she still remembers what that meant to her and how she coped with his absence. “When I think about him, I remember his courage,” the beautiful royal said during her emotional appearance, “everything he did reminds me how brave he was. Losing someone, somehow, makes you take on that courage, to get over the anguish and fear that it provokes. I could say my dad gave me courage.”
Charlotte also talked about the pressure of modern life and how to cope with criticism in times of social media: “No one is free of evil. We all have suffered the effects of malicious words or judgements,” she said during the chat, “Sometimes people may criticize the way you look, or even your family, things that have nothing to do with our intrinsic values. I have been there. I have listened to hard words about me. But you have to put some distance,” she said showing the reason why she has earned the title of Princess Philosopher.
