Some say “life is a circus,” but that was literally the case for one of Grace Kelly’s granddaughters. Pauline Ducruet, whose mother Princess Stephanie of Monaco started dating an elephant trainer in 2001 and later married a Portuguese acrobat in 2003, opened up in a new interview with The Telegraph about her time living in a caravan with a traveling circus. “That was random,” the 27-year-old ALTER designer recalled.

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“But it was interesting and I was outside with animals all the time. I was with kids from all around the world – German, English, Italian, Spanish – and we had our own little language. It was a moment of pure freedom that I don’t think a lot of kids get to have,” she continued.

Stephanie shares Pauline and son Louis Ducruet with her ex-husband and former bodyguard Daniel Ducruet, whom she married in 1995 and divorced in 1996. While their marriage did not last, Pauline revealed that her parents remained close.

“When we grew up, my mom and dad were really close. Even though they got divorced really early, they always made a point for us to grow up with two parents,” she shared. “He [her father] brought out my more tomboy side – when I was with him, I was with my two brothers, and I wanted to do the same as them. If they said, ‘You’re a girl, you’re too young,’ I’d say, ‘Let me show you.’”

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In addition to Pauline and Louis, Stephanie is also a mother to daughter Camille Gottlieb, who was born in 1998. Reflecting on the “contrast between the circus and watching her mother dress up” for events in the south of France, Pauline said: “It was amazing to be so up and down.”

Prince Albert’s niece added, “It builds up your character and experiencing all those things makes you a stronger person. I understand [that my upbringing was unusual] and I cherish it. I’m grateful to have had the childhood I did.”