ROYAL BUZZ
Prince Albert reveals mom Grace Kelly was the ‘more tolerant’ parent
Prince Charlene’s husband now works in his late mother Princess Grace’s office in Monaco
Prince Albert of Monaco was only 24 when his mother Grace Kelly died following a car accident. The now-62-year-old royal opened up about his late mother in BBC Two’s three-part series Inside Monaco: Playground of the Rich. Albert revealed that Princess Grace was “more tolerant” than his father Prince Rainier III. “It’s just incredible that so many years after her passing she still very much has a vivid presence in a lot of people’s minds and hearts,” he said of his mother, according to The Daily Mail.
In the series, which was filmed last summer, Princess Charlene’s husband revealed that he would talk to his father about his role as Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Albert recalled, “When my father talked to me about the job he said, ‘You will be alone in that room and you have to be ready for it psychologically and emotionally.’”Albert succeeded his father as the ruler of the Principality in 2005 following Rainier’s passing and now works out of his late mother’s former office in Monaco. The Prince acknowledged that not every day on the job is “wonderful bliss and enjoyment.” “It’s not easy for anybody in a position of responsibility,” he confessed. “There are some very unpleasant meetings. I try to think what nice things will come after my meetings are over . . . having a nice glass of wine.” Albert added, “Even spontaneity has to be scheduled.”
Albert’s older sister Princess Caroline has previously opened up about her relationship with her mom and dad. In the book Albert II of Monaco, The Man and The Prince, Charlotte Casiraghi’s mother admitted that she and her siblings had a closer relationship with their nanny Maureen Wood than their parents when they were young. “Until we were 14, we wouldn’t eat with our parents,” Caroline shared. “For my brother and I, Maureen was the key figure in our life…When we were little, we were probably closer to our nanny than to our parents.”
Grace died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1982 after being involved in a car accident with her youngest daughter Princess Stephanie. During a 2017 interview with Graham Bensinger, Prince Albert revealed that his father was “deeply affected” by Princess Grace’s death. He shared, “He wasn’t quite the same man as he was before the accident.” Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella’s father noted that it took some time for him to feel “normal again.” Albert said, “It always takes a while and you recover thanks to your other family members and to your friends and to people that are dear to you to provide comfort. It also takes a few years to really fully come to terms with that.”
