Alexandre Grimaldi made a key appearance at Antoine de Massy's funeral. “I love you now and always," said Grimaldi from the lectern at Monaco Cathedral on Wednesday, November 4. It was a statement that was felt across all mourners.
© AFP via Getty ImagesAlexandre, the 23-year-old son of Prince Albert II and Nicole Coste, had come to say goodbye to Antoine, the 29-year-old relative he’d grown up thinking of as an older brother. He died unexpectedly on October 25, leaving the princely family reeling.
On Wednesday, family and friends gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate to lay him to rest, in a service marked by grief, memories, and plenty of tears.
A eulogy in two languages
Alexandre spoke first in English, then in French, addressing his cousin as “my big brother,” as reported by the Monaco Matin. He went back to their childhood, to the vacations they’d shared and the hours spent at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Antoine, he told the congregation, was the one who taught him “to drive a car in the parking lot of the Monte-Carlo Country Club.”
© Corbis via Getty ImagesHe remembered their trips together to the Caribbean as “some of the happiest moments of my life.” Alexandre closed with the line that carried the room: “I love you now and always.”
The vicar general, Guillaume Paris, also addressed the congregation, offering words of comfort to the grieving family.
The family gathers
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene were among the mourners and were joined by the prince’s sisters, Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie. Antoine’s parents, Baron Christian de Massy and Cécile Gelabale, were also there.
Alexandre was one of four young men who carried Antoine’s coffin into the cathedral. Resting on top of it was a small crocheted dog, a tender nod to Antoine’s lifelong love of animals.
The emotion peaked as the service ended with Ray Charles’ “The Sun Died,” a classic soul ballad about the deep sorrow and emptiness that follow the loss of a great love, as reported by Riviera Radio. From there, the funeral procession made its way to Monaco Cemetery, where Antoine was buried.
© Getty ImagesA death still under investigation
The circumstances of Antoine’s death remain under judicial investigation. He died after a fall of over 40 feet near Avenue Princesse Grace. His body was found in a garden area behind the Villa Sauber museum. A 42-year-old man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and failure to assist a person in danger. He remains presumed innocent while the case proceeds.
Antoine’s father has made clear he doesn’t believe the official questions have easy answers. Speaking to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Christian de Massy rejected the idea that his son’s death was either an accident or a suicide. “I rule it out completely. It wasn’t an accident, nor was it suicide, nothing like that, but I can’t talk about it now because there’s an investigation underway.”
Antoine’s loss has hit the princely family hard, and his place in it runs deep. His paternal grandmother was Princess Antoinette, the elder sister of Prince Rainier III, making Antoine’s father a first cousin of Prince Albert.
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