She's the spitting image of her mother, as they say. Indeed, Charlotte Casiraghi (40) looks like a younger version of her mom. And like Princess Caroline of Hanover (69), the Monegasque princess, she is considered one of Europe's most elegant women. A style icon capable of influencing the taste of millions of women - just like her mother.
Age plays no role in this. Princess Caroline is 69, her expressive face framed by salt-and-pepper hair, a perfect picture. Daughter Charlotte, whether with dark, shoulder-length hair or severely combed-back hair, bears a striking resemblance to the young Caroline. She turns 40 on August 3.
Tragedies Struck Both Women
The timeless beauty of both women doesn't conform to any trend. It's shaped by naturalness - and a certain tragedy in both women's lives. In 1982, Monaco's Princess Grace Patricia, the former actress Grace Kelly, died at 52 in a car accident. She was Caroline's mother and grandmother to the then-unborn Charlotte, who was virtually born into the aftermath of this tragedy. In 1990, Caroline's husband, Italian industrialist heir Stefano Casiraghi, died in a powerboat racing accident while defending his world championship title. He was only 30 years old; Charlotte was three when she lost her father and became a half-orphan.
Charlotte, along with her two brothers Andrea (born 1984) and Pierre Casiraghi (born 1987), didn't grow up in Monaco, her family's principality on her mother's side, but in a village, away from the jet-set hustle of Monte Carlo. After her husband's death, Caroline moved with the children first to St. Rémy-de-Provence, later to Le Mée-sur-Seine near Paris. Charlotte attended public school and passed her high school diploma in Fontainebleau in 2004 with the highest distinction, summa cum laude (like her mother, incidentally). She then studied philosophy at the Sorbonne University in Paris. French philosopher Robert Maggiori is considered an important, influential advisor.
Born Into the Celebrity Spotlight
Of course, Charlotte Casiraghi grew almost automatically into the life of a celebrity star. She comes from one of the world's most famous families: Her maternal grandfather, Prince Rainier III (1923-2005), was head of state of Monaco for decades, succeeded in 2005 by her uncle Prince Albert (69). Her maternal grandmother was Oscar-winning Hollywood star Grace Kelly (1929-1982), one of the world's most dazzling women. Her unpredictable stepfather Prince Ernst August of Hanover (72), her mother's third husband, belongs to European high nobility and has always been good for headlines. He has lived separated from his wife since 2009.
Although Charlotte Casiraghi holds neither an official position nor a title from the reigning House of Grimaldi, she has been featured in the media as a Monaco princess since childhood. At just 16, she was included in the list of most eligible bachelorettes (10th place). And 20 years ago, Vanity Fair magazine selected her for its list of the world's best-dressed women.
Actually, fashion wasn't even the first option in her career aspirations. While Chanel couturier Karl Lagerfeld was one of the family's closest friends and knew her as a child, Charlotte was more interested in equestrian sports and the humanities. In riding, she competed like a professional, even being admitted to the Global Champions Tour in 2009, where the world's best show jumpers compete. Her intelligence and diplomatic skill as Caroline's daughter also shone through in sports: She managed to get fashion house Gucci to sponsor her competitions; in return, she advertised Gucci accessories and eventually became brand ambassador for the label's equestrian collections.
Career in the Fashion Industry and Beyond
She then modeled for Paris fashion house Yves Saint Laurent for the Fall 2018 collection as the campaign's main face and worked for luxury line Montblanc. Finally, in 2020, she became a Chanel brand ambassador and the star of the Spring/Summer 2021 campaign. A year later, she demonstrated her flair for creativity and unusual staging: At the Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture show, she rode on horseback across the runway.
But Charlotte Casiraghi never wanted to settle for, let alone resign herself to, highly paid and commercially effective fashion appearances. She worked in Paris and London as a magazine editor, including for the Sunday edition of British online newspaper The Independent and Above magazine. She interviewed English designer Stella McCartney and Italian reporter and author of the mafia bestseller Gomorrha, Roberto Saviano. And she continued her philosophy studies and completed a master's degree.
The Dark Side of Attention
Particularly as a female member of her glamorous family, she often found the attention burdensome. "More is always expected of girls, they're more likely to be expected to conform to certain expectations, their love lives, their decisions, their appearance are scrutinized much more closely," Charlotte Casiraghi told Psychologies magazine. The media frenzy around her was always much stronger than around her brothers, especially regarding her relationships.
From 2011 to 2015, she was in a relationship with actor and comedian Gad Elmaleh (55), who is also the father of her son Raphaël (12). In 2018, she gave birth to her second son Balthazar; the father is film producer Dimitri Rassam (45), whom she married in 2019. The marriage was dissolved in 2024.
Meanwhile, the media rarely reports on her love life anymore. Also, "fashion deliberately plays a supporting role in Charlotte Casiraghi's life. Her passion, by contrast, belongs to a world that is completely quiet and not at all visual: philosophy," writes fashion bible Vogue. This development could also be interpreted as a family legacy. "I grew up with a brilliant, highly educated mother who set high intellectual standards, but as a child you also struggle with your parents' wishes - or rather with what you think they expect of you," she explained to Psychologies. Her mother's high standards shaped her profoundly: While she initially lost her joy of reading, this pleasure returned vehemently. Even more: Charlotte writes herself.
Literary Ambitions
In 2018, the Kindle book Archipel des Passions (Archipelago of Passions) was published, conversations about human emotions such as arrogance, joy, cruelty, love. Charlotte published it together with philosopher Robert Maggiori. And half a year ago, her literary-philosophical nonfiction book La Fêlure hit the market. Over nearly 400 pages, she describes the fragility of existence through the works of various writers.
"I was often reduced to a glossy image, to a life full of dreams and privileges. It can be reduced to a few clichés of balls or fashion shows," writes Charlotte Casiraghi in the foreword. "But everything that might be significant for me, my convictions, or my personality is almost never revealed through this image that clings to me."
In addition, with the institute Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco, she has another platform where "major questions of our time are discussed" (Vogue). She has also been hosting Chanel's literary culture series since 2021, featuring famous authors such as Siri Hustvedt and Rachel Eliza Griffiths.
