Albert II, born Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi on 14 March 1958 at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, is the Sovereign Prince of Monaco.
He is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, the American actress formerly known as Grace Kelly.
He succeeded his father upon Rainier’s death on 6 April 2005 and was formally invested as prince on 12 July 2005.
As head of the House of Grimaldi, he serves as the hereditary ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He married Charlene Wittstock, a former Olympic swimmer from South Africa, in 2011.
Siblings
Albert II has two sisters. The elder is Caroline, Princess of Hanover, born on 23 January 1957.
She has been married three times, most recently to Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, and has four children: Andrea, Charlotte, and Pierre Casiraghi from her second marriage to Stefano Casiraghi, and Princess Alexandra of Hanover from her third marriage.
Caroline has long been active in cultural and philanthropic work in Monaco, including leadership roles with the Princess Grace Foundation and various arts organizations.
The younger sister is Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, born on 1 February 1965.
She has pursued careers in singing, fashion design, and modeling, and has been involved in humanitarian efforts, particularly through her foundation Fight AIDS Monaco.
Stéphanie has three children: Louis and Pauline Ducruet from her marriage to Daniel Ducruet, and Camille Gottlieb.
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Career
Albert was educated at the Lycée Albert Premier in Monaco and graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1981 with a degree in political science.
He briefly served in the French Navy.
Following the death of his mother in 1982, he became president of the Monaco Red Cross and vice-president of the Princess Grace Foundation.
From the mid-1980s he increasingly assisted his father in state affairs and held various management trainee positions in banking, advertising, and law in New York and Paris.
An accomplished athlete, he competed in bobsleigh for Monaco at five consecutive Winter Olympic Games from 1988 to 2002 and founded the Monegasque Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.
He has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1985 and serves as president of the Monegasque Olympic Committee.
Since ascending the throne, he has focused on environmental protection, ocean conservation, and sustainable development, establishing the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in 2006 to support related projects worldwide.
Accolades
As Sovereign Prince, Albert II is Grand Master of the Order of Saint-Charles, the Order of the Crown, and the Order of Grimaldi.
He has received numerous foreign decorations and international recognitions for his environmental and sporting contributions.
These include the United Nations Environment Programme’s Champions of the Earth award, the Teddy Roosevelt Medal, the Global Advocate Award from the United Nations, and various honorary doctorates.
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