Alexandre Grimaldi covers the December issue of Tatler. Alexandre – who goes by Alex – is the son of Monaco’s Prince Albert and stewardess Nicole Coste. Prince Albert kept his years-long relationship with Nicole a secret, and the media didn’t know of Alex’s birth or existence for many years. Albert had several children out of wedlock, but his relationship with Nicole still makes headlines because Nicole gives interviews and she’s still involved in some way with Albert. Albert seems to be trying to provide for Alex like some kind of heir, and there’s definitely a well-financed effort to make Alex into a prince-adjacent celebrity figure. Like, this Tatler piece reads like someone is funding some elite PR, as does the magazine’s description of Alex’s life in New York, where he’s apartment-hunting for a January move. Some highlights:
Alex wants a business partnership with his father. ‘[I aspire to] work in a relationship with my dad and become this – let’s say – global ambassador for Monaco, and to bring business opportunities back to Monaco, which is what I’ve talked about with him.’
His life in New York: Alexandre is living in the Four Seasons while scoping out apartments (he plans to move to New York from London in January) and attending New York Fashion Week: a Chanel party in Williamsburg; a Dior event in Brooklyn; a Tommy Hilfiger brunch in Tribeca; and Naomi Campbell’s Pretty Little Thing show at the Cipriani.
He wants brand ambassadorships: ‘I relate to elegance. I love Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy. The big French houses. There’s a cultural connection which I admire.’ His most treasured piece of clothing is a pair of Off-White jeans designed by the late Virgil Abloh. ‘They have graphic angels in heaven. I’m a religious man. I like to go to church – I am Catholic – and to have that represented in fashion was quite nice.’ But don’t expect Alexandre to be strutting down the catwalk as a model: he has already turned down agency offers.
How he grew up: Nicole and Alexandre got on with their lives, living (together with two sons from her previous relationship) in the prince’s apartment in Paris, with an allowance. When Alexandre was a child, they moved to the South of France, New York and Geneva, and ultimately settled in Knightsbridge 13 years ago.
He’s not involved with the other Grimaldi dramas: ‘It was easy because I wasn’t too much in the public eye. It hasn’t affected me that much. Now it’s definitely going to become interesting, being more public and showing my face more, and being tied in with my family.’ Indeed, Alexandre’s blended family has allowed him to be part of two worlds, ‘especially, with my mum being French-African and my dad being Monegasque. I’ve had the pleasure of being brought up in two cultures and having that be part of my identity.’
He spends Christmas in St. Barth’s: Christmases and New Years have often been spent with his mother’s side of the family at Eden Rock in St Barths. ‘It’s one of my favourite places: I really like the island vibe, I love the sun,’ he says. ‘I went to Togo [recently] to visit my mum’s home country, which is a place that I really enjoy. I’d love to do charity there.’ And summers? They have long been spent in Monaco, dipping into royal life with his dad: playing volleyball and padel, watching movies (Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained is a favourite) and celebrating birthdays.
All seems well behind palace doors. ‘With my dad it’s good, we’re starting to see each other a lot more. During the holiday season, we are spending a lot of time together. It’s a very good relationship.’
His grandmother, Grace Kelly: ‘I’ve seen a couple of her Hitchcock movies, my favourite being Dial M for Murder. We [Jazmin and I] talk about her a lot, because of the things we’re currently doing – especially Jazmin, as she’s sort of following in our grandmother’s footsteps in Hollywood. We always talk about that and about how she wants to continue her legacy.’
Why he’s moving to NYC from London. ‘I feel I’ve outgrown [London]. Coming to New York is better for me to grow as a person, to be independent. This is the first time I’m moving out by myself. My mum understands that it’s necessary. Even though I’m her last child and she has that feeling that the last one’s leaving, she understands that it’s important for me to be independent.’
While this has not been the case historically, I do think that Albert is trying to “do right” by Alex in particular. While I find it messy, I also think it’s 2023 and the situation is surprisingly modern. Albert clearly wants to have a relationship with Alex, and Albert is now and has always been financing much of Alex’s life. I think the shift that’s happened in the past few years is that Alex has gotten older- he just celebrated his 20th birthday in Monaco, with the Grimaldis, over the summer. Now that he’s an adult, he can make choices about what kind of relationship he wants with his dad, and clearly, he wants to have some kind of place in the Grimaldi family and “the business” of being royal/royal-adjacent.
Cover & IG courtesy of Tatler.
The line “I relate to elegance” cracks me up. And yeah, Albert should support all his kids, financially and emotionally.
He has his grandmother’s (Princess Grace) chiseled bone structure and nose… a very handsome young man.
Actually he looks just like his mother – she has the same high cheekbones.
He’s a caramel version of her – thankfully.
He really is a beautiful man.
He’s very good looking.
Nicole Coste is gorgeous and Albert is …. not. So thankfully he takes after her more than Albert.
Me, too.
He would like to be the heir to the throne so much
Of course he does, and as Albert’s firstborn son, he should be.
But we all know why Albert didn’t marry Alex’s mother.
He could have legitimised his eldest children at any time, especially once his father died and the became The Prince.
The law is clear – only legitimate children can inherit, so him being the eldest son means nothing to the line of succession. If you look at the current LOS, there are like 5 people excluded from it.
The only way (under current laws of succession to the throne of Monaco) to legitimised Alexandre is for Albert to marry Alexandre’s mother.
@Beverly, no he should NOT be. He has an older half-sister. If the world were fair, SHE would be Albert’s heir. No, if the world were fair, Albert wouldn’t even be on the throne, Caroline would be, and Caroline’s oldest child would be the heir. The only reason Alexandre’s father is on the throne in the first place is because the monarchy is not fair. If we were to argue that it SHOULD be fair, then Alex still would not be the direct heir (he would be AN heir, of course, but much further down the line).
Albert would have had to marry Alex’s mother before his birth to be legitimate royally speaking. It can’t be done after the fact
@aurelia they can get away with all kinds of stuff. Albert’s grandmother Charlotte was her father’s (Louis I think) only child. He never even married her mother who was a washerwoman or waitress or something. But, as an absolute monarch, he had her named his heir. She abdicated her rights for her son Rainier.
@Aurelia Actually in Monaco it could be done after the fact. As long as the marriage is with the monarch’s approval.
This! He is the firstborn son of the Crown Prince of Monaco. He’s not the heir because of racism. Nicole was/is good enough to sneak around with, but not to marry, because Albert is a special brand of colonizer racist.
I’m sad that Alexandre wants to be an ambassador for a country that every day whisks him off to the servants quarters.
Well, he’s young. Someday he’ll realize that spending his youth in Paris, London, and New York, living in the Four Seasons while scoping out just the right domicile, is far far better than being shackled to some crusty old throne. If he needs evidence of that, I offer ever royal family in existence, including his own.
Seriously. And, unlike the Prince, he has the option of keeping his nose clean.
He’s definitely shopping himself around. Albert can pull some strings and get him a modeling contract in NY.
So thirsty! lol such ambition for fame, notoriety and taste for luxury. I hope we see more of him – he’s gonna be great for gossip! Pair him with the beckhams and the US nepobabies of his age!
Very thirsty! And comes over as entitled and conceited.
I’m sure PMK has her eye on him for one of her daughters….
It’s giving Prospero Usher teas 😬
OMG YES!
Nice! Let’s hope he’s a little smarter and not currently being stalked by the devil herself.
From this interview it’s clear how much he envies little Jacques LOL
I wouldn’t blame him for being envious. He is the oldest and should be the heir. Albert needing a white heir and disastrously ruining Charlene’s life in the quest for it is pretty awful.
I posted in response to someone else, but I’ll post here as well: no, he should NOT be the heir. He has an older half-sister. If the world were fair, SHE would be Albert’s heir. No, if the world were fair, Albert wouldn’t even be on the throne, Caroline would be, and Caroline’s oldest child would be the heir. The only reason Alexandre’s father is on the throne in the first place is because the monarchy is not fair. If we were to argue that it SHOULD be fair, then Alex still would not be the direct heir (he would be AN heir, of course, but much further down the line).
He basically wants to be a dilettante and an influencer. I’ll give him a pass due to his age and the way he was raised. Must be tough to have a Royal dad while you remain a commoner, hidden away until it’s safe to come out. I see he’s now being addressed fully as a Grimaldi and not the hyphenated surname he was given before.
I hope NYC is everything he’s looking for and more. He has the money and access to do great things so I hope he does something of impact other than aspire to opulence and more luxury.
He is still a Coste-Grimaldi I am guessing the publication have used Grimaldi in this instance, which is ironic given that Coste is her name from her previous marriage.
That family are so messy….
They’re all messy and I’m sure Nicole expected a marriage proposal the moment Rainier died, but that never happened. A friend of mine’s father is friendly with Albert (he lives in Monaco) and she has met him multiple times and can attest he has always been a womaniser. So who knows what tales he told Nicole?
I suppose he needed Coste as his legal name if he was kept a secret. Grimaldi in a birth cert would have been too obvious. I hope he changes it to Grimaldi as a FU to everyone.
His older sister Jazmin uses Grimaldi. No reason alexandre couldn’t.
He is much more diplomatic about his father’s messy family than Nicole. Not just Charlene and the twins, I have the impression that the rest of gis family is trashy and mean. And racist.
However, this interview is hilariously vapid, bordering on supid in presenting himself.
1. Name dropping luxury labels is the opposite of elegant.
2. Giving an interview to a UK socialite publication about outgrowing the London scene is the opposite of diplomatic or good business sense.
Get an education kid! If you want to do business, study that, get an internship l, too. Going to fashion events is not the way to become a global statesman. We should start a course about the subject here. There’s a market for it apparently.
I read the interview and they made a show of a butler coming up to him and being like “but who are you? you must be SOMEONE!” like all butlers at hotels like the FS would ever be so indiscreet and not know, beforehand, who the guest is!
However, it does mention he plans to study either at NYC or Fordham. If he does I hope he sticks it out and doesn’t drop out when someone famous offers him an internship and he decides that is better than an education.
“We should start a course about the subject here. There’s a market for it apparently”
Apparently the royals (or offspring) of multiple countries think that by virtue of birth they are global statesmen lol.
Agree Cee. There was no mention of him in any way shape or form aspiring to a career of any sort. Do all these kids of celebs only want to be influencers and models?
It’s good that he’s been raised to know and be proud of both sides of his family. Even better that he’s been to Togo. A lot of poverty there …maybe he can help philanthropically there.
Good luck to him. I don’t like his hair or his sweater, but he’s a good looking kid. He’ll do well in NYC.
So much this. In NYC, being young, rich, and beautiful will get you everywhere. No one gives a damn about your parents’ marital status. With full acknowledgement that racism plays heavily into his not being heir, being rich and unfettered in 2023 is a much better life.
I think it’s perhaps because Albert’s sister, Stéphanie, and his niece, Charlotte, have children from different relationships that he was able to really recognised both Alexandre and Jazmin. But I’m also sure he has other children we don’t know about.
Men are gross. If you’re not using a condom for casual encounters or while maintaining multiple relationships, WTaF? It sounds like he might have been in love with Alex’s mom and wanted a child with her, even if he couldn’t make that child his official heir, but droppin’ seed all over the place with no plans to be a father? And yeah I know condoms fail and both parties should be taking responsibility, but even the fact that we suspect Albert of being irresponsible on a wide scale speaks volumes.
Well, they were in a 5 year relationship…
With Alex’s mother, yes, but if there are more children we don’t know about …
How sheltered must they be to think that Jazmin will be having a career like Grace Kelly – this will never happen and if they lived in the real world they would know this. It’s just sad how Jazmin is trying so hard to look like Grace when there is no resemblance at all. It’s interesting how not one of her descendants looks like her but she still looms over all of them
The only one who looks like her is Gabriella, Albert and Charlene’s daughter. She is almost identical to Grace Kelly as a child
I don’t see it. Gabriella looks so much like her father especially with his nose.
Charlotte Casiraghi. She has the same bone structure.
Gabriella is still too young to draw comparisons
@GOOFPUFF
In fact Albert is the only one of Grace’s children who resembles her
I think Gabriella looks a lot like Albert but it’s so hard to tell with kids. Grace Kelly was Albert’s mother after all, so despite him not seeming to resemble her he does carry her genes. Some kids look the same from Day One while others can change quite a bit as they get older.
She and Jacques are both cute kids and Alexander is very handsome.
He’s a cute kid with decent ambitions, a seemingly level head on his shoulders, is well traveled, and has a desire for philanthropy. Unlike he who shall not be named.
I looked at some of the photos and he’s also very stylish. His hair looks good and the outfits he wore were great- he looked impeccable. Still its good he’s turned down modeling offers which shows he’s more than just a pretty face. It’s great that Albert is looking out for him and encouraging him to make international business connections. Its also wonderful that he has close relationships with Jazmin, his other half sibling and his aunt, Princess Stephanie. Princess Grace was truly beautiful and Hollywood is tough, but Jazmin might make it. I wish him well.
He would benefit from some sort of university degree if international business is his ambition.
I am sorry, but level-headed? He sounded like any other spoiled entitled rich kid. What he needs is an education and maybe some hard knocks so he can understand what the real world is like. He came off like an insufferable brat.
He’s cute, and his story is interesting. I’m more interested in learning more about him than, say, Kaia Gerber or (insert any other random nepo baby here).
Caaaringe! A 20 year old has outgrown London? He relates to elegance?
I fully intend to quote that every chance I get.
10 years from now he’ll look back on this interview and go “caaaringe”.
Does anyone know how many illegitimate children Albert has and who they are?
At least Jazmin and alexandre and I think there’s a third? Or was that awaiting paternity tests a few years back?
The grimaldis are so messy. With this, plus being part American, I’m surprised they aren’t covered more in us gossip blogs and magazines. Caroline was for decades. They have more interesting events and fashion too.
There is a proven third baby in the South of France (Marseille) but I think Albert learned lessons from Jazmin and Alexandre so that baby is being shielded to avoid media intrusion.
I remember the sad but hilarious FAIL article at the time, the family of the mother decided to put a new recipe called ‘Cous Cous Albert’ on their restaurant Menu to get him to get his act together and admit paternity, so guessing the family is Algerian/ Moroccan.
That baby was the reason Charlene was trying to escape just before the wedding. I am going to guess Paris Match withheld that scoop until just before the wedding to make a huge bang. Paris Match HATE Prince Albert with a passion and Nicole doing her Paris Match expose was the reason Albert and Nicole eventually fell out along with him trying to treat Alexandre like a dirty secret.
Then there is the most recent scandal from a few years ago which prompted Charlene to again bolt to South Africa.
So at the very least Prince Albert has 4 non-marital children that we know of.
He’s a nepto baby pretending he’s more than a nepto baby.
He sounds completely vapid.
Yeah I’m not that impressed…
In Alex defense this interview sounds like his mother. I wouldn’t be surprised if she answered for him. Hopefully he gets an education and keeps/gets a level head. If he doesn’t he will be stuck with the worst hanger-ons.
I feel for him, he’s going to cringe and regret this later. I wonder who is mentoring him…. He really needs to educate himself a bit more, experience life a bit and keep his head down.