Unconventional rebel The wild times are over - Stéphanie of Monaco turns 60

Gabriela Beck

1.2.2025

Her stormy years made her the darling of the tabloids. Today she stands for family and social commitment. How Stéphanie of Monaco completed her 180-degree turnaround.

No time? blue News summarizes for you

  • Stéphanie of Monaco has been through a lot: the early death of her mother Grace Kelly, catwalk and chart successes, several failed relationships.
  • The tabloid press loved the Monegasque princess, whose love life repeatedly made headlines in the 80s and 90s.
  • Stéphanie of Monaco turns 60 on February 1.

Short hair, round glasses and usually an outfit that looks casual and relaxed. A woman at peace with herself. Only the headlines of old newspapers bear witness to the eventful love life of the princely "enfant terrible", who once lolled on the beach in a video clip in skimpy bikini bottoms.

Today, Stéphanie of Monaco, who turns 60 on February 1, is fully absorbed in her role as a benefactor, mother of three and grandmother of two granddaughters.

Her youngest grandchild, Constance, was born at the beginning of December 2024. The Princess said in an interview with the women's magazine "Gala" that she was incredibly lucky. Her son Louis and his wife Marie made her a proud grandmother of two.

She also spoke enthusiastically about her role as a grandmother in the weekly newspaper "Point de Vue": "I am very happy for them and, selfishly, also for me as a grandmother. I'm very happy to be it again, because it's a nice adventure."

Three children from two bodyguards

Louis is Stéphanie's eldest child. The 32-year-old comes from her first marriage to ex-bodyguard Daniel Ducruet, from whom she also has 30-year-old daughter Pauline. Her third child, 26-year-old Camille, comes from her relationship with Jean-Raymond Gottlieb, also one of her former bodyguards.

"Family is the strongest anchor you can have," she told "Gala". She likes big families where everyone comes together. She and her children have managed to do that. They have created a little cocoon. The birth of her children was also one of the best moments in her life. In an earlier dpa interview, she said: "Being a mother is the most beautiful job".

Princess Stéphanie began a career in music in the mid-1980s: In the summer of 1986, she released her first LP with the title Besoin, which reached the international Top 10. Pictured during a performance on April 13, 1991 on Wetten, dass...?
Princess Stéphanie began a career in music in the mid-1980s: In the summer of 1986, she released her first LP with the title Besoin, which reached the international Top 10. Pictured during a performance on April 13, 1991 on Wetten, dass...?
Picture: imago stock&people

Stéphanie herself lost her mother Gracia Patricia of Monaco when she was 17. She was in the car in which the Princess of Monaco, also known as film actress Grace Kelly, was killed in an accident in 1982.

Scandals and love without class boundaries

The tabloid press loved Stéphanie, whose love life repeatedly made the headlines. Instead of loving aristocrats and rich men, she gave her heart to bodyguards, circus performers and other unconventional partners. But none of her relationships lasted long.

She divorced Ducruet, whom she married in 1995 after the birth of her two children Louis and Pauline, just one year later. She did not forgive him for his flirtation with a Belgian stripper.

The relationship with Gottlieb broke up shortly after the birth of Camille. The secret wedding in September 2003 to circus artist Adans Lopez Peres, who was almost ten years younger, was once again a feast for the tabloids - as was the divorce 14 months later.

Short careers as a singer and fashion designer

Regardless of labels, Stéphanie tried to make a name for herself as a singer and artist in the 1980s. Her first record in the mid-1980s entitled "Ouragan" (English: "Irresistible") was a hit and conquered the charts in several countries.

"One Love To Give", her single release, also stormed the charts. However, the pop princess only shone for a short time as a new star in the musical firmament.

Her career as a designer was also short-lived. In 1985, she launched "Pool Position", a collection of swimsuits and beachwear for which she also posed as a model. An adventure that ended in 1987.

Similar interests in her daughters

Stéphanie has passed on her former love of fashion to her daughter Pauline. In 2018, the young woman launched her "Alter Design" collection - unisex and environmentally conscious. And Camille has inherited her mother's charitable streak.

After the fatal accident of one of her friends, she founded "Be Safe Monaco", an association that fights drunk driving among young people. She also shares Stéphanie's passion for the circus world. For years, Camille has been at her side when the curtain rises each year for the start of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, of which Stéphanie is President.

In 2004, Stéphanie founded the AIDS aid association Fight Aids Monaco, which she has chaired ever since. In 2006, the Princess was appointed Special Representative of the international organization UNAIDS, which is dedicated to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Today, she is its "Goodwill Ambassador".

Stéphanie: "Mistakes are important"

Stéphanie has never regretted any of her life decisions: "Mistakes are important because you learn from them. I wouldn't want to do anything differently in my life, otherwise I wouldn't be who I am today," she said in the dpa interview.

Today, she is absorbed in her family and her charitable work. Dedicating time to the sick, helping them and knowing that you can at least alleviate their suffering a little fulfills her, she continued: "Our world is very self-centered, very egotistical. This work has become a kind of life drive for me."


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