A New Royal star rises in Monaco

The tiny principality of Monaco, once famously described as a "sunny place for shady people", was catapulted into the glare of the world media spotlight in the Fifties when its ruler, Prince Rainier, married American film star Grace Kelly. And it has been anchored firmly in that spotlight ever since--and the spotlight has multiplied in intensity in the intervening decades.

In time, the spotlight veered from Princess Grace to her daughter Caroline and now has focused on Grace's grand-daughter, 15 year-old Charlotte. Charlotte was the second child of Caroline's marriage to Stefano Casiraghi, tragically killed in a speedboat accident in 1990 in the waters off Monaco.

Caroline was something of a headstrong rebel when she reached her teenage years and drove mother Grace and father Rainier to distraction with her penchant for unsuitable partners before settling down with Stefano Casiraghi. The fact that she inherited the stunning good looks of her film star mother made her a natural target for paparazzi, who had begun to prowl the jetstream of Europe's royalty and aristocracy.

With the experience and scars from those years as the No. 1 paparazzi target behind her, Caroline is now gently introducing daughter Charlotte to the world as her 16th birthday in August looms on the horizon. She has been brought up in the small town of St. Rémy-de-Provence -- not far from the Principality--before her mother's marriage to Prince Ernst of Hanover when Caroline purchased Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld's chateau in Fontainebleu, just outside the French capital.

A couple of years ago, Charlotte began appearing in public with her mother and stepfather at events such as Monaco's Formula One Grand Prix, the Principality's world-famous circus and the ballet which had been established by grandmother Princess Grace. The whole process has been done so gently, gently despite the family now living within spitting distance of the French capital and its distractions.

France's privacy laws are among the most stringent in Europe and the Grimaldi family have not hesitated to use the French courts when they felt the media have stepped out of line. Her mother's experience means that, whatever else, Charlotte can feel some security behind those laws.

From an early age, Charlotte--like most young royals--became fascinated with the equestrian world and has been devoted to improving herself in this sport to the extent that she is now competing regularly at events throughout France. Swimming, skiing and snowboarding also take up some of her leisure time.

Charlotte's brothers Andrea and Pierre have also benefited from the "mummy-knows-best" regime installed by Princess Caroline. But as the paparazzi hunt goes on to find the next Royal "superstar" to succeed the late Princess of Wales, the pressures on such an obvious contender as Charlotte will intensify.

--By Bob Houston, Royalty magazine Volume 17 No. 5 pp 44-45


Zara tears up the Royal rulebook

One of the changes that has manifested itself in the last decades of the last century was one of attitude to Royals--the fact that being Royal was only an adjunct to being a "celebrity." This has had its effect on every member of the House of Windsor, and the latest example underlines what has changed.

Over the Christmas holiday period, celebrity hunters poring over their favorite reading would have come across photographs aplenty of Zara Phillips, the Princess Royal's 20 year-old daughter, in her modest Gloucestershire home.

So what? But sharing the picture shoot with Zara was her boyfriend, the jockey Richard Johnson. There could be no doubts--they are living together or, as some would have it, Richard is her "live-in" boyfriend.

The Princess Royal made it clear after the births of both her children, Peter and Zara, that they were not to be treated as royalty. Difficult, but Princess Anne persisted and there were no titles bestowed on the children.

Apart from mutterings about how much the magazine paid Zara and her boyfriend for allowing their cameras into their privacy, the fact of their cohabitation barely raised an eyebrow with the British public.

As we were to hear only weeks later when Prince Harry's exploits were worldwide front page news, "Well, that's what modern youngsters do, isn't it?"

It pays to remember that Zara shows every sign of emulating her mother's success in the equestrian world--Anne represented Britain at the Montreal Olympics--and it was while her mother was immersed in the sport that she met her future husband--and father of her children--Captain Mark Phillips. Three decades later, it seems that Zara is following in her mother's footsteps in more ways than one.

Whatever passed as a Rulebook for young Royals has long become an anachronism. Strictly speaking, it should not have applied to the non-Royal Zara. But both she and her cousin Prince Harry, in diverse ways, are products of the times in which we live.

--By Bob Houston Royalty magazine Volume 17 No. 5 pp 46-47


Why Madeleine had to flee from the paparazzi

Princess Madeleine of Sweden has fled London, where she was studying English, because of incessant attention from the paparazzi. The 19 year-old, who moved to Chelsea four months ago, could not cope with the constant glare of the cameras. The youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia found the attention of photographers "extremely tough," said Elisabeth Tarras-Wahlberg, the Swedish royal palace spokesman.

"She has returned to Stockholm. One of the main reasons was the paparazzi." Her decision not to return to London after the Christmas holiday was made after it became apparent that her plea for privacy was being ignored.

Princess Madeleine, who is third in line to the throne after her elder sister Crown Princess Victoria, 24, and brother Prince Carl Philip, 21, had shared the London home of a family friend and had hoped to "live like a normal girl" while improving her English.

But in recent years both she and her sister have become lucrative targets for paparazzi looking for fresh subject matter after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Crown Princess Victoria has been the subject of unwanted paparazzi attention since coming of age, and has had to fight an eating disorder, a condition confirmed by the palace, in full view of the media.

Although there is no ready market in Britain, where the Swedish princess is relatively unknown, freelance photographers are able to sell pictures of her to a variety of European publications. The Spanish Hola! recently used paparazzi pictures of her, and Swedish magazines such as Se Og Hor, express a keen interest in her activities. Some Scandinavian newspapers and gossip magazines have followed her romance with Daniel Collert, 25, the stepson of a wealthy Swedish banker, with undiminished interest.

Princess Madeleine had been shielded from the cameras while at school. But photographers caught her on holiday in the French Riviera, and have pursued her in London as interest in her romantic life grows. She has also been linked recently with Pierre Ladow, the son of a Swedish industrialist.

In an attempt to curb press interest, the Princess agreed to meet journalists at the Swedish embassy in London three weeks after arriving in the British capital.

She said then: "I had hoped for a private life in London. I want to speak with the media now, once and for all, so I can have peace and quiet later. I have felt chased. It's no fun to have people lying in wait for you at the door of your house."

She confessed that she did not follow newspaper reports about her in Sweden, but did hear rumors from friends. "My friends call from home and say things like, 'They're saying over here that you were at a club until five in the morning, is that true?' And it's not true most of the time."

Princess Madeleine, who is 11 days older than Prince William, also poured cold water on speculation she was a potential girlfriend for the British heir to the throne. "He seems nice," she said. "I've never met him." The princess had hoped to perfect her English by living in London. "I've been to England a couple of times and have always felt comfortable. I've always wanted to go abroad, to get to know other cultures and try new things," she said in a recent interview with a Swedish newspaper.

The Swedish royal family are immensely popular, largely due to their down-to-earth style. At home they have been spared the intrusive and aggressive techniques of the paparazzi that are common in other parts of Europe. In general, the Swedish public and media respect their privacy and as a result they are often seen on the streets of Stockholm or in restaurants with friends.

But in recent years the Swedish press has become more daring, and magazines in particular are ensuring that they cover the every move of the two eligible and unmarried princesses.

--Bob Houston, Royalty magazine Volume 17 No. 5 pp 48-49.