Caroline von Hannover divorced her first husband, the financial broker Philippe Junot, in 1980 after just two years of marriage and soon had to cope with another stroke of fate: her mother, Princess Gracia Patricia, died as a result of a tragic car accident in 1982. The former actress Grace Kelly was only 52 years old, from then on the then 25-year-old Caroline had to take on the role of Monaco’s mother.
Thanks to Stefano Casiraghi, the sun shone again in Caroline von Hannover’s life
Princess Caroline of Monaco certainly didn’t believe that the sun would soon shine for her again. But life was on her side and so she met and fell in love with the Italian entrepreneur’s son Stefano Casiraghi. On December 29, 1983, the dream couple said yes, it was to be their true love. Six months after their wedding, their first child together, son Andrea Casiraghi, was born on June 8, 1984, and a little later he had his sister Charlotte Casiraghi as a playmate. A short time later, Pierre Casiraghi completed the trio.
A tragic accident destroyed the family’s happiness
What followed were happy family moments, wonderful holidays and couples in love. Nothing and no one seemed to be able to break Caroline and Stefano apart. But their happiness was not to last long: Stefano Casiraghi died in a boating accident at the Off-Shore World Championships off Cap Ferrat on October 3, 1990. He was only 30 years old. On October 6th, Caroline had to bury her beloved husband. A dark day in the otherwise dazzling city-state on the French Mediterranean coast, on which the whole of Monaco cried with its “Princess of Hearts”.