Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy

Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness of Massy (Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne Grimaldi; born Paris, 28 December 1920), is a non-dynastic member of the princely family of Monaco and the elder sister of the late Prince Rainier III and aunt of Albert II, Prince of Monaco. Her parents were Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois and Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois.

Antoinette is of French, Mexican^[1], Spanish, German, Scottish, English, Dutch, and Italian ancestry.

Marriages and issue

Princess Antoinette had a long-term liaison with Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, a Monegasque-born attorney and international tennis champion, in the mid 1940s. Three illegitimate children were born from this union, who lost their place in the line of succession to the Monegasque Throne with the death of Rainier III:

• Elisabeth-Anne (born 1947). Married twice with two children:
  • Jean-Léonard Taubert-Natta de Massy (b. 1974)
  • Mélanie de Lusignan (b. 1985)
• Christian Louis, Baron de Massy (Noghès) (b. Monaco, 17 January 1949), married firstly in Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, on 14 November 1970 and divorced in 1978 María Marta Quintana y del Carril (b. London, 17 June 1951) and had one daughter, married secondly Cécile N (b. Guadeloupe), without issue, married thirdly in Ramatuelle on 11 September 1982 and divorced in 1987 Anne Michelle Lütken (28 November 1959 - London, 25 November 2001), and had one son, and married fourthly ..., and had one son:
  • Laetizia de Massy (Noghès) (b. Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, 16 May 1971), married to Thomas de Brouwer (b. Antwerp, 22 March 1973), without issue
  • Brice Baron de Massy (Noghès) (b. 1988)
  • Antoine Baron de Massy (Noghès) (b. 1996? or 1997)
• Christine Alix de Massy (Noghès) (Monaco, 8 July 1951 - Nice, 15 February 1989), married firstly in Monaco on 14 February 1972 and divorced in 1976 Charles Wayne Knecht (b. Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, 23 November 1944), and had one son, and married secondly on 25 March 1988 Leon Leroy, without issue:
  • Keith Sebastian Knecht (b. Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, 1972), married in July 1999 Donatella Dugaginy, without issue.

1. Princess Antoinette and Alexandre Noghès subsequently married in Genoa on 4 December 1951 (her first, his second) and divorced in 1954.
   On 15 November 1951, Antoinette was created Baroness of Massy (Baronne de Massy). Her children (Elisabeth-Anne, Christian and Christine) were named Grimaldi at birth. They subsequently had their names changed to de Massy. They claim the title of Baron/Baroness through their mother, but they are not entitled to it. ^[2]
2. She married her second husband, Jean-Charles Rey (Monaco, 22 October 1914 - Monaco, 17 September 1994), president of the Conseil National, the Parlement de Monaco in The Hague on 2 December 1961 and they divorced in 1974.
3. Her third and last husband was John Gilpin (Southsea, Hampshire, 10 February 1930 - Monte Carlo or London, 5 September 1983), a renowned British ballet dancer, whom she married in Monaco on 28 July 1983. He died suddenly six weeks later.

Life account

Having divorced Noghès, she and her lover Jean-Charles Rey hatched a plan to depose her brother Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and declare herself Regent on the basis of having a son who would one day inherit the throne. She circulated rumours that Rainier's fiancee, actress Gisèle Pascal, was infertile. This led to the breakup of the relationship.

Rainier's marriage to Grace Kelly in 1956 and the arrival of his heirs, Princess Caroline in 1957 and Prince Albert in 1958, effectively scuttled Antoinette's plans.

She was removed from the Palace by Grace. She maintained a somewhat distant relationship with the Princely Family for many years. The relationship improved with time.

Princess Antoinette is known to be somewhat eccentric, even having been described as "completely mad" by her servants. Having been banished from Monaco in the late 1950s, she lives down the coast from Monaco at Èze, with a large collection of dogs and cats.

Princess Antoinette and her descendants lost their place in the line of succession to the Monegasque Throne in 2002 with the reform of the succession rules, with the death of Rainier III.

Ancestry

References

• Palace - My Life in the Royal Family of Monaco by Baron Christian de Massy & Charles Higham (1986, Atheneum, ISBN 0-689-11636-5)

External links

• Princely House of Monaco