Princess Stephanie Of Monaco life and biography

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac (born Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi) is a member of the princely family of Monaco. She is the youngest child of Grace, Princess of Monaco and Rainier III of Monaco, and the sister of Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline.

Stephanie was a passenger in the 1982 auto crash which killed Princess Grace.

After the crash, Stephanie developed a reputation as the headstrong enfant terrible of the Grimaldi family, partying across Europe and dating a succession of men. She dabbled in fashion design (creating a line of swimwear called "Pool Position" in 1985) and tried her hand at pop music, releasing the album Besoin in 1986 (including the hit "Ouragan") and Stephanie in 1991. Her romance with a bodyguard, Daniel Ducret, resulted in two children (Louis, b. 1992, and Pauline Grace, b. 1994) before their marriage in 1995. The marriage ended a year later after Ducret was spotted cavorting with a Belgian stripper. Stephanie had a third child, Camille, in 1998 but refused to name the father. Among her other colorful boyfriends was Franco Knie, an elephant trainer and the head of the Circus Knie, a Swiss troupe with whom Stephanie and her children travelled.

In 2003 she married Adans Lopez Peres, an acrobat with the same Circus Knie; they were divorced in 2004.

Since the death of her father, Prince Rainier, Stephanie has become deeply involved on the fight against AIDS, becoming a UNAIDS ambassador. She has also created 'Fight Aids Monaco', her own foundation to support people living with HIV and at the same time combat the social stigma attached to the disease. In 2006, with a group of French singers, the princess took part in the recording of the song "L'or de nos Vies" in order to raise funds for the foundation.

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