Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella of Monaco celebrate their 10th birthday this Tuesday. Both were born at the Princess Grace Hospital Center with a two-minute difference by scheduled cesarean section. Gabriella was the first born, but the Monegasque succession law gives precedence to the male, Jacques, as the heir to the principality's throne.
At birth, the principality welcomed them with a salute of forty-two cannon shots fired from the Fort Antoine castle, the church bells rang in unison, and the sirens of the ships docked in the Monegasque harbor sounded. It was no small event, as this birth was eagerly anticipated in the microstate following the two children of Albert II who could not reign, his delay in choosing a wife, and the nearly three years it took for the couple to conceive since their wedding in 2011.
This Tuesday, the official account of the Palais Princier shared a selection of private family images and their attendance at public events showing how the young Jacques and Gabriella have changed on their 10th birthday. From a very young age, the princes have been the protagonists alongside their parents at some of the official events held in Monaco, but they never drew as much attention as they did at the Monaco National Day in 2021 when they came out to greet from the balcony of the Palais Princier with banners that read “mom, we miss you”.
Last week, the princes of Monaco along with their children opted for a casual look for their traditional Christmas greeting. The previous year, the family chose tuxedos, bow ties, and gala dresses to pose next to the Christmas tree at the Palais Princier. The Christmas celebrations in the principality began two Saturdays ago, when the Grimaldi family took part in the lighting ceremony at the Casino square, where Jacques and Gabriella were the protagonists.
The Prince of Monaco along with his children in a recent picture during the Christmas lights ceremony in the principality
Jacques and Gabriella have two half-siblings on their father's side, Jazmin Grace and Alexandre Grimaldi
The last months of the year are always filled with parties in the microstate, as in addition to the national holiday on November 19th and the typical Christmas celebrations, the sovereign and his wife celebrate their children's birthdays. Since their birth, Jacques and Gabriella have also been, respectively, the Marquis of Baux and the Countess of Carladès, titles that the Monegasque microstate owes to an agreement with the French king Louis XIII in the first half of the 17th century.
Jacques, Gabriella, Jazmin, and Alexandre, the four children of Prince Albert II of Monaco
Jacques and Gabriella have two half-siblings from their father's side, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, daughter of American waitress Tamara Rotolo, and Alexandre Grimaldi, son of flight attendant Nicole Coste. Recognized by their father in 2006, they do not have any official role in Monaco, nor are they included in the line of succession to the throne. Their situation is not exceptional within the Monegasque royal family.
Both of them's aunt, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, had an extramarital daughter, Camille Marie Kelly Gottlieb, with her bodyguard, Jean Raymond Gottlieb. The older children of Princess Stephanie were born in the same situation. Louis Ducruet was born in November 1992 and Pauline Ducruet in May 1994. It wasn't until their parents' wedding in July 1995 that the children were included in the line of succession. Princess Caroline's children also had to wait to enter the succession line until 1993 when the Holy See approved it after the death of their father in 1990.