Prince Louis II of Monaco

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Prince Louis II of Monaco – source: Wikipedia

Prince Louis II of Monaco (Louis Honoré Charles Antoine Grimaldi) was born July 12, 1870, in Baden-Baden, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He was the only child of Prince Albert I of Monaco and Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, daughter of William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and Princess Marie of Baden. Shortly after his birth, his mother left her husband and took Louis to the Grand Duchy of Baden where he was raised until the age of 11. Louis then returned to Monaco to prepare for his future royal role.

Louis attended the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in France and then joined the French Foreign Legion. He served for 10 years and was awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honor. During this time, while serving in Algeria, Louis met Marie Juliette Louvet, a cabaret singer. The couple was deeply in love, but his father would not grant them permission to marry. A daughter was born in 1898:

Because Louis was unmarried and without an heir, the Monegasque throne was likely to pass to his first cousin once removed Wilhelm, the Duke of Urach, a German nobleman who was the son of his father’s aunt Princess Florestine of Monaco.  To avoid this, Louis’ father, Prince Albert I, had a law passed recognizing Charlotte as Louis’ heir and part of the sovereign family. However, this law was later ruled invalid under earlier statutes. So, in October 1918, another law was passed allowing for the adoption of an heir with succession rights. On May 16, 1919, Louis legally adopted Charlotte, giving her the Grimaldi surname. Her grandfather created her HSH Princess Charlotte of Monaco and Duchess of Valentinois. Upon Louis’ accession in 1922, Charlotte became the Hereditary Princess of Monaco.

During World War I, Louis again served with the French Army and eventually reached the rank of Brigadier General. Recognized for his outstanding efforts, he was elevated to Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor. His military career ended when he ascended to the Monegasque throne upon his father’s death on June 27, 1922. Some of his contributions during his reign were the establishment of the Monaco Football Club and the Grand Prix of Monaco which was first held in the principality in 1929. In 1931, he oversaw the establishment of the Ballet de l’Opéra à Monte-Carlo and the construction of the Stade Prince Louis II, a large football stadium in the center of the city. He was also a keen collector of items related to Napoleon, which later formed the basis for the Napoleon Museum, housed at the Prince’s Palace for many years.

Following World War II, during which the principality had been occupied by both the Italians and Germans before liberation by the Allies, Prince Louis began spending most of his time in Paris and greatly ignored the principality. In 1944, his daughter Charlotte ceded her rights to the throne in favor of her son Rainier, who would eventually succeed his grandfather. In June 1946, Prince Louis married the French film star Ghislaine Dommanget. The couple lived primarily at the Château de Marchais, their estate outside of Paris.

On May 9, 1949, Prince Louis II died at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. He is buried at the Cathedral of Monaco.

Grave of Louis II, Prince of Monaco; www.findagrave.com

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