by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2017
2023
Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès is the elder of the twin children of Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife Princess Charlene (born Charlene Wittstock). Gabriella was born on December 10, 2014, two minutes before her twin brother Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco, Marquis of Baux at The Princess Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco. Gabriella is second in the line of succession to the throne of Monaco. Because the succession to the throne is male-preference cognatic primogeniture, Gabriella’s brother Jacques is ahead of her in the line of succession even though she was born first.
Gabriella has an elder half-sister and an elder half-brother from Prince Albert’s previous relationships. Prince Albert said his two children born out of wedlock would not be in line to the Monegasque throne, but that they would be taken care of financially.
- Jazmin Grace Grimaldi (born 1992 in Palm Springs, California)
- Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste (born 2003 in Paris, France)
Gabriella was baptized along with her twin brother Jacques at the Cathedral of Monaco in Monaco by Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco on May 10, 2015. She was given the names Gabriella Thérèse Marie:
- Gabriella: in honor of Gabrielle, Duchess of Polignac, friend and confidant of Queen Marie Antoinette of France and an ancestor of Prince Rainier III‘s father Count Pierre de Polignac
- Thérèse: in honor of Thérèse de Polignac (1916-2014), a cousin of Prince Rainier III who died shortly before Gabriella’s birth
Gabriella’s godparents were Gareth Wittstock, her maternal uncle, and Nerine Pienaar, the wife of retired South African rugby player Francois Pienaar, a longtime friend of Princess Charlene. Gabriella and Jacques wore Baby Dior cotton christening gowns embellished with Calais lace, floral embroidery, pleated detailing, and each baby’s own monogram.
Gabriella and Jacques with their parents, 2022
In 2018, Princess Gabriella and her twin brother began to attend La Petite Ecole, a private pre-school institution in Port Hercule, Monaco. From 2019 – 2021, they attended Stella School, a public school in the district of Condamine in Monaco. In the fall of 2021, they began to attend L’Institution François d’Assise-Nicolas Barré (link in French) a private Catholic school.
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Works Cited
- Beauty, H., Film, T., Kate, W. and Beauty, H. (2017). Princess Charlene and Prince Albert’s twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques are baptised. [online] HOLA. Available at: http://us.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2015051025113/princess-charlene-prince-albert-twins-baptism/ [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
- En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Gabriella,_Countess_of_Carlad%C3%A8s [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
- Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Gabriella de Monaco. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriella_de_Monaco [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
- Orderofsplendor.blogspot.com. (2017). Royal Fashion Awards: Monaco’s Twin Christening. [online] Available at: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2015/05/royal-fashion-awards-monacos-twin.html [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].