Charlotte Casiraghi

Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi (born 3 August 1986, Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo, Monaco) is the second child of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess of Monaco, and the late Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist. She is fourth in line to the throne of Monaco. Her maternal grandmother was Grace Kelly. She is named after her maternal great-grandmother, Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois.

Early life

Charlotte and her two brothers, Andrea and Pierre, were born in the Mediterranean Principality of Monaco, ruled by their maternal grandfather, Prince Rainier III. When she was four years old, her father was killed in a boating accident. After his death, Princess Caroline moved the family to the Midi village of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in France, with the intention of minimising their exposure to the press.¹

When she turned five, her paternal grandparents, Giancarlo and Fernanda Casiraghi, gave her a small island off Sardinia reportedly valued at US $7–9 million.²³

In January 1999, Charlotte gained a stepfather and two stepbrothers, (Prince Ernst of Hanover and Prince Christian of Hanover), when her mother married Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover. Six months later, Casiraghi's half-sister, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, was born at a clinic in Voecklabruck, Austria. The family then moved to the Parisian suburb of Fontainebleau.

From 2001 through 2004, as a member of Marcel Rozier's Team Marionnaud, Casiraghi participated in a number of Junior and Amateur class show jumping competitions. She was trained successively by both of Rozier's sons, first Philippe and then Thierry Rozier.

Education

From the ages of two to six, Casiraghi attended a public École maternelle (nursery school) in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. At the age of six, she moved on to the École de la République (state school) of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. From 1999 to 2004 she attended the Lycée François Couperin, Fontainebleau.

She obtained an "excellent" mark on her baccalaureate exam in July 2004. After passing her bac, she enrolled in the hypokhâgne and khâgne course at the Lycée Fénelon, in St-Germain-des-Près, Paris, in the hope of entering the École normale supérieure (Paris). She took the written entrance exam for ENS in June 2006, and made the list of candidates eligible to proceed to the oral exam.

In 2007, Casiraghi gained a License of Philosophy (B.A.) from the University of Paris IV: Paris-Sorbonne. Casiraghi also completed two internships, firstly with the publishing house of Pierre Laffont in Paris, and then later from October 2007 with The Independent newspaper of London.⁴

Personal life

Casiraghi's first rumored flirtation was with European aristocrat Hubertus Herring-Frankensdorf. The two were initially spotted in 2001 at Monaco's Formula One Grand Prix, and subsequently during her family's regular skiing holidays in Zurs, Austria. Herring-Frankensdorf is, however, several years Casiraghi's senior, and probably was always just a close friend of her family, despite tabloid reports suggesting otherwise.⁵⁶

Casiraghi was certainly in a romantic relationship with Felix Winckler, the son of a Brussels-based corporate attorney, from 2004 to late 2006 or early 2007. The Italian magazine Novella 2000 broke the news that Casiraghi and Winckler had parted ways after three years of romance. Casiraghi is believed to be close to Winckler's sister, Cecile, who introduced them in 2003. Since approximately March 2007, the tabloids have covered Casiraghi's romance with the art gallery owner Alexander Dellal, son of property developer Guy Dellal and the Brazilian supermodel Andrea (née de Magalhaes Viera) Dellal. Alexander Dellal is a grandson of "Black Jack Dellal."

Casiraghi is a private citizen, but occasionally attends official functions in Monaco, such as a fundraising gala for AMADE Mondiale and Nelson Mandela's foundation in September 2007.⁷ In 2006, she made her debut appearance at Monaco's Rose Ball (in French: Bal de la Rose), which also raises money for AMADE Mondiale.⁸ Since childhood, she and her brothers have made regular appearances with their family on occasions such as the Monaco National Day and the Monaco Grand Prix. Princess Caroline has, however, tried to minimize publicity in spite of increasingly intensive coverage by the mass media, especially in Europe.

At the age of 16, Casiraghi was named number ten on a list of the world's most eligible young women.⁹ Vanity Fair, selected Casiraghi as one of the International Best Dressed List of 2006.¹⁰

Casiraghi is often photographed at fashion shows,¹¹ art exhibits, and equestrian events.

Equestrian career

In June 2009, Casiraghi, accompanied by her uncle Albert II, Prince of Monaco, appeared on the French television Stade 2 to speak about her recent enrollment in the Global Champions Tour. It was her first experience of public speaking and she appeared poised and confident.¹²

Since returning to the show jumping sport in April 2009 (after a four-year hiatus) she continues to train with Thierry Rozier. Casiraghi and Team Marionnaud's bay gelding, GI Joe, participated in the 2009 Global Champions Tour in Valencia, Spain,¹³ Monte Carlo,¹⁴ Cannes, Estoril,¹⁵ Rio de Janeiro,¹⁶ and Valkenswaard.¹⁷

Journalism career

Casiraghi is a published writer and magazine editor. Her credits include work for Another Magazine and the British The Independent.⁴ She is the editor-at-large for Above magazine. She is co-founder of Ever Manifesto.

Through her work as the editor-at-large for Above magazine, Casiraghi befriended Stella McCartney, whom she interviewed for the magazine's first issue. McCartney enlightened Casiraghi and readers as to the many ways the fashion industry can harm the ecosystem.¹⁸ Also for Above, Casiraghi was reported in Women's Wear Daily as being "instrumental in securing an interview with Gomorrah author Roberto Saviano (which took place in hiding thanks to Saviano’s dissection of the Mafia)."¹⁹

On 21 September 2009, Casiraghi announced plans to publish 3,000 copies of Ever Manifesto, a free publication on the fashion industry's harmful impact on the global environment and to promote sustainability in fashion.⁴,²⁰,²¹ Casiraghi revealed that her collaborators with the Loro Piana-funded project are the socialite Alexia Niedzielski and advertising executive Elizabeth von Guttman. She also revealed that the environmentally conscious designer Stella McCartney, as well as her own uncle Prince Albert II, greatly enlightened and influenced her.⁴,²⁰,²² Specifically, she said: “It’s only recently that I’ve questioned the way that I’ve been consuming. I haven’t been as conscious as I should have been.”²⁰

Ever Manifesto will be distributed for free at the 10 Corso Como boutique during Milan Fashion Week and again at Colette in Paris during Paris Fashion Week.²⁰ Casiraghi explained that the magazine will not have a predetermined publication schedule. "We want to publish when we have something to say or people to support," she said. "It will be short and meaningful so that people will read it."²⁰

The next day, 22 September, Casiraghi joined her partners, Niedzielski and Guttman, at the gallery of Michelangelo Pistoletto, in the town of Biella, in the Italian region of Piemonte. Along with the artist and the Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani, Casiraghi unveiled plans for Ever Manifesto and the Città dell'arte Fashion: Bio Ethical Sustainable Trend.²³

On October 5, 2009, Casiraghi was a VIP guest at the Stella McCartney show in Paris.²⁴ Sitting on the front row with Dasha Zhukova, Sir Paul McCartney, Gwyneth Paltrow, she told Women's Wear Daily about Ever Manifesto.²⁴ Copies of the magazine's first issue were left on the seats before the show.²⁴ "We will announce [succeeding issues] on the website soon," she said.²⁴

See also

• The Royal Forums

References

Ancestry

External links

• Ever Manifesto website
• Palais Princier de Monaco (official)
• Lycée François Couperin
• Hello! Profile: Charlotte Casiraghi
• Weblog: Charlotte Casiraghi (photos)
• Merry Royals coverage of Charlotte Casiraghi

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia