Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy (Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne Grimaldi; 28 December 1920 – 18 March 2011) was a member of the princely family of Monaco. She was the elder sister of

Prince Rainier III Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...

. Her parents were Count Pierre de Polignac and

Charlotte, Hereditary Princess of Monaco Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (Charlotte Louise Juliette Grimaldi; 30 September 1898 – 16 November 1977), was the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of Prince Rainier III. From 1922 until 1944, she was the Her ...

and

Duchess of Valentinois Duke of Valentinois (french: Duc de Valentinois; it, Duca Valentino) is a title of nobility, originally in the French peerage. It is currently one of the many hereditary titles claimed by the Prince of Monaco despite its extinction in French law ...

. She was born in Paris, of French and Monegasque ancestry.

Children

Princess Antoinette had a long-term liaison with

Alexandre-Athenase Noghès Alexandre-Athenase Noghès (15 June 1916 – 16 February 1999) was an international tennis champion, married Marinette Bastel, having one son Lionel (racing driver), best known as the first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, whom he marri ...

, a Monegasque-born attorney and international

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

champion, in the mid-1940s. The couple had three children born out-of-wedlock who were legitimated by their parents' eventual marriage and, henceforth, included in the

line of succession to the Monegasque Throne Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

until the death of Antoinette's brother,

, in 2005; Elizabeth Ann de Massy (1947–2020),

Christian Louis de Massy Baron Christian Louis de Massy (born 17 January 1949) is the son of Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy, Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness de Massy, and her husband, international tennis champion Alexandre-Athenase Noghès. His grandfath ...

(born 1949), and Christine Alix de Massy (1951–1989).

Marriages

# Princess Antoinette and Alexandre-Athenase Noghès subsequently married at the Monaco consulate in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

on 4 December 1951 (her first, his second) and divorced in 1954.
On 15 November 1951, Antoinette was created Baroness of Massy (''Baronne de Massy''). Her children (Elizabeth-Ann, Christian-Louis and Christine-Alix) were named Grimaldi at birth. They subsequently had their names changed to ''de Massy.'' He claims the tie of Baron through their mother, but he is not entitled to it. # She married her second husband, Dr. Jean-Charles Rey (Monaco, 22 October 1914 – Monaco, 17 September 1994), president of the Conseil National, the Parlement de Monaco in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

on 2 December 1961 and they divorced in 1974. #Her third and last husband was John Brian Gilpin (

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, 10 February 1930 – London, 5 September 1983), a British ballet dancer, whom she married in Monaco on 28 July 1983. He died suddenly six weeks later.

Life account

Having divorced Noghès, she and her lover Jean-Charles Rey hatched a plan to depose her brother Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and declare herself regent on the basis of having a son who would one day inherit the throne. This led to the breakup of the relationship. Rainier's marriage to

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

in 1956 and the arrival of his heirs, Princess Caroline in 1957 and Prince Albert in 1958, effectively scuttled Antoinette's plans. She was removed from the Palace by her sister-in-law, Princess Grace, and thereafter was estranged from the princely family for many years. She was known to be somewhat eccentric and was described as "completely mad" by her servants. Having been banished from Monaco in the late 1950s, she lived down the coast from Monaco at

Èze Èze (; oc, Esa; it, Eza) is a seaside commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera, 8.5 km (5.2 mi) to the northeast of Nice and 4.5 km (2.7 m ...

, with a large collection of dogs and cats. She was the president of Monaco's Society for the Protection of Animals and Refuge and a patron of the UK-based Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Upon the accession of Albert II in 2005, Antoinette and her descendants lost their place in the

line of succession to the Monegasque throne Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

, which is limited to the current sovereign's descendants, siblings, and siblings' descendants. The

Princess Antoinette Park The Princess Antoinette Park on the Boulevard de Jardin Exotique is a municipal park in the La Condamine ward of Monaco. It is named for Princess Antoinette of Monaco, the elder sister of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier Lou ...

in Monaco's

La Condamine La Condamine ( lij, A Cundamina ) is the central ward in the Principality of Monaco. Its landmarks include Port Hercules, the Rainier III Nautical Stadium, and the Princess Antoinette Park. Its farmer's market at the ''Place d'Armes'' dates fro ...

district was named in her honour.

Death

On 18 March 2011 Princess Antoinette died at

The Princess Grace Hospital Centre The Princess Grace Hospital Centre (french: Centre hospitalier Princesse-Grace, CHPG) is the only public hospital in Monaco. Overview The hospital is open 24/7. It is the only public hospital in Monaco. History The hospital was opened in 1902 b ...

, aged 90. Her funeral took place on 24 March 2011. She is buried in the Chapel of Peace in Monaco beside her parents, her daughters Elizabeth-Ann and Christine-Alix, her last husband John Brian Gilpin and her nephew by marriage,

Stefano Casiraghi Stefano Casiraghi (8 September 1960 – 3 October 1990) was an Italian offshore powerboat racer, socialite, and businessman. He was the second husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco; he died during a racing accident defending his 1990 Class ...

Patronages

* President of the Society for the Protection of Animals and Refuge of Monaco. * President of the Canine Society of Monaco. * President of the “Monaco Interviews on Energy Medicines”, which became, the “Monaco International Interviews”. * President of the Monegasque Tennis Federation. * President of the

Monte Carlo Country Club Monte Carlo Country Club (MCCC) is the home of the ATP's Monte Carlo Masters tournament. It is also the base of the Monte Carlo Tennis Academy. Despite the club's name, it is not located in Monte Carlo or even in Monaco: it is actually located i ...

. * Vice-President of the

Monegasque Red Cross The Red Cross of Monaco (french: Croix-Rouge monégasque) is the national Red Cross Society of Monaco, founded in 1948 by Louis II of Monaco in the aftermath of the Second World War. Presidency * 1948 - 1949: Prince Louis of Monaco * 1949 - 195 ...

. * Patron of The Puppy and Kitten Clinic

Titles and honours

;Titles * 28 December 1920 – 15 November 1951: ''Her Serene Highness'' Princess Antoinette of Monaco * 15 November 1951 – 18 March 2011: ''Her Serene Highness'' Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness of Massy ;Honours * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint-Charles The Order of Saint Charles (french: Ordre de Saint Charles) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in Monaco on 15 March 1858. Award This order rewards service to the State or Prince. In particular cases, it may be granted to foreign ...

(28 December 1938) * : Medal for Physical Education and Sports, First Class * : Medal of Recognition of the Monegasque Red CrossCloud
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Ancestry

Bibliography

* ''Palace: My Life in the Royal Family of Monaco'' by Baron Christian de Massy & Charles Higham (1986, Atheneum, )

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antoinette, Princess, Baroness Of Massy Antoinette of Monaco, Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Princess Antoinette of Monaco Antoinette of Monaco Regents of Monaco French baronesses Monegasque people of Italian descent Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles Monegasque people of Mexican descent Monegasque people of German descent Monegasque people of English descent Monegasque people of Scottish descent Polignac family