Celebrating the Builder Prince, Prince Rainier III

Looking back at the life of Prince Rainier III, who was the Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years.

Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi, the only son of Hereditary Princess Charlotte and Prince Pierre, was born on May 31, 1923 at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco.

Rainier’s father, Count Pierre of Polignac was half-French and half-Mexican, who adopted his wife’s dynasty, Grimaldi, upon marriage, and was made a Prince of Monaco by his father-in-law.

Rainier’s parents divorced in 1933. In 1944, the day before his 21st birthday, Rainier’s mother renounced her right to the Monegasque throne and Rainier became Prince Louis’s direct heir.

Rainier became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco upon the death of his grandfather, Prince Louis II, on 9 May 1949, at the age of 25.

During the almost 56 years of his reign, Prince Rainier III profoundly shaped Monaco, creating the modern, model State that we now know. 

He once told that “a country does not have to be big to have big dreams, nor does it need a large population to achieve them.”

Rainier was responsible for the transformation of Monaco’s economy, shifting from its traditional casino gambling base to its current status as a personal income tax haven and vast cultural destination.

Prince Rainier III knew that Monaco needed new foundations in order to secure its future in a modern era. 

Referring to the material growth of Monaco during his reign, the sovereign got “the builder Prince” nickname. 

​​Under the reign of Prince Rainier III, the surface area of the Principality grew by a fifth of its previous size. Reduced to 145 hectares in 1861 following the separation of Menton and Roquebrune, the surface area of the Principality grew to 202 hectares by 2005. 

Limited by the size of its territory, the Principality expanded into the sea. The first embankment was the area of Le Portier, built between 1958 and 1961, followed by Larvotto between 1961 and 1963. 

The most ambitious project, however, was the construction of the area of Fontvieille, where the sea bed shelves rapidly, reaching depths of 30 to 40 metres. The initial project for an embankment of 400,000 m² was soon abandoned due to its environmental impact. In the end  an area of 220,000 m² was reclaimed from the sea, creating a marina of 55,000 m².

Until the 1950s the railway was running on the street surface of the Principality, cutting the city into two parts.

The conversion of the railway system to an underground network was an essential condition for the large scale development of the Monégasque territory. As indicated in an urban development project by Le Corbusier, made at the request of Jacques Rueff, Minister of State at the beginning of the reign of Prince Rainier III. 

Construction of the underground railway, for which negotiations had begun with the SNCF in 1954, was completed in 1964. 

As Prince Rainier III stated in his speech at the inauguration of the underground line “conversion to an underground railway network was an absolute necessity if we wish to initiate and complete the great plans of urbanisation and development in different districts of the Principality.”

Prince Rainier III developed hospitality and tourism, financial activities, and as a result of all this, he also developed the property market. 

The favourable economic climate which resulted from this made it possible to establish an exemplary social model, and, from the point of view of urban planning, also made it possible to increase the surface area of Monaco’s land by a fifth, by developing out into the sea. The sovereign knew how to develop industry to diversify sources of revenue.

During his reign, Prince Rainier III was committed to increasing Monaco’s recognition in the large international organisations. Consequently, the Principality became a member of UNESCO in 1949, AIEA in 1957, ACCT in 1970, which, in 2005, became the International Organisation of La Francophonie, CSCE in 1973 then OSCE. 

As a full member of the OSCE since 1975, Monaco was included in the creation of the European Union, thanks particularly to the customs and monetary union with France. 

Membership to the UN became effective in 1993 but the Principality has had observer status since 1955. Finally, in 2004, Monaco became a member of the Council of Europe.

Numerous initiatives were organised under the Prince’s initiative, including: objecting to nuclear waste being sunk in the Mediterranean; hosting top-level laboratories researching the marine environment; and even launching international agreements to fight against pollution and protect endangered species.

“It is up to us, Heads of State, to collectively seize this opportunity to turn our blue planet around in a sustainable way, and thus enable our children and future generations to evolve in a more equitable and healthy world.” – Extract from the speech of Prince Rainier III of Monaco at the United Nations conference in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.

During the reign of Prince Rainier III, the Principality became part of the Schengen area and was involved in the creation of a single currency, leading to the introduction of the euro in 2002. Monaco was granted the right to circulate 1/500 of the euros released in France. 

Monégasque euro coins were minted, giving further proof of the reality of Monégasque sovereignty.

Protecting the legacy of the traditional national Monégasque language, in 1982, Prince Rainier III established the Academy of Dialectal Languages. Since then, every young person in Monaco has been united in learning Monégasque, which has been a compulsory subject in local schools since 1976.

In his personal life, Prince Rainier III married American film star Grace Kelly in 1956, which generated global media attention. 

Inaugurated on November 19, 1954 by HSH Prince Rainier III, the Télé Monte-Carlo is considered the oldest private TV channel in Europe. 

Less than two years after its first transmission, the cameras of the Monégasque television had their major international debut with the broadcast of the wedding of the reigning prince with the glamorous young Academy Award-winning actress, Miss Grace Kelly as she became the beloved Princess Grace of Monaco.

The couple met in 1955, during a photocall at the Palace scheduled to support Grace Kelly’s trip to the Cannes Film Festival. 

According to a press interview with Prince Albert II, his father was running late, so the palace’s maître d’hôtel gave Grace Kelly a tour of the famous grand apartments. 

It was nearly 4 pm when Prince Rainier III finally appeared in the royal antechamber and asked the actress if she would like a tour of the palace, but Grace Kelly told him she had already seen it. 

So, the Prince and future Grace Kelly walked through the palace gardens instead. That’s when, according to Prince Albert II, the atmosphere changed, the couple relaxed, sparks began to fly and their romance began to blossom.

After a year-long courtship described as containing “a good deal of rational appraisal on both sides,” Prince Rainier III married Grace Kelly in 1956.

The union was met with mass attention from the public, and was described as the “wedding of the century” and the “world’s most anticipated wedding” by the media.

The Napoleonic Code of Monaco and the laws of the Catholic Church necessitated two ceremonies, civil and religious.

The 16-minute civil ceremony took place in the Palace Throne Room of Monaco on April 18, 1956, and a reception later in the day was attended by 3,000 Monégasque citizens.

The church ceremony took place the following day, on April 19, 1956, at Monaco’s Saint Nicholas Cathedral, presided over by Bishop Gilles Barthe. The wedding was estimated to have been watched by over 30 million viewers on television.

Princess Grace gave birth to their first child, Princess Caroline on 23 January 1957. Their second child and heir, Prince Albert, was born on 14 March 1958. Their youngest, Princess Stéphanie was born on 1 February 1965, with all children having been delivered at the Palace.

The aura of Princess Grace contributed to this new visibility for the Principality of Monaco.

In 1979, the Prince made his acting debut alongside the Princess in a half-hour independent film, “Rearranged”, produced in Monaco. 

After its premiere in Monaco, Princess Grace showed it to ABC TV executives in New York in 1982, who expressed interest if extra scenes were shot. 

However, in 1982, Grace died in a car crash caused by a mild cerebral hemorrhage while driving back to Monaco from her country home in Roc Agel, making it impossible to expand the film for American release.

After Grace’s death, honouring the memory of his beloved wife, Prince Rainier III refused to remarry. 

He established the Princess Grace Foundation-USA in 1982 in her honour, to support fledging American artists.

Prince Rainier III smoked 60 cigarettes a day. The sovereign passed away on April 6, 2005 in Monte-Carlo from complications relating to a lung infection as a result of frequent smoking.

Prince Rainier III passed away aged 81 and at the time of his death, he was the world’s second longest-serving living head of state. 

The Builder Prince was survived by his son, Prince Albert II, daughters Caroline and Stephanie, and seven grandchildren: Andrea, Charlotte, Pierre, Alexandra, Louis, Pauline and Camille.

Previously the line of succession followed the same rules as the British throne that only direct descendants, including adopted children, of the current leader could inherit the crown. But to ensure his family’s lasting reign in Monaco, Prince Rainier III changed the constitution in 2002 to include siblings and children of siblings, as well as exclude adopted children and children born out of wedlock — though marriage, even after birth, would add the child to the line.

Prince Rainier III was succeeded by his son, Prince Albert II of Monaco on April 6, 2005. 

According to a Forbes Magazine article published the day Prince Rainier III died, during his reign, Monaco’s revenues grew from 3 billion francs in 1970 (€518 million) to over 12 billion euros in 2004. That’s an astounding 2300 % increase.

In 2005, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA created the Prince Rainier III Award to commemorate the memory of Prince Rainier III of Monaco. 

This Award recognizes celebrated artists whose own outstanding artistic excellence is combined with their dedication to giving back to their communities.