For generations, the Grimaldi family has presided over Monaco, one of the world’s most dazzling principalities. The Mediterranean enclave is synonymous with casinos, luxury cars and champagne-fuelled society gatherings attended by the global elite.
Yet beneath the glamour surrounding Monaco’s royal household is a history marked by grief, scandal and personal tragedy—one that has often invited comparisons with America’s troubled Kennedy dynasty.
The death of 29-year-old Antoine de Massy, a relative of Prince Albert II, has now cast another shadow over the House of Grimaldi.
De Massy’s body was discovered in a public garden in Monaco on Sunday, October 25. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
He is thought to have fallen approximately 40ft, while a Ukrainian man has been arrested in connection with the case. Reports have also raised questions about whether the young royal was linked to a cryptocurrency controversy.
For a family whose privileged existence has repeatedly been interrupted by untimely deaths, broken marriages, fatal accidents and controversy, the latest tragedy has inevitably revived talk of a so-called Grimaldi curse.
At the centre of that narrative is the death of Princess Grace of Monaco. The former Hollywood star abandoned her Oscar-winning acting career at the age of 26 to marry Prince Rainier III in 1956, trading the freedom of a successful film career for the demanding role of a royal consort.
Grace, celebrated as the ‘Hitchcock blonde’, had become one of cinema’s most recognisable stars after appearing in Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder and Rear Window. The director was reportedly keen to bring her back for Marnie, but the idea of a reigning princess returning to Hollywood proved contentious.
Grace and Rainier had three children, and she dedicated herself to royal responsibilities and cultural causes in Monaco. The fairytale came to a devastating end in September 1982, when she suffered a stroke while driving with her youngest daughter, Stéphanie. Their car left the road and plunged down a mountainside. Stéphanie survived, but Grace died the next day at the age of 52.
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco at the Opera Garnier in October 2026
American actress Grace Kelly on the set of Dial M for Murder, directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock
There was an unsettling connection to Grace’s earlier life: she had travelled along the Riviera’s twisting roads with Cary Grant while filming Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. Hollywood and Monaco, the two worlds that shaped her life, collided in the tragedy.
After losing her mother, Princess Caroline would face devastating heartbreak of her own. Her first marriage, to Parisian banker Philippe Junot, began with a lavish ceremony attended by stars such as Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner and Cary Grant. It ended in divorce just two years later.
Caroline later married Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi, with whom she had three children. In 1990, however, Casiraghi was killed at the age of 30 when his powerboat overturned during a race off Monaco. Caroline was left a widow with three young children, her apparently privileged life transformed by sudden loss.
Before his marriage to Princess Charlène, Prince Albert was often portrayed as an eligible bachelor and earned the nickname the ‘playboy prince’.
In 2005, shortly before he succeeded his father, Rainier III, Albert publicly acknowledged Alexandre Grimaldi, his son with former flight attendant Nicole Coste. The following year, he confirmed that he was the father of Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, whose mother is American Tamara Rotolo.
In 2020, a Brazilian woman reportedly brought another paternity claim, alleging that Albert had fathered her daughter during his relationship with Charlène. His lawyers rejected the allegation, describing it as a ‘hoax’.
The prolonged absence of Princess Charlène later prompted intense speculation about the couple’s marriage.
In 2021, the former Olympic swimmer remained in her native South Africa for several months after developing a serious ear, nose and throat infection that required multiple medical procedures.
Following her return to Monaco, Charlène stepped away from public duties while continuing her recovery. Prince Albert denied that marital problems were responsible for her absence, attributing it instead to her illness and exhaustion.
Antoine de Massy was the first cousin once removed of Prince Albert II
The episode offered an unusual glimpse behind the polished image of the Grimaldi dynasty, showing that even a modern princess may need to retreat from royal palaces, public duties and relentless scrutiny.
Antoine de Massy’s death has once again placed the family’s complicated history under intense public attention.
A grandson of Princess Antoinette, the elder sister of Rainier III, Antoine was the son of Baron Christian de Massy. A talented tennis player, he had hoped to represent Monaco at the Olympics. He was just 29 when he died, and many details surrounding the case remain unresolved.
Police arrested a Ukrainian national on Monday after he was reportedly seen on CCTV near the location where de Massy’s body was found.
Investigators said the 42-year-old had been in contact with de Massy. When brought before a judge on Wednesday, however, he declined to answer questions.
The man remains in pre-trial detention and faces allegations of involuntary manslaughter and failing to assist a person in danger. Autopsy findings indicate that de Massy most likely died after falling 40ft from a building in the area.
The case has also prompted speculation about a possible connection to a cryptocurrency scandal.
An investigation by BILD reported that de Massy had been active in Monaco’s blockchain sector. Blockchain refers to a shared digital ledger that records information across a network of computers.
In 2021, he founded Instant Tech, a company designed to connect local businesses, merchants and customers for immediate reservations and payments. He also co-founded the Association Cryptographique de Monte-Carlo.
An unnamed source cited by BILD claimed that de Massy may have had ties to the controversial cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto.
Princess Caroline of Hanover and Prince Albert II of Monaco attend the Rose Ball on March 25, 2023, in Monaco
The Polish-founded company is being investigated after collapsing in 2026, leaving thousands of customers unable to access their funds.
The reported losses are estimated at at least €79.5 million, while Polish authorities are investigating possible fraud and money laundering.
No connection between de Massy and Zondacrypto has been established. However, the Grimaldi family source told BILD that he was a significant figure within Monaco’s technology community.
‘It shows that Prince Albert II had placed his trust in the ambitious young entrepreneur. Without the prince’s approval, Antoine would not have been able to assume these positions in the tech scene,’ the source said.
Monaco has faced heightened scrutiny from the Financial Action Task Force since 2024 and remains on the international grey list of jurisdictions considered at risk of money laundering.
The organisation has identified weaknesses in Monaco’s efforts to combat money laundering, including inadequate controls, shortcomings in investigations and problems tracing criminal assets.
De Massy pursued tennis professionally and moved with his family to Florida during his youth to train at the renowned Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. He dreamed of reaching the Olympic Games.
In a 2012 interview with Vogue Italia, he said his ambition was to ‘become number one in the world’, adding that even reaching the top 20 ‘wouldn’t be bad’.
Despite his royal background, de Massy reportedly avoided the limelight and kept a low profile within Monte Carlo’s social circles, according to BILD.
One of his final public appearances came at Monaco’s traditional Te Deum Mass for National Day in November 2025.
His father, Baron Christian de Massy, has frequently been described as the family’s black sheep. During his youth, he was expelled from school and sent to Argentina after reportedly causing repeated trouble.
Local media have portrayed him as a playboy, and all four of his marriages ended in divorce. He is seldom seen at official or social occasions alongside Monaco’s royal family.
The Prince’s Palace confirmed de Massy’s death in a statement released on Monday: ‘Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène were saddened to learn of the death of Antoine de Massy, grandson of Princess Antoinette, the elder sister of Prince Rainier III.
‘A keen tennis player, he was part of a family history closely connected to the sport in the principality.
‘Their Highnesses share the grief of his family and loved ones and offer them their sincere condolences at this painful time.’
The comparison with the American Kennedys is understandable. That political dynasty has also become associated with the painful contrast between public glamour and private grief.
The so-called Kennedy curse has endured in the public imagination through a series of devastating losses, including the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, the murder of his brother Robert five years later and the death of John F. Kennedy Jr in a plane crash in 1999.
More recently, Kyle Kennedy, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, died at the age of 42 in September 2026. Her cause of death has not been made public.
There is no evidence that either family is affected by a literal curse. But the number of premature deaths and profound personal tragedies has given the idea lasting power.
In Monaco, where the Grimaldis’ lives have unfolded in full view against a backdrop of extraordinary wealth and beauty, the notion of a curse may simply be an attempt to explain the inexplicable.
When a family lives under such constant public scrutiny, every setback is examined, interpreted and remembered.
For all their wealth and status, the Grimaldis remain vulnerable to the same pain and uncertainty as anyone else. Lavish palaces and breathtaking views may offer comfort, but they cannot protect anyone from heartbreak.
