Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi, Countess … Read Full Bio ↴Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi, Countess of Polignac; born Monaco, 1 February 1965) is a member of the princely family of Monaco. She is the youngest child of Grace, Princess of Monaco and Rainier III of Monaco, and the sister of Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline. Stephanie has been at one time a singer, swimwear designer, and fashion model; her mother lovingly called the princess her "wild child."

She was a passenger in the car when her mother was killed in an accident on a mountain road 13 September 1982. She was unable to attend her mother's funeral because she was in the hospital with injuries from the crash.

Music career

In February 1986, Stephanie released her first single with the French label 'Carrere', under the production of Yves Roze. The song "Ouragan" ("Hurricane") and its English version "Irresistible" quickly reached the international Top 10, reportedly selling more than 5 million copies. In September, she released a full album called Besoin reportedly selling more than 2.5 million copies (also released as Stéphanie in some countries) with eight new songs, including "Flash" (in French), which was released as a single and reached the hit parade all over Europe. In January 1987, she released the single "Young Ones Everywhere" to benefit UNICEF.

In 1987, Stephanie moved to Los Angeles to dedicate herself to music and live with her then-boyfriend, Mario Oliver. However, it took 5 years for the product to come out, and sales were disappointing, only 30,000 copies in the USA. The album had 10 songs, including the single 'Winds of Chance' for which the video clip was recorded in the Canary Islands. The producers tried to leave her Europop style behind and create a more grown-up album with English-only lyrics. Her first and only live tour took place in the summer of 1991 in Europe and South America to promote the album called Stéphanie released in the U.S. by Sony Music. U.S. critics gave the album negative reviews and focused on her privileged background, which they felt discredited her efforts. She also recorded "In the Closet" with Michael Jackson under the alias of Mystery Girl for his album, Dangerous. She then ended her pop music career.

Current Interests

Since the death of her father, Prince Rainier, Stephanie has become deeply involved on the fight against AIDS, becoming a UNAIDS ambassador. She has also created 'Fight Aids Monaco', her own foundation to support people living with HIV and at the same time combat the social stigma attached to the disease. In 2006, with a group of French singers, the princess took part in the recording of the song "L'or de nos Vies" in order to raise funds for the foundation.