Monaco’s royal family, also known as the House of Grimaldi, receives a lot of media attention, sometimes almost as much as the British monarchy. From Princess Charlene’s royal return after months away from her family to the tragic car accident that killed Hollywood sweetheart-turned-princess Grace Kelly , the glamorous dynasty has received its fair share of public attention. Most of you will already be familiar with Princess Stephanie, who miraculously survived the accident that killed her mother. But who is Estefanía’s eldest daughter, Pauline Ducruet, who has been making a name for herself in the fashion world?
Pauline Ducruet was born on May 4, 1994 in Monaco, the daughter of Princess Stephanie and Daniel Ducruet, a former bodyguard. The couple also had a son together, Louis, before marrying in 1995, but soon after Pauline’s father was embroiled in a love scandal, so her parents filed for divorce in 1996. Despite the divorce at such a young age , Pauline has remained close to both of her parents, and in addition to her brother Louis, she has three half-siblings .
Pauline Ducruet is currently 16th in line to the throne, living and working between Paris and Monaco; but Princess Stephanie’s daughter certainly didn’t have the childhood of a typical royal. According to the Telegraph portal, after her mother divorced Daniel Ducruet, Estefanía fell in love with an elephant trainer in a Swiss traveling circus, where she would take seven-year-old Pauline with her. In an interview Pauline did with The Telegraph, she reflected on the experience: “It was interesting and I was out with animals all the time. I was with children from all over the world… and we had our own language . ”
When her mother married a Portuguese acrobat after her relationship with the circus performer, Pauline Ducruet found a mutual interest in the profession and even took it up again later in life. “She wanted to wear sparkly tights,” she told The Telegraph. “I understand [that my upbringing was unusual] and I appreciate it.” Like her aunt by marriage, Princess Charlene, who competed in swimming at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; Pauline also has a natural knack for aquatics, competing in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. She also participated in the World Junior Diving Championships in Germany, the European Junior Diving and Swimming Championships in Finland.
Ambitious from a very young age, Pauline Ducruet moved to Paris at the age of 18 to study fashion styling at the Istituto Marangoni, then traveled to New York to follow her dreams at the Parsons School of Design. After completing internships at Vogue and Louis Vuitton, she realized that although she learned a lot through her work experience, she wanted to be a “maker.” Clearly, she Pauline has gained some fashion experience along the way. Though her fashions differ from Grandma Grace Kelly’s timeless 1950s ensembles, Ducruet has certainly inherited chic genes.
Young fashionista Pauline Ducruet launched her own brand with a purpose, “Alter” , in 2018 in an effort to push sustainable clothing forward. “I feel like the fashion industry is slowly leaning into this, which is great,” she told the Talia Collective. In addition to her eco-forward ethos, Pauline offers “gender fluid” designs. Her mother is, of course, a great inspiration for her work. She “would see her dress up for dances when she was a kid, but the next day she was wearing jeans and a leather jacket,” she said. Her fashion label Alter de ella has already done multiple shows at Paris Fashion Week.
Be First to Comment