Grace Kelly’s granddaughter says she wasn’t ‘privileged’ growing up – despite being part of billionaire royal family

She’s the granddaughter of Grace Kelly, the niece of the reigning Prince Albert of Monaco and is worth an estimated $30million – and yet Charlotte Casiraghi has seemingly tried to distance herself from the notion that she’s lived a gilded life.

Speaking to The Telegraph to promote the Literary Rendezvous she hosts in her role as a Chanel ambassador, the eleventh in line to the Monégasque throne explained how she studied at ‘normal’ schools while growing up in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.

‘Never private schools, but schools with a lot of different social backgrounds. I wasn’t at a privileged school at all,’ she told the publication. 

The mother-of-two – who announced in February that she and her film producer husband Dimitri Rassam, son of actress Carole Bouquet, were divorcing – said dealing with her ‘background’ at the time was ‘always difficult’.

Charlotte, 38, alongside her mother Princess Caroline of Monaco, and her two brothers, Andrea, now 40, and Pierre, 36, moved to France from the principality after the death of her father Stefano Casiraghi, who died in a powerboat accident in 1990.

As well as attending ‘normal’ schools, the royal explained how she previously took part in work experience at The Independent.

‘I wanted to be normal, I wanted to experience that harshness where people don’t give you any interest or any help and you’re on your own,’ she said.

Elsewhere, Charlotte made it clear that she craves ‘freedom’ and doesn’t enjoy ‘officially representing’ the Monaco Royal Family – despite joining her loved ones for various important events.

‘But this brings pressure, people judge you and expect a lot from you when you have official status. I prefer to be free,’ she explained, adding: ‘I always try to detach myself from this “royal” status.’

Charlotte – who counted Karl Lagerfeld as a family friend, is pals with model Naomi Campbell and is often seen on the front row of fashion shows alongside celebrities – also insisted that she ‘doesn’t understand why my private life should be of interest’.

The former equestrian, who now lives in Monaco, where she also organises health seminars at the principality’s hospital, said that being on the ‘outside’ of the Royal Family – with no official role or title – ‘allows more complexity and diversity’.

She noted how she often invites people to speak at her events who she doesn’t agree with as she wants to try and ‘confront ideas’.

In March, it was revealed Charlotte had moved on with a French writer, two months after splitting from her husband.

Charlotte, Karl Lagerfeld and Princess Caroline of Hanover attend the Rose Ball 2015

Charlotte rides a horse on the runway during the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2022 show as part of Paris Fashion Week

Charlotte was spotted enjoying a day out with novelist Nicolas Mathieu, 46, a father-of-one and a winner of France’s prestigious Goncourt Prize.

Dressed in casual attire, the pair strolled the streets of Paris with baguettes in hand before sitting on the terrace of a local café for coffee.

The pictures, released exclusively by Paris Match, come two months after Charlotte split from her French film producer husband Dimitri Rassam after four years of marriage, according to Voici.

Following the marriage breakdown, Charlotte has reportedly formed a close bond with author Nicolas. The pair ‘never leave each other. Nor do they hide to be happy,’ according to the Paris Match. 

Unlike Charlotte, Nicolas comes from humble beginnings, and was born in the northeastern French commune of Epinal, according to Hachette. 

‘[Nicolas] at first glance did not have the profile to seduce a member of the Monegasque court,’ wrote Paris Match via Madame Figaro. The piece continued: ‘And yet, the magic worked between them.’ 

Nicolas left Epinal to study history and cinema before moving to Paris, where he worked in various creative roles, from a scriptwriter to a news editor and private tutor.

He has since relocated to Nancy and established himself as a successful author. His first novel, Of Fangs And Talons, was adapted into a six-part television series in France. 

Riley Keough, Charlotte, Penelope Cruz and Camila Morrone attend the Chanel Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2024 fashion show in October 2023

Charlotte, Francois-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek at the Saint Laurent show in 2019

Nicolas addressed his roots in a interview with Residents: ‘In my reading, my yearning to write, and my academic career, I had always been eager to distance myself from my origin story in lower-middle-class provincial France.’

However, he ‘realized that my work should also reflect the people I had grown up with’

He added: ‘I wanted to write about the places I knew, the bodies I was familiar with, and the lifestyles that had once been my own, all of which were underrepresented in contemporary literature.’

Originally published in 2022, Nicolas’ fourth novel, Connemara, follows the story of two 40-year-olds trying to recapture their youths in a love affair. 

His love of literature is a trait shared with Charlotte, who declared her love of reading in a 2021 interview with Chanel where she outlined her top reads. 

Paris Match claimed that the pair often meet in Paris, before returning to their respective children.  While Charlotte is mother to Raphaël, 11, and Balthazar, five, Nicolas is father to Oscar, 11.

Charlotte wed French film producer Dimitri, 42, at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco on June 1, 2019. 

But the couple separated at the end of January, according to French magazine Voici, who printed a story with the headline ‘It’s Over’.

Charlotte requested they part ways in December as the couple ‘had been going through a crisis for some time’, the publication claimed.

Dimitri and Charlotte arrive at the Rose Ball 2018 at Sporting Monte-Carlo on March 24, 2018

Acclaimed author Nicolas Mathieu was reportedly spotted enjoying Charlotte’s company in Paris. Seen in October 2019 

MailOnline contacted the Prince’s Palace of Monaco who declined to comment at the time.

Dimitri, who is the son of actress Carole Bouquet and Franco-Lebanese film producer Jean-Pierre Rassam, is a film producer who has worked on The Little Prince and Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan.

He frequently travels for work and has recently spent time in Paris and Los Angeles.

However, Charlotte is said to have criticised her husband’s demanding schedule, claiming he did not spend enough time with his family.

In December 2023, Charlotte stepped out solo to attend the Chanel Metiers D’Art Show in Manchester.

One month earlier, she celebrated Monaco National Day with her children, uncle Albert and aunt Princess Charlene – with Dimitri seemingly absent. 

Charlotte and Dimitri were last seen attending the 60th AMADE Anniversary Dinner at Monte Carlo Opera Garnier in October in Monaco, where they posed with solemn expressions on the red carpet.

Prior to this outing, the duo appeared in high spirits as they enjoyed the traditional Monaco picnic in September, with their two sons.

Charlotte pictured in January 2024 at the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week

The couple also attended a host of events at Cannes Film Festival last May, including a glamorous premiere of Killers of the Flower Moon.

Dimitri popped the question during a ski trip in March 2018 and Charlotte subsequently attended Monaco’s Rose Ball wearing a diamond ring. 

The duo decided to postpone their wedding until after the birth of their son, Balthazar, who is now five.

Balthazar is Charlotte’s second child – she also shares Raphaël, 11, with Moroccan-Canadian comedian Gad Elmaleh, who she dated between 2011 and 2015. Dimitri was previously married to Russian model Masha Novoselova. 

Charlotte and Dimitri tied the knot in a civil ceremony at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco on June 1, 2019, followed by a reception at Villa La Vigie, an exclusive property with views across the Mediterranean, in Roquebrune.

They later enjoyed a religious ceremony at the Abbey of Sainte-Marie de Pierredon, outside Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, on June 29, 2019.

The bride stunned in a custom ivory Giambattista Valli gown, featuring sheer lace sleeves and flouncy chiffon ruffles, while the groom chose an off-white suit. 

Charlotte, who is a keen equestrian and model, is the second child of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and Stefano Casiraghi.

Her maternal grandparents were Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly.

She has two brothers, Andrea and Pierre, as well as a half-sister, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, 25.