Albert II, Crown Prince (1958– )

Ruler of Monaco from 2005. The only son of Prince Rainier and his US wife, Grace Kelly, he served briefly in the French navy and then worked as an intern for various companies in France and the USA. After his mother's death in a car accident in 1982, he returned to Monaco and increasingly took on ambassadorial duties as his father's health declined. In July 2005, he became Monaco's ruler, following his father's death in April 2005.

He was educated in Monaco and the USA. An accomplished sportsman, he participated in five Winter Olympics as a member of the national bobsled team.

In 2005, shortly after the death of his father, the unmarried Albert confirmed that he had fathered a son to a French-Togolese air stewardess during a relationship of several years. The son is not in line to succeed because Monaco's constitution requires its rulers to be born in wedlock.