Inconvenient Children of Monaco: Elisabeth, Christian, and Christine
As previously reported, illegitimate children are nothing new to Monaco. Illegitimate children go back for many generations in the modern princely family of Monaco. Princess Charlotte of Monaco who is considered the "convenient" illegitimate Grimaldi; then eight of Princess Charlotte's great-grandchildren-Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre Casiraghi, Camille Gottlieb, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and Alexandre Coste, and Louis and Pauline Ducuret and three of "The Convenient One"'s own grandchildren were also originally illegitimate at one point or another in their lives.
Marcia Tracy spotlights more of Monaco's inconvenient children for The Royal Fanzine.
Baroness Elisabeth-Anne de Massy was born in 1947, the eldest of the three de Massy children. At the time of her birth, her uncle Rainer III was single and childless, so many Moneguese looked to Elisabeth's mother, Princess Antoinette of Monaco for security in the succession to Monaco. This increased when Elisabeth-Anne's brother was born two years after she. She and her two siblings were originally surnamed Grimaldi, but when her mother received the Barony of Massy in 1951, as a wedding present from her brother, then Princess Antoinette changed her children's last name to de Massy. However, Elisabeth and her siblings are not entitled to use Baron or Baroness of Massy as it is not considered hereditary nor do they have the courtesy titles as the children of a baroness. Elisabeth is a baroness via her first marriage. Today, Elisabeth-Anne is an active mother of two, Baron Jean-Leonard Taubert-Natta (b. 1974, m. 2005) and Melanie-Antoinette de Massy (b.1985), and in charity work in Monaco. She is President of the Monegasque Tennis Federation and of the Monte Carlo Country Club.
Christian Louis de Massy was born in 1949, the middle of the de Massy children. Christian-Louis was the focus of his mother's attention's because he was a potential heir to the throne of Monaco if his uncle failed to produce heirs. He attended Institut Le Rosey, but was expelled. He then attended Downside School from 1963-1967. Lastly, he attended Cambrige University for a short time, and was a member of Cambridge's boxing team, but never graduated. He has been married a total of four times, the latest and longest marriage Cécile Gelabale. He has three children, one from his first marriage, and two from his latest: Leticia de Massy (Noghès) (born in his first marriage in Argentina in May of 1971), Brice Souleyman Gelabale-de Massy (adopted by him and his 4th wife, Gelbale, born in 1988) and Antoine de Massy (born in 1997). Thanks to daughter Leticia, he became a grandfather to fraternal twins, Jonkvrouw Rose de Brouwer and Jonkheer Sylvestre de Brouwer, their father being Jonkheer Thomas de Brouwer in 2008.
Christine-Alix de Massy was born in 1951, a few months before her parents marriage, the youngest of the de Massy children. She married Princess Grace's first cousin once removed, Charles Wayne Knecht on 14 February 1972 in Monaco. from this union, there was one son, Keith Sebastian Knecht de Massy, who was born on 24 August 1972 in Philladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. They would later divorce in 1974. Christine-Alix would marry a second time in March of 1988 to Leon Leroy, of which there was no issue. Tragically, Christine-Alix de Massy died of leukemia on 15 February 1989, in Nice, France. She was survived by her parents, two older siblings, two nieces (Christian's daughter Leticia and Elisabeth's daughter Melanie), two nephews (Elisabeth's son Jean-Leonard, and Christian's son Brice), uncle Prince Rainier III, cousins Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, and Princess Stephanie, and first cousins once removed Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre Casiraghi, and her husband, Leon Leroy, and sixteen year old son, Keith Sebastian Knecht de Massy. Today, she would have just turned sixty years old and be the grandmother Keith's four children: Christine (2000, presumably named in her honor), Alexia (2001), Vittoria (2007) and Andrea (2008).
Marcia Tracy spotlights more of Monaco's inconvenient children for The Royal Fanzine.
Baroness Elisabeth-Anne de Massy was born in 1947, the eldest of the three de Massy children. At the time of her birth, her uncle Rainer III was single and childless, so many Moneguese looked to Elisabeth's mother, Princess Antoinette of Monaco for security in the succession to Monaco. This increased when Elisabeth-Anne's brother was born two years after she. She and her two siblings were originally surnamed Grimaldi, but when her mother received the Barony of Massy in 1951, as a wedding present from her brother, then Princess Antoinette changed her children's last name to de Massy. However, Elisabeth and her siblings are not entitled to use Baron or Baroness of Massy as it is not considered hereditary nor do they have the courtesy titles as the children of a baroness. Elisabeth is a baroness via her first marriage. Today, Elisabeth-Anne is an active mother of two, Baron Jean-Leonard Taubert-Natta (b. 1974, m. 2005) and Melanie-Antoinette de Massy (b.1985), and in charity work in Monaco. She is President of the Monegasque Tennis Federation and of the Monte Carlo Country Club.
Christian Louis de Massy was born in 1949, the middle of the de Massy children. Christian-Louis was the focus of his mother's attention's because he was a potential heir to the throne of Monaco if his uncle failed to produce heirs. He attended Institut Le Rosey, but was expelled. He then attended Downside School from 1963-1967. Lastly, he attended Cambrige University for a short time, and was a member of Cambridge's boxing team, but never graduated. He has been married a total of four times, the latest and longest marriage Cécile Gelabale. He has three children, one from his first marriage, and two from his latest: Leticia de Massy (Noghès) (born in his first marriage in Argentina in May of 1971), Brice Souleyman Gelabale-de Massy (adopted by him and his 4th wife, Gelbale, born in 1988) and Antoine de Massy (born in 1997). Thanks to daughter Leticia, he became a grandfather to fraternal twins, Jonkvrouw Rose de Brouwer and Jonkheer Sylvestre de Brouwer, their father being Jonkheer Thomas de Brouwer in 2008.
Christine-Alix de Massy was born in 1951, a few months before her parents marriage, the youngest of the de Massy children. She married Princess Grace's first cousin once removed, Charles Wayne Knecht on 14 February 1972 in Monaco. from this union, there was one son, Keith Sebastian Knecht de Massy, who was born on 24 August 1972 in Philladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. They would later divorce in 1974. Christine-Alix would marry a second time in March of 1988 to Leon Leroy, of which there was no issue. Tragically, Christine-Alix de Massy died of leukemia on 15 February 1989, in Nice, France. She was survived by her parents, two older siblings, two nieces (Christian's daughter Leticia and Elisabeth's daughter Melanie), two nephews (Elisabeth's son Jean-Leonard, and Christian's son Brice), uncle Prince Rainier III, cousins Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, and Princess Stephanie, and first cousins once removed Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre Casiraghi, and her husband, Leon Leroy, and sixteen year old son, Keith Sebastian Knecht de Massy. Today, she would have just turned sixty years old and be the grandmother Keith's four children: Christine (2000, presumably named in her honor), Alexia (2001), Vittoria (2007) and Andrea (2008).
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