Stefano Casiraghi: A Man Among Princes

Though he described himself as 'a born businessman', when Stefano Casiraghi married Princess Caroline of Monaco in December 1983 the terms being used to describe him were more along the lines of 'playboy' and 'gigolo' than 'capitalist'.

It didn't take more than a couple of years, though, for Casiraghi to become one of the most powerful men in a Principality which then, as now, is positively thronged with powerful men. By the time he died, Casiraghi had become the son Prince Rainier III never had; even though Prince Rainier had a son, as so often happens in these cases, the sovereign and his heir were wary of each other in the way that the sovereign and his son-in-law didn't need to be.

Born this day in 1960, Casiraghi was just 30 when the power boat he was driving crashed in October 1990, killing him, and leaving Her Serene Highness a widow with three small children. As with most sudden deaths, conspiracies abound. None can be proved, of course, which for people who believe in such things only confirms (rather than dispels) such theories.

Despite the time that has elapsed since his death, interest in Casiraghi remains high, not least because the small children he left behind are now fully grown socialites and (understandably, given their parentage) raving beauties as well; this post remains one of the most frequently read on the Pop Culture Institute since it was posted here on this day in 2007.
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