Albert II, the 30th Prince of Monaco, was born into a life of luxury and privilege, growing up in the Princely Palace of the Grimaldis in Monaco. He received private school lessons and graduated from high school in 1976 at a Swiss boarding school. The Crown Prince then moved to the USA in 1977, where he studied political science at various elite universities, earning a master's degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1981.
After completing his education, Albert served in the French Navy, leaving with the rank of officer in 1981. Tragedy struck the following year when his mother, Princess Gracia Patricia (Grace Kelly),died in an accident. In 1983, he spent a year at the New York commercial bank Morgan Guaranty Trust Company and worked for the champagne manufacturer Moet & Chandon from 1984.
In 1985, Albert returned to Monaco to prepare for taking over his father's duties. However, he was often in the public eye as an athlete, particularly as a passionate bobsledder. He represented the Principality of Monaco at the Winter Olympics five times from 1988 to 2002, with his best placement being 25th place in 1988.
Albert became chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Monaco in 1994 and president of organizations such as the Red Cross of Monaco, the International Television Festival, and the athletics and bobsleigh associations. Repeated speculations about the prince taking office early were denied by him for a long time, but he increasingly took on representative tasks for the royal family, including state visits to other European countries.
On March 31, 2005, Prince Rainier III officially passed on his protocol duties to his son, Albert. Rainier III died shortly afterwards, and the official enthronement of Albert II took place on April 15, 2005, after a three-month mourning period.
Albert's personal life was marked by controversy, including the revelation that he had fathered an illegitimate son, Alexandre, with a stewardess from Togo, and a daughter born in 1992. He officially recognized paternity in June 2006.
In 2006, Albert II took part in a North Pole expedition to mark the 100th anniversary of the Arctic expedition of his great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert I. He used the international media interest generated by his participation to draw attention to the dangers posed to the Arctic region by global warming.
Albert II became the first sitting head of government to set foot at the North Pole on Easter Sunday, April 16, and was awarded the Champions of Earth Award in 2008. He also reached the South Pole in 2009.
As regent of Monaco, Albert II faced increasing pressure from the European Community to open up the country to the outside world and cooperate more closely with its neighbors. In 2007, Monaco was still on the OECD list of "uncooperative" tax havens, but Albert announced that the country would introduce a new financial directive to combat money laundering and tax evasion.
Albert II also strengthened the attractiveness of the Monaco financial center, attracting fund managers and investment bankers with low tax rates. The banking sector became one of the country's most important sources of income, with almost a third of Monaco's residents earning more than €1 million euro.
In 2010, Albert II became engaged to South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock, and the couple married on July 2nd and 3rd, 2011.
