A French-born aristocrat whose full name is Louis Jean Raymond Marie de Vincens de Causans told Le Parisien newspaper that he and his relatives would be in line of succession if events that happened nearly a century ago had occurred differently. De Causans implied that France had falsified the rules of succession in order to gain control over the Mediterranean before World War I.
He told the newspaper: “I want the truth to come out and this injustice perpetrated by France on my family to be put right. In reality, my cousin Prince Albert acceded to the throne by a sleight of hand. … France found a solution to get its hands on Monaco. Afterwards, they managed the business on the Rock as they wished.”
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De Causans descends from the secondary branch of the Grimaldi family; the current ruler of Monaco, Prince Albert II, is a descendant of the prior branch. However, De Causans argues that his legal action is not aimed at Albert but at the French state only.
The dispute originates in the reign of Louis II of Monaco in 1922-1944 who did not have any heirs to pass the throne. De Causans argues that according to the rules of succession, which had been active in Monaco from the 15th century, the throne should have passed to the head of his branch, Guillaume II de Wurtemberg-Urach, who was German. "But for France, a German reign over Monaco, it was, on the eve of the First World War, simply unacceptable," said Me Jean-Marc Descoubès, Louis de Causans's lawyer.
According to historic documents attesting the legal claim, France started secret negotiations and, in 1918, French president Raymond Poincaré forced Monaco's ruler to sign a treaty, according to which in the absence of heirs, Monaco would become an autonomous French territory. Moreover, France pressured Louis II to adopt Charlotte Louise, the daughter of his lover Marie-Juliette Louvet, a cabaret singer and Prince Albert’s great-grandmother. After the adoption was made legal, it was agreed that all future princes of Monaco would need to be approved by France. This regulation still remains active today.
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De Causans calls the actions of France “not normal under the most strict dynastic rules,” as the throne was passed to a child who had no connections to the Grimaldi family. “I thought it was the Grimaldis’ fault, but then I found out it was the French state that caused this dramatic turnaround for us,” he said.
Me Descoubès told Le Parisien that the amount is colossal, yet it is “up to the injury suffered,” arguing that if Louis de Causans' branch had ruled, his client’s fortune would be “out of proportion with what it is today.” De Causans’ wealth now is reportedly approximately 15 million euros. The claim was made on July 2 to the office of the Foreign Ministry, which has two months to answer. Given the size of the amount, Me Descoubès expects it to be included in the “provision of risk” section of the next state budget.
