Philippe Junot, the French businessman who was once married to Princess Caroline of Monaco, has died. He was 85.
Junot passed away peacefully on Thursday, January 8, in Madrid, surrounded by family, according to a statement shared by his daughter, Victoria Junot, on Instagram.
“With an emotional heart, I am sad to announce the passing of my father,” Victoria wrote. “He left this world peacefully on January 8, 2026, after a long, beautiful and adventurous life. He was a grandfather of three, soon to be four.”
In a heartfelt tribute, she described her father as a loving parent and a true gentleman, thanking him for “the laughs, the adventures, and the inspiration to reach greater heights.”
Junot rose to international attention in the late 1970s through his high-profile romance with Princess Caroline, the eldest daughter of Monaco’s late Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace Kelly. The relationship was controversial at the time, largely due to their age difference—Caroline was 20 while Junot was 36—and Junot’s reputation as a jet-set playboy.
Princess Grace and Prince Rainier were reportedly opposed to the relationship and made several attempts to distance their daughter from Junot. Caroline was sent on extended trips to Ecuador and later the Galápagos Islands, moves widely seen as efforts to cool the romance and shield her from media attention.
Despite family opposition, Caroline and Junot married in a civil ceremony on June 28, 1978, followed by a religious celebration the next day. The wedding attracted major international attention and featured Hollywood stars such as Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant and Ava Gardner, reflecting Princess Grace’s former life as a film icon.
The marriage was short-lived, and the couple divorced in 1980. However, under Catholic law, Princess Caroline had to wait until 1992 for the union to be formally annulled.
In 1983, Caroline married Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi, with whom she had three children: Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre. Casiraghi died in a tragic powerboat racing accident in 1990. Following the annulment of her first marriage, Pope John Paul II later recognized her religious marriage to Casiraghi.
Princess Caroline went on to marry her current husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover, in 1999. The couple share one daughter, Princess Alexandra.
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