Jazmin Grace Grimaldi: actress and granddaughter of Grace Kelly

For years she was considered the secret daughter of Albert of Monaco. Now she is an aspiring young actress who, in addition to having an excellent relationship with her father, has earned a prominent place in the international press. But who is Jazmin Grace Grimaldi really?

Born out of wedlock, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi is the eldest daughter of Albert of Monaco. He is the son of Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly and became the city state's sovereign prince in 2005. The young woman had been born in 1992, after her father had an affair with an American woman named Tamara Rotolo.

Although she knew of its existence, it was only as a teenager that Jazmin Grace Grimaldi met her father for the first time. A few years later, in 2006, Albert of Monaco finally recognized Jazmin as his daughter. It happened one year after another "secret" child of the Monegasque prince had become public: his son Alexandre Coste.

As a child, Jazmin heard a lot about her father from her mother's stories. Tamara Rotolo, pictured here with Jazmin, alongside Keri Russell, among others, had a brief affair with Albert in 1991. Grace Kelly's son was enjoying a summer vacation on the Riviera and Tamara Rotolo was a waitress there at the time. They fell in love, had a short relationship, and never got married.

Growing up in the USA, Jazmin went to good schools and studied Business at Fordham University in New York. After doing a postgraduate course in International Relations, she worked for the United Nations for two years.

Despite her studies in business and diplomacy, the young Jazmin Grace Grimaldi actually wants to be an artist. She has flirted with the world of acting and music.

She has also acted in short films and appeared briefly in season 4 of the multi-award-winning series 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.' This comedy starring Rachel Brosnahan is one of the highest-profile performances of Jazmin so far. Another important role was that of the girl Amber in the 2020 film 'Cicada.'

In her pursuit of acting, Albert of Monaco's daughter follows in the footsteps of her paternal grandmother, Grace Kelly. The famous blonde triumphed as an actress before she became the wife of Rainier of Monaco.

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi is embarking on a journey to stardom together with her partner, composer, and singer Ian Mellencamp. They have not only a romantic but also a business relationship. Mellencamp was in charge of the production of her first single 'Fearless'. Together they also released 'Thankful' and other singles.

Model and rocker, Ian Mellencamp is also known for his famous uncle: the rock guitarist and songwriter John Mellencamp.

The couple has been together for years and appeared at countless public and private events, so, who knows, they may soon celebrate their love at the altar. Perhaps she will even walk down the aisle on the arm of her father, Albert of Monaco.

"I remember that, when I was little, I wanted to meet him and for him to know me," Jazmin Grace Grimaldi told Harper's Baazar in 2015. Looking back on her first meeting with prince Albert, she added: "It's wonderful that it happened when it did and I think we've enjoyed our relationship ever since."

"I was 14 years old when, one day as I was getting ready to go to school, the news got out to the media that my father had a daughter and that daughter was me," Jazmin recalls. "It was a difficult time," she tells Harper's Bazaar. "I was just a teenager, but I adapted because I had known it would happen any day soon."

Jazmin also had some emotional words for her grandmother Grace Kelly in the Harper's Bazaar interview. She never got to know the famous actress. "I remember that when I was a child, my mother used to show me photographs of her, but to be honest, I had no idea then that she was such a huge icon."

Although she did not have the opportunity to meet her personally (Grace Kelly died in September 1982, before Jazmin Grace Grimaldi was born) the aspiring actress claims to have a special bond with her father's mother.

"When I first saw her film 'High Society,' I realized for the first time that I had a strong connection with her," she told Harper's Bazaar.

In fact, Jazmin bears a great resemblance to Grace of Monaco. Thanks to her grandmother's performance in 'High Society' she understood that she was made for acting. "I am passionate about acting, singing and dancing. I think that when I saw the film I understood it; I remember that I got goose bumps."

And what is Jazmin's relationship to the rest of the Grimaldi family? She seems to have a good relationship with her father's wife, Charlene of Monaco, and her two younger half-siblings, the twins Jacques and Gabriella of Monaco.

Her closest relative, however, is her cousin Pauline Ducruet, the daughter of her aunt Stephanie of Monaco. The friendship became only better after they both started to live in New York.

Since Jazmin Grace is just another Grimaldi, she has even travelled to Monaco with her mother to spend a few days with her father's family. "We like to share meals as a family," the young woman told Harper's Bazaar.

They do "everything a normal family does: eating together, barbecuing, going to the beach..." she says. But she has to confess that they do everything "perhaps with a slightly tighter schedule." There's always a difference between the twins born in marriage and the other siblings born outside of it.

So what will be the next step in the life of this aspiring actress and "hidden" daughter of Albert of Monaco? A new role in a series like 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' - or a movie like 'Cicada'?