A curse on the monarchy of Monaco? Like the Kennedys, the Grimaldi dynasty is beset by tragedy - as Prince Albert's cousin is found dead after 'falling 40ft' amid rumours of a cryptocurrency scandal

For centuries, the Grimaldis have ruled over one of the world’s most glamorous principalities: Monaco, that sun-kissed playground of the super-rich, where casinos, fast cars and free flowing Cristal at high-society soirées are de rigueur.

Yet behind the glittering façade of Monaco’s royal family lies a chequered history of tragedy and heartbreak that has drawn comparisons with America’s ill-fated Kennedy dynasty.

Now, the death of 29-year-old Antoine de Massy, a cousin of Prince Albert, has cast a fresh shadow over the House of Grimaldi. 

His body was found in a public garden in Monaco on Sunday, October 25, and an investigation is under way to establish the circumstances of his death.

He is believed to have fallen 40ft and speculation is swirling over his possible link to a cryptocurrency scandal, as a Ukrainian national has been arrested in connection with his death.

Indeed, for a family whose immense privilege has been punctuated by sudden deaths, failed marriages, tragic accidents and personal scandals, it is little wonder that its fortunes have become the subject of a so-called Grimaldi curse.

The untimely death of Princess Grace of Monaco is central to this narrative of loss. The Hollywood star gave up her Oscar-winning film career at 26 to marry Prince Rainier III in 1956, exchanging the independence of a successful actress for the restricted role of royal consort.

Known as the ‘Hitchcock blonde’, Grace had become one of the most recognisable faces in cinema after starring in Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder and Rear Window. There were reports that the director hoped to lure her back to the screen for Marnie, but the prospect of a Hollywood return as a reigning princess proved controversial.

Grace went on to have three children and devoted herself to royal duties and the arts in Monaco. But the fairytale ended in September 1982, when she suffered a stroke while driving with her youngest daughter, Stéphanie. Their car plunged down a steep mountainside, and while Stephanie survived, Grace died the following day, aged 52.

Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco at the at the Opera Garnier in October 2026

American actress Grace Kelly on the set of Dial M for Murder, directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcok

In an eerie twist, the road was familiar from her film career: she had driven along the winding roads of the Riviera with Cary Grant in Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. The two worlds that had defined her life Hollywood and Monaco, colliding in tragedy.

Having suffered the trauma of losing her mother, Princess Caroline would endure heartbreak of her own. Her first marriage, to Parisian banker Philippe Junot, began with a lavish wedding attended by stars including Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner and Cary Grant, but ended in divorce after just two years.

She later found love with Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi, with whom she had three children. But in 1990, he was killed aged 30 when his powerboat overturned during a race off Monaco, leaving Caroline a widow with three young children. Like her mother, she had enjoyed a seemingly enviable life that was shattered by unexpected tragedy.

Before marrying Princess Charlène, Prince Albert was widely regarded as an eligible bachelor and dubbed the ‘playboy prince’. 

In 2005, shortly before succeeding his father, Rainier III, he publicly acknowledged Alexandre Grimaldi, his son with former flight attendant Nicole Coste. The following year, he acknowledged his daughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, whose mother is American Tamara Rotolo.

In 2020, reports emerged of a further paternity claim brought by a Brazilian woman who alleged that Albert had fathered her daughter during his relationship with Charlène. His lawyers dismissed the claim as a ‘hoax’.

Then there was the prolonged absence of Charlène herself, which sparked feverish speculation about the state of their marriage. 

In 2021, the former Olympic swimmer spent months in her native South Africa after developing a serious ear, nose and throat infection that required multiple procedures. 

When she eventually returned to Monaco, she withdrew from public life to continue her recovery. Albert insisted that marital difficulties were not to blame, attributing her condition to health problems and exhaustion.

Antoine de Massy was the first cousin once removed of Prince Albert II 

The episode offered a rare glimpse behind the immaculate façade of the Grimaldi dynasty, where even a modern-day princess can flee palaces and royal duty for homespun normality and the absence of scrutiny.

Now, Antoine de Massy’s death has brought the dynasty’s complicated history sharply into focus once again.

The grandson of Princess Antoinette, Rainier III’s elder sister, Antoine was the son of Baron Christian de Massy and a keen tennis player with ambitions of representing Monaco at the Olympics. His death, aged just 29, has prompted an investigation, and the circumstances remain unclear.

Police on Monday arrested a Ukrainian national who was seen near where de Massy's body was found on CCTV. 

Investigators established that the 42-year-old man had been in contact with de Massy, but he declined to respond to any questions when brought before a judge on Wednesday. 

He is currently being held in pre-trial detention. The charges against him are involuntary manslaughter and failure to assist a person in danger. Autopsy results have now revealed that the royal most likely died after falling 40ft from a building in the area.

And rumours are now swirling that the 29-year-old may have been connected to a cryptocurrency scandal. 

According to an investigation by BILD, De Massy was active in Monaco's blockchain scene. Blockchain is a shared, digital database that stores information across a network of computers.

In 2021, he founded the company Instant Tech, which connects local businesses, merchants, and clients for instant reservations and payments, and co-founded the 'Association Cryptographique de Monte-Carlo.'

According to an inside source who spoke to BILD, De Massy is rumoured to have been connected to the controversial cryptocurrency exchange, Zondacrypto. 

Princess Caroline of Hanover, and Prince Albert II of Monaco attend the Rose Ball 2023 on March 25, 2023 in Monaco

The company, founded in Poland, is currently being investigated by authorities after it collapsed in 2026, with thousands of customers losing access to their money. 

The damage is estimated at at least 79.5million euros, and Polish authorities are investigating on suspicion of fraud and money laundering.

Although his connection to Zondacrypto remains unproven, the Grimaldi family insider told BILD that the royal was a prominent figure in the tech world.

'It shows that Prince Albert II had placed his trust in the ambitious young entrepreneur. Without the prince's approval, Antoine would not have been able to assume these positions in the tech scene,' said the source.

Meanwhile, Monaco has been under increased scrutiny by the Financial Action Task Force since 2024, and is on the international grey list of high-risk countries for money laundering.

The Financial Action Task Force has pointed to weaknesses in the fight against money laundering in the principality. These include insufficient controls, shortcomings in investigations, and deficiencies in tracing criminal assets.

De Massy played tennis professionally and moved to Florida with his family when he was younger to train at the prestigious Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, with hopes of making it to the Olympics.

In a 2012 interview with Vogue Italia, he said his dream was to 'become number one in the world,' adding, 'even in the top 20 wouldn't be bad!'

Despite his royal connections, he preferred to stay out of the spotlight in Monte Carlo's social scene, according to BILD.

One of his last public appearances was at the traditional Te Deum Mass for Monaco's National Day in November 2025.

His father, Baron Christian de Massy, is often referred to as the black sheep of the family, having been kicked out of school and banished to Argentina for causing too much trouble in his youth. 

Dubbed a playboy by local media, all four of his marriages ended in divorce. He is rarely ever seen at social events with the Monaco royal family.

The prince's palace announced De Massy's death in a statement on Monday: 'Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène were saddened to learn of the death of Antoine de Massy, the grandson of Princess Antoinette, the elder sister of Prince Rainier III.

'A keen tennis player, he was part of a family history closely linked to the sport in the principality.

'Their Highnesses share in the grief of his family and loved ones and offer them their sincere condolences at this painful time.'

The American presidential dynasty of the Kennedys has endured a similarly painful clash between public glamour and private grief. 

The so-called Kennedy curse has haunted the family for decades, from John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 and the murder of his brother Robert five years later to the death of John F. Kennedy Jr in a plane crash in 1999.

More recently, Kyle Kennedy, granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy, died aged 42 in September 2026. Her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.

There is, of course, no evidence of an actual curse. But the accumulation of premature deaths and devastating losses has cemented the legend in the public imagination.

In Monaco, where the world has watched the Grimaldi’s live out their lives against a backdrop of extraordinary wealth and beauty, perhaps the so-called curse is simply a way of making sense of tragedy. 

When a family’s life is lived so publicly, every misfortune twists and turns under the microscope.

For all their privilege, the Grimaldis remain subject to the same human frailties as everyone else. Money may buy the finest palaces and the most spectacular views, but it cannot shield anyone from heartbreak.