Is the royal marriage of Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II cursed?
Some experts seem to think so. Just days after their lavish three-day nuptials, the royal couple of Monaco has not yet quelled rumors that their marriage is on the rocks. Now ABC News suggests that the centuries-old Grimaldi curse may be to blame.
The stories vary, with one having the first Grimaldi ruler, Francesco the Spiteful, killing a Monaco defender while disguised as a monk, while another tells of Prince Rainier I kidnapping and raping a young woman. Either way, a curse was passed to haunt the family forevermore: ''Never will a Grimaldi find true happiness in marriage."
Sound silly? Of course. But ABC News interviewed royal historian Robert Lacey, who validated the legend. "The monks placed a curse on the family ever since, saying they will never have a happy marriage, they will always have trouble producing legitimate heirs, and there'll be other tragedies," said Lacey in all seriousness, "and look what's happened."
Flash to images of Princess Grace, who died in a car crash after enduring her husband's "philandering ways," and her daughter Princess Caroline, whose husband perished in a boating accident.
And now, reports ABC, there is Princess Charlene.
It's all a bit dramatic for our taste (we were never that into fairytales). But there's no arguing that the royal newlyweds do look uncomfortable around each other, especially compared to that other lovey-dovey royal couple you might know currently touring North America.
Is this royal marriage doomed to fail?
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