Beatrice Borromeo, the new projects and the eternal charm of the Monaco royals at the Cannes Film Festival

A few days ago the red catwalk of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, was illuminated by one of the most glamorous and elegant aristocratic couples of the moment, namely the one formed by Beatrice Borromeo and Pierre Casiraghi, the youngest son of Princess Caroline of Hanover. The radiant duo walked the red carpet holding hands and showing great complicity to the delight of photographers and journalists present in large numbers.

At Cannes for the film produced by his brother-in-law Dimitri Rassam

Beatrice, journalist and director, splendid in a long wine-coloured velvet dress, and her husband Pierre, in a blue tuxedo, did not want to miss the screening of the film produced by her brother-in-law, Dimitri Rassam, The Count of Monte Cristo (Le comte de Monte-Cristo), presented out of competition. The film is a bold and successful new version of the famous adventure novel written by Alexandre Dumas and completed in 1844. The first adaptation of the book on the big screen dates back to the silent film era, in 1912. Then followed another twenty cinematographic and television versions, with films and series, among which one of the most famous in France is certainly that of Josée Dayan in 1998 with Gérard Depardieu in the protagonist role.

Beatrice's enthusiasm after the screening

Dimitri Rassam is a great fan of Dumas and this film is confirmation of this after the other two works: The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan hey The Three Musketeers Milady in 2023. The film, as seen also from the videos and photos circulated on the media and social media, was highly successful. In particular, it was the interpretation of Pierre Niney, in the role of Edmond Dantès, that won over the audience, and greatly moved the audience to the point of deserving a standing ovation and 12 minutes of applause.

Beatrice also showed her enthusiasm for the film with a post on his Instagram account @astreafilm (from the name of his film production company) in which he wrote: «Last night we immersed ourselves in watching one of the best films I have seen in recent years. We laughed and suffered with Pierre Niney (who plays the role of Edmond Dantès) and enjoyed every second of this wonderful film. I want to make a special mention of my favorite performance, that of Pierfrancesco Favino who plays Abbot Faria. He has immense talent! Congratulations also to Dimitri Rassam and Ardavan Safaee with whom I will produce my next film!”.

The new film project on the Grimaldi family

Beatrice Borromeo's enthusiasm for the film was palpable and her message not only celebrated the film presented at Cannes but also announced important new projects for her production company, Astrea Film, which, after the success of the docuseries Netflix “The Prince” dedicated to the famous Hamer crime in 1978 and the involvement of Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, is ready for a new adventure. Precisely in collaboration with Dimitri Rassam's production company, Chapter 2 & with Pathè (one of the most important French film companies), Beatrice is working on the next film which this time will tell the passionate story of the Grimaldi dynasty, one of the longest-lived.

The plot will go back in time and delve into the ancient origins of the family that conquered Monaco in the 13th century. The film promises to be full of new details and twists that will surprise even the most avid royal fans. Also because he signed the first chapter of the saga, entitled The Rock, is the happy pen of Martha Hillier, a prestigious name who has written important international series such as “The Last Kingdom” and “Versailles”. «The original story of the Grimaldis of Monaco, dating back around seven centuries ago, is one of the most fascinating I have ever had the chance to discover thanks to the initiative of Beatrice, Andrea and Pierre», explained Dimitri Rassam in an interview a few months ago.

A family affair

The idea of ​​the film, which will be called Monk, was in fact born from research in the Palace archives by Andrea Casiraghi, the eldest son of Princess Carolina and Stefano Casiraghi, who uncovered some real gems which contain one of the most compelling stories ever told. So there's certainly no shortage of material. The Grimaldis are one of the oldest royal families in Europe and their origins can be found in Italy. It was Ottone Canella (whose name seems to derive from the spice that arrived in the West at the time of the first Crusade, in which Otto perhaps participated), a Genoese nobleman, who founded the dynasty in the year 1133, giving it the name of his son Grimaldo. The Grimaldis were a powerful family that supported the Pope and which included Francesco Grimaldi, known as “Malizia”, ​​who in 1297, disguised as a Franciscan, with the help of some followers also in habit, conquered Monaco (which takes the name from the Italian word monaco). Perhaps, according to some interpretations, the myth of the curse that has afflicted the family for years was born precisely from that event «A Grimaldi will never be happy in marriage». Although other legends suggest that the curse was inflicted by a witch who, after being raped and kidnapped by one of the Grimaldis, sought revenge.

«We were surprised by the quantity of untold stories, intrigues and adventures hidden in ancient documents and private correspondence that have spanned the various centuries. In the end we decided to start from the beginning. Martha Hillier brought her passion and talent to the story of the origins of the Grimaldis, bringing the most intriguing, witty and authentic characters out of the archives”, explained the production company Astrea. An ambitious project, in the wake of The Crown, for which there is great anticipation today.

The big absentee: Charlotte Casiraghi

The collaboration between the Grimaldi family and Dimitri Rassam confirms the friendly relationship which persists, despite the producer's recent separation from Charlotte Casiraghi. The latter, mother of Dimitri's son, Balthazar, enchanted the Cannes public the previous evening, attending the screening of the film “Marcello Mio” by Christophe Honoré and parading along the catwalk in a white dress enriched with silver buttons from Chanel 2020 collection.

Charlotte surprised on the Croisette with her natural beauty and her radiant gaze, which many attributed to her alleged new love, the famous French writer Nicolas Mathieu (author of the award-winning book And the children after them) with whom Charlotte was photographed several times recently in Paris. In the space of a year, therefore, many things have changed and some balances seem to have been upset, even if the two directly involved have never confirmed anything. The fact is that last year, during the Cannes Film Festival, Charlotte and Dimitri were together at the screening of the film Jeanne du Barry and they were also photographed with their sisters-in-law Beatrice and Pierre. This year, however, Charlotte did her red carpet alone.

This edition of the Cannes Film Festival has confirmed this once againand the charm and influence that members of the Grimaldi family exercise in the world of cinema and entertainment. Just think of Grace Kelly, one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood, who was at home at the Cannes Film Festival and it was here that she met her future husband, Prince Rainier, in 1955.

And in these days in Cannes, he also thought about attracting the attention of the media Alexandre Grimaldi Coste, the son Prince Albert had with former flight attendant, Nicole Coste. Alexandre arrived in Cannes to participate in the event organized by the jeweler APM Monaco together with his cousin, Louis Drucuet, the son of Princess Stephanie, and to his wife, Marie and there are already those who have renamed him the new face of the Principality.