How Tatiana Casiraghi went from billionaire heiress to royal: once Monaco’s richest citizen, she’s since married Andrew Casiraghi, grandson of Grace Kelly, and runs her own sustainable fashion brand
Although it is one of the smallest countries in the world – with an area of just 2.58 square kilometres – it is also one of the richest per capita. According to Fox Business, Monaco had a wealth per capita of US$2.1 million in 2019. The principality also has the highest GDP per capita in the world, according to the World Bank Group.
Described as the billionaire’s playground, Monaco has a zero-income tax policy that attracts the super-rich to its shores. One member of the Monégasque royal family who is well-known within high society and the fashion elite is 39-year-old Tatiana Casiraghi.
The American-born heiress had a net worth of US$1.7 billion as of March 2019, Forbes reported. That same year, Casiraghi was recognised as the richest citizen of Monaco, though she has since fallen off Forbes’ real-time billionaires’ list.
Here’s everything we know about the uber-wealthy socialite and member of the Monégasque royal family.
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How Tatiana Casiraghi grew up
Tatiana Casiraghi was born as Tatiana Santo Domingo on November 24, 1983, in New York City. Her grandfather, beer-brewing tycoon Julio Mario Santo Domingo, was named the second-richest man in Colombia by Forbes in 2011, before his death that same year. At the time of his death, his net worth was US$8.4 billion.
As the owner of Bavaria, one of the largest breweries in South America, he later traded his ownership for a 15 per cent stake in SABMiller, making the entire Santo Domingo family extremely wealthy.
When he died in 2011, one-sixth of his enormous wealth was left to his granddaughter, according to Hello! magazine.
She attended an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland
The elite boarding school is one of the most expensive boarding schools in the world. The price to attend is reportedly as much as US$130,000 annually for tuition and boarding.
The school is also the oldest in Switzerland. One of the campus buildings, the Château du Rosey, was built in the 14th century, while the school was founded in 1880.
Casiraghi received her bachelor’s degree from The American University of London in 2005, before the university lost its accredited status in 2007. She majored in visual communications with a concentration in photography.
She’s perhaps best known for her place in the Monégasque royal family
In 2014, with the birth of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene’s twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, the line of succession changed, making Andrea fourth in line to the throne.
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She and Andrea Casiraghi started dating in 2006
Tatiana gave birth to her first son, Alexandre Andrea Stefano “Sacha” Casiraghi, a few months before the royal couple married on August 31, 2013. As they were not married when their first son was born, he was not originally given a place in the Monégasque line of succession.
According to the Constitution of the Principality of Monaco, legitimate heirs must be related by birth to the ruler and their parents must be married. However, when the two wedded in 2013, Sacha became fifth in line to the throne.
Their wedding was a small yet high-society affair
According to Vogue, the bride wore a V-neck Missoni dress with three-quarter-length sleeves and flat silver sandals, while her bridesmaids wore designer dresses from Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino. Members of the Missoni family attended the wedding, as did Greek shipping heiress Eugenie Niarchos, according to Hello!
The couple had a civil ceremony at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco in August 2013 followed by a religious ceremony in Gstaad, Switzerland, six months later. Tatiana and Andrea now have two more children: daughter India, 7, and son Maximilian Rainier, 4. Maximilian was named after Rainier III, the late Prince of Monaco and husband of Grace Kelly.
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Her work in fashion
Casiraghi has worked in the fashion industry for years. She previously held a position at the Aeffe fashion house in New York under creative director Giovanni Biancho. She also held a position at Vanity Fair. Italian fashion heiress Margherita Missoni is a member of Casiraghi’s inner circle and the two have been spotted together at multiple fashion shows and industry events.
The billionaire heiress-turned-royal runs her own ethical fashion company, Muzungu Sisters, with Dana Alikhani, an advocate for human rights. According to W Magazine, Alikhani has held positions at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and at the Human Rights Watch in New York. She’s also served as a Middle East political analyst for a global business risk consultancy in London.
Founded in 2011, Muzungu Sisters collects and resells sustainable and ethically sourced goods from 20 artisan communities across the world. The brand’s website claims that purchases “stimulate local economies” in India, Morocco, Peru, South Africa, Colombia and more. Dresses, tops and skirts on the site hover around US$250 to US$900, while the brand’s iconic basket bags go for around US$350.
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She leads a relatively private life
She lives with her husband, their three children and the family’s two dogs. When she’s not attending fashion industry events or spending time with her royal family members, Casiraghi enjoys visiting her favourite haunts in New York, Paris and London.
In 2015, the heiress revealed to W Magazine that her favourite spots for going out on the town are Bar Pitti and Indochine in New York, Ferdi in Paris and Maggie’s Club in London.
- Born Tatiana Santo Domingo in New York City, Casiraghi is the granddaughter of a beer-brewing tycoon and the recipient of a sixth of his wealth when he passed away in 2011, making her a billionaire
- The heiress married Prince Andrew Casiraghi in 2013, counts Princess Charlene of Monaco as a relative, and keeps herself busy with her ethical fashion company Muzungu Sisters and her 3 children