Catherine Charlotte de Gramont | |
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Princess of Monaco | |
Consort | 10 January 1662 – 4 June 1678 |
Born | 1639 |
Died | 4 June 1678 (aged 39) Palais Royal, Paris, France |
Spouse | Louis I of Monaco |
Issue Detail |
Antoine, Prince of Monaco Anna Hippolyte, Duchess of Uzès François Honoré, Archbishop of Besançon |
House | Gramont |
Father | Antoine de Gramont |
Mother | Françoise Marguerite du Plessis |
Catherine Charlotte de Gramont (1639 – 4 June 1678) was a French noblewoman and Princess of Monaco as the wife of Louis I of Monaco and a mistress of Louis XIV of France.
She was the eldest daughter of Marshal Antoine de Gramont and Françoise Marguerite du Plessis, a niece of Cardinal Richelieu. Catherine Charlotte's elder brother was Guy Armand de Gramont, the celebrated Count of Guiche, known for his arrogance and good looks, who was successively the lover of Philippe of France, Duke of Orléans and Princess Henrietta of England, husband and wife.
In 1660, Catherine married Louis de Grimaldi, the 2nd Duke of Valentinois and heir to the throne of Monaco, who is described as "a glorious and avaricious Italian". They had six children.
In 1662, she became Princess of Monaco. She visited Monaco in 1662, where she stayed for three years, after which she returned to the French court. The Prince and Princess of Monaco spent more time in Paris than they did in Monaco. The couple were well-established at the royal court of Louis XIV, where Catherine Charlotte held the position of lady-in-waiting to Princess Henrietta of England, sister-in-law and former lover of Louis XIV. Her aunt, Suzanne Charlotte de Gramont, marquise de Saint Chaumont, was also a member of Henrietta's household as the governess of her two daughters, Marie Louise and Anne Marie.