Princess Charlène and Prince Albert have two children together: Jacques and Gabriella. In a recent interview, Monaco’s sovereign revealed why the two little royals were given their particular names.
On December 10, 2014, Princess Charlène, now 47, became a mother for the first time: her twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, both now 10 years old, were born. At that time, Prince Albert, 67, was already the father of two children born out of wedlock.
Princess Charlène Wanted to Honor Her Late Cousin
In a new interview with the French magazine Point de Vue, Monaco’s ruler reflected on how they chose the names for their twins – particularly the significance of their son’s name for his wife, Charlène. “[Jacques] is quite a common first name in South Africa, and one of my wife’s cousins, who unfortunately passed away, was named Jacques,” Prince Albert explained. He further revealed, “She wanted to honor him, and I told her that there had also been a Jacques in our family, thanks to the Matignon lineage. As a result, we agreed to name our son Jacques.”
For this reason, on April 9, 2025, Prince Albert and Princess Charlène attended an official event in France with their children to teach Gabriella and Jacques about their ancestors’ family history in Matignon.
In contrast, the name of their daughter has no particular background. “For our daughter, it’s different – there was no Gabrielle or Gabriella in the family, except for a distant Polignac relative. We simply liked the name,” said the 67-year-old.
The Personalities of Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella
This isn’t the first time that Prince Albert has shared private details about the family’s life. In 2024, in an interview with Paris Match, he also talked about his children’s personalities.
“Gabriella is very much the continuation of the traits she showed as a young child. She’s a little girl with an independent character who expresses herself quite freely,” said the prince.
His son and heir, Jacques, however, has changed considerably over the past few years. “People used to think Jacques was more introverted, but he has become much more confident for some time now. He is kind towards his sister but no longer lets himself be dominated by her. He can moderate her and say no. It’s very amusing to watch. They are very close, very bonded,” Prince Albert shared.
