Saturday, April 09, 2005

A Pox Upon Your House

Has the curse that is said to hang over Monaco's reigning Grimaldis struck again?

Just days after the death of the tiny state's sovereign ruler Prince Rainier, his daughter Caroline's husband is in intensive care.

Prince Ernst August of Hanover was taken to Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco suffering from an acute pancreatic infection, the palace said in a statement.

"His state of health is serious," the palace added.

Earlier, hospital and palace sources said Ernst August had slipped into a coma on Tuesday evening, hours before Rainier died. The palace made no mention of a coma in its statement.

Ernst August's problems are likely to renew discussion of the myth that a curse has hung over the Grimaldi dynasty during its seven centuries of rule over Monaco, condemning them to never having long and successful marriages.

The curse that has followed them through the centuries is said to have been made 700 years ago when a Grimaldi kidnapped and raped a young Flemish girl. The woman became a witch and cursed the family for all time, vowing that "never will a Grimaldi find true happiness in marriage".

This is the stuff movies are made from. A 700 year old curse placed by a witch for the sins of an ancestor. Wow, I need to do some research on this.

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