Monaco succession crisis of 1918 of this event, pursuant to the clauses of the treaty of 17 July 1918." The French government at the time was still the Vichy regime. Louis II died on 9 May 1949. The Principality of Monaco passed to his grandson, Rainier III. In the absence of an heir male, the ducal titles of Valentinois and Estouteville became extinct in French nobiliary law. Before Rainier III married Grace Kelly in April 1956, he notified the French government of his plans; the French ministry of foreign affairs replied with a message of official congratulations. Count Louis de Causans is suing the French
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco jewel thief known as René the Cane as her lover). According to numerous obituaries, the prince was faced upon his ascension with a treasury that was practically empty. The small nation's traditional gambling clientele, largely European aristocrats, found themselves with reduced funds after World War II. Other gambling centers had opened to compete with Monaco, many of them successfully. To compensate for this loss of income, Rainier decided to promote Monaco as a tax haven, commercial center, real-estate development opportunity, and international tourist attraction. The early years of his reign saw the overweening involvement of the Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle