Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (He suspended the previous constitution in 1959, saying that it "has hindered the administrative and political life of the country.") The changes ended autocratic rule, placing power with the prince and a National Council of eighteen elected members. At the time of his death, he was the world's second longest-serving living head of state (independent), ranking just below the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej. After a year-long courtship described as containing "a good deal of rational appraisal on both sides" ("The Times", 7 April 2005, page 59), Prince Rainier married Oscar-winning American actress Grace Kelly (1929–1982) in 1956. The ceremonies
Jacques I, Prince of Monaco de Bourbon-Maine, a grand daughter of Louis XIV and his mistress, Madame de Montespan, was proposed as a wife for the widowed prince; despite having a large dowry, (she was the daughter of the Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, duc du Maine and his wife, Anne Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon) the marriage never materialised and the prince never married again. His Paris residence was named after him Hôtel Matignon and is today the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. Prior to his death, he was a frequent visitor to Versailles with his son. Jacques I, Prince of Monaco Jacques Goÿon