Pauline Ducruet Of Monaco Lives A Lavish Life

Pauline Ducruet cannot be put in a box. She is a former competitive diver, successful fashion designer, and a member of the House of Grimaldi, the reigning house of the Principality of Monaco. Pauline is the daughter of Daniel Ducruet and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, who has undergone a stunning transformation of her own over the years. Pauline has ties to the royal family of Monaco and also to one of Hollywood's most fashionable and famous actors, Grace Kelly. 

Unsurprisingly, Grace Kelly's other grandchildren live lavish lives, and Pauline is no exception. After all, the designer comes from both Monaco and Hollywood royalty and lives in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Born in 1994, Pauline has already accomplished a lot and lives a dynamic life, both in Monaco and beyond. Her royal status affords her access to a life of luxury like other members of the Monaco's royal family, but her personal success also contributes to her opulent lifestyle. 

Like royal and non royal teenagers alike, Pauline Ducruet spent her teen years taking part in a number of different activities and sports. Yet for Ducruet, her activities were a bit more unconventional, and one became more than just a hobby. Her mother, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, previously married a Portuguese acrobat, and although that relationship ended, Ducruet's former step-father's profession certainly had a major impact on her. When the family moved back to Monte Carlo, she decided to become an acrobat. "I wanted to wear leotards with sparkles," Ducruet told The Telegraph. Her time as an acrobat eventually led to her taking up swimming and diving.

As a teenager, Ducruet became a competitive diver. She was part of the World Junior Diving Championships, and competed in the European Junior Swimming and Diving Championships in 2010 as well. In August of 2010, she was even part of the Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore, an impressive accomplishment for a person of any age let alone a teenager. Ducruet spoke of how her past as a diver impacted her today. "It [training for dives] took a huge amount of discipline," she told Monaco Voice. "I had to deal with my nerves, but managing all that weight on my shoulders is something I apply to my life today."

Although it is the second smallest country in the world, Monaco is known as a billionaire's playground. From the casinos to the gorgeous beaches and the prestigious racing events, life in Monaco is as lavish as it gets.

Pauline Ducruet has cheered on her home country at The Monaco Grand Prix on many occasions. In May 2024, she attended the Formula 2 Grand Prix race in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. She regularly goes to car races and shared an Instagram photo of her posing at the event. In another photo, Ducruet stood above the track and showed her support for Monaco. "Race day is the best day," she captioned the post. 

She even donned a special jacket for the prestigious racing competition that she designed and sells as part of her fashion line. Ducruet showed off her hometown pride and fashion and design skills by wearing the jacket bearing the team's colors of red and white, a nod to the official flag colors of the country. 

Pauline Ducruet has many unique talents, but it is her love of fashion that presides over all else. The Monaco royal followed her love of design and was a stylist apprentice at the Istituto Marangoni, a private Italian fashion and design school, in Paris.

Not only did she study in the French fashion capital, but she received an education in New York as well. She holds a degree in Fashion Design from Parsons The New School of Design in New York, a prestigious institution for fashion lovers. Describing her time in New York as a young adult, she said, "It was very challenging but formative—a French Monegasque girl on the subway of New York City running errands—with a commitment to hard work that was completely different than the French work ethic," (via Monaco Voice). Ducruet graduated from The New School in 2017. She landed two prestigious fashion internships before deciding to embark on her own journey as a designer.

From a young age, Pauline Ducruet knew what she wanted and was not afraid to go after it. In an interview with Hello Monaco, she spoke of her love for fashion design. "I always wanted to be a designer. I can't remember a moment when I did not want to become a designer," she told the publication. During college, she interned for a high-profile designer label: In 2015, as part of her studies at Parsons, Ducruet completed a six month internship at Louis Vuitton. She worked for the designer label as an intern from August 2014 through February 2015.

The Monegasque royal's time working in fashion gave her the experience and insight she needed to become a successful, and sustainable, designer in her own right. "When I was a student and I saw all those shops in New York selling their stock of non-used materials, I wanted to reuse denim and other materials to make my brand more sustainable..." she explained in the interview.

Louis Vuitton is not the only well-known fashion company where Pauline Ducruet interned. After her internship at the French design house ended, she moved on to work for the iconic fashion magazine, Vogue. From March until July 2015, Ducruet interned at American Vogue. Years later, the fashion publication published articles about Ducruet's own clothing line, and she now attends events the magazine throws.

In September 2024, she posed in a picture at a Vogue event for Vogue Arabia where she modeled one of her own designs. "Took baby at a Vogue party," she captioned the picture of her on Instagram. Ducruet was also featured in an article by Australian Vogue where she discussed her fashion journey. The fashion lover and designer is familiar with and inspired by the fashion of many different international cities.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Ducruet spoke of her experience in the fashion industry and the misconceptions people can have. "...[I]t [the Louis Vuitton internship] taught me so much about the fashion industry, especially that it's not all glitz and glamour," she explained. "What I learnt was that it's a really hard-working industry and it takes all your heart, sweat and tears. But after that I knew I wanted to be a creator," the designer said.

Pauline Ducruet teamed up with her friend, Maria Zarco, to co-create a fashion brand: Alter Designs, that launched in 2018. As founder and CEO of the company, Ducruet prioritizes not only sustainability and versatility in her pieces, but she promotes inclusivity for all body types in her gender fluid clothing line.

"[S]exualization in the fashion industry is something we need to move away from," Ducruet said in an interview with Monaco Voice. "A woman is not a woman simply because she wears a dress and high heels. ...you do not have to be feminine to feel feminine," she explained. "The same goes for men. Everyone is different and we need a range of role models..." The young designer has challenged the fashion industry's beauty standards. "It is important to design for everybody because feeling confident in your clothes and your own skin can rock your day," Ducruet said.

When it comes to her love of fashion, she credits her mom, Princess Stéphanie. "I've always been interested in clothes, from as early as I can remember. I used to love playing paper dolls with my mother..." the Alter owner stated. "...[M]y mom was more of a fashion icon than my grandmother because I witnessed it. She had a huge impact on my sense of style..." Princess Stéphanie even occasionally models her daughter's clothing brand, but she is not the only member of the royal family who wears Ducruet's designs. The Alter founder designed her sister-in-law,Marie Chevallier's, royal second wedding dress that had the whole world buzzing.

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco not only wears Alter Designs, but she supports her daughter, Pauline Ducruet, at events for the fashion line, too. During her daughter's fashion shows, Princess Stéphanie is a frequent face in the front row. Having family members in the audience was not always comforting to Ducruet. "At my first show in June 2019, I did not want family backstage because I was so nervous," the designer told Monaco Voice. Clearly, there was no need to be nervous as her collection was a success. Alter Designs was shown at Paris Fashion Week only a short time after she officially launched the line.

In 2020, Alter Designs hit the runway at Palais de Tokyo during Paris Fashion Week. In subsequent years, the line has had annual shows during the week-long high fashion event. Ducruet also premiered a fall and winter collection as part of Paris Fashion Week. In January 2025, Alter Designs took part in their Menswear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 show. Because of her profession as a successful designer, Ducruet is afforded behind the scenes access to some of the most prestigious fashion events in the world.

Ducruet expressed her gratitude at simply attending Paris Fashion Week and fashion shows in other major cities like New York and Milan in an interview with Australian Vogue. "It was really amazing to see all these big designers from each city and how different and how similar it was sometimes," the fashion designer said.

Growing up as part of a circus caravan is not exactly par for the course when it comes to royals. Yet because of her mother, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, having a short-lived relationship with a circus animal handler, Pauline Ducruet moved into a caravan at just 7 years old and fell in love with the circus life.

In her interview with Monaco Voice, Ducruet said, "We lived in a mobile home with other caravans and it was super low key." The designer also spoke with The Telegraph and elaborated on that part of her childhood. "...[I]t was interesting and I was outside with animals all the time. I was with kids from all around the world – German, English, Italian, Spanish – and we had our own little language. It was a moment of pure freedom that I don't think a lot of kids get to have," she explained. The family eventually moved back to Monaco, but their love of the circus remained.

In 2012, Ducruet helped her mom plan the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo. She went on to create a festival specifically for competitors under 20 years old called "The New Generation." As an adult, Ducruet often attends the circus behind the scenes, embracing the glitz, glamor, and confetti of the spectacle.

With a past as an Olympic diving competitor and a future in fashion, Pauline Ducruet's life has been full of success. Her hard work and dedication to creating sustainable and gender neutral clothing in the fashion industry was officially recognized in 2022 when she had the honor of being named as one of the people on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Monaco. The founder of Alter Designs was named alongside other prominent professionals in their industries. Ducruet was just 27 at the time when she was chosen as one of the people in the fashion and retail industry.

Success clearly runs in the family as the clothing designer was not the only member of the Monaco royal family to be nominated in 2022. In her interview with Monaco Voice, she spoke of her family's drive. "Being competitive is in our DNA," she said. "We are also perfectionists in everything— not just sports." Her older brother, Louis Ducruet, proved her point as he also made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Louis was nominated in the Sports category and is part of the eSport Federation in the principality.

Pauline Ducruet is now an international designer, but a lot of her success may not have been possible if she were not a royal. As part of the prestigious Grimaldi family, her birth afforded her royal status. Like Prince Jacques of Monaco, who is growing up before our eyes, Ducruet is one of the royals in line for the throne in the small European country. The fashion designer is 17th in the line of succession in her home country. There is a very small chance she would ever take the Monégasque throne, but the fact that she is one of the possible heirs gives her access to a life fit for the royal she is.

Yet when it comes to her position, Ducruet challenges the concept people have of her life as a royal. She spoke with Australian Vogue, saying,"It [life as a royal] being all gowns and tiaras – that's a misconception." The designer acknowledged her privilege, but noted that her success is not simply due to her status. "Obviously there is some advantage but you need to work hard to make a difference with what you do and get your credibility into the sector that you choose to work in," she said. It is impossible to tell if she would welcome more of a role in the monarchy, but between designing and running a company, it is unlikely that she could even find time.

Pauline Ducruet is not only a designer herself, but she also wears gorgeous, expensive designer brands. The Monegasque designer often wears clothes and accessories from the luxury brand Miu Miu and has shown off multiple pieces from the brand on Instagram. In one post, Ducruet wore a gray Miu Miu suit and posed in front of the brand's logo. In the caption, she thanked the brand, calling them her favorite part of Paris Fashion Week.

Ducruet also sports leather Miu Miu bags and pairs them with her own clothing from Alter Designs. In another picture on Instagram, she carried a white and tan Miu Miu bag that perfectly matched her own summery white outfit. "Match made in heaven," she captioned the photo.

However, Miu Miu is not the only high-end brand the fashion designer wears. She wore a pair of expensive AMINA MUADDI strappy shoes in another Instagram post. Similar shoe styles from the Brand have sold for almost $1600. Ducruet also posted an Instagram photo of her in a colorful Versace dress. At the time of writing, button up shirt dresses like the one she wore sell for $2,850.

As part of promoting her fashion line, Pauline Ducruet regularly travels between the gorgeous seaside of Monaco and the busy streets of Paris and New York. She also makes time to enjoy herself on her jet-setting travels, vacationing in places like Menorca and attending festivals. The fashion designer often poses in her own designs on luxury yachts and sailboats. In the summer of 2017, Ducruet shared a snapshot to Instagram of her weekend. She enjoyed a sail boat ride taking in the iconic New York City skyline, a casual occurrence to her but a bucket list item for many people.

In September 2019, she attended the Burning Man Festival in Nevada. Tickets to the event in 2019 could cost up to $1,400. The Monegasque designer has traveled lavishly across the globe, spending her down time in some of the busiest cities as well as the most gorgeous places on earth. For instance, she previously stayed in a bungalow on the pristine crystal blue water of Cartagena, Columbia for some relaxation time.

Pauline Ducruet is talented as both a designer and a model. She models her own designs from Alter's line as well as poses for photoshoots for various publications. In 2017, Ducruet did an interview with Point De Vue magazine and modeled a Louis Vuitton skirt and top in the accompanying photo shoot (via Instagram). The fashion lover posed in front of the camera like a natural. 

As mentioned, Ducruet seems to have a love affair and partnership with the brand Miu Miu. She frequently models the designer brand on her Instagram page, showing off purses and outfits alike.She has even modeled alongside her dog. 

In a photo from another shoot Ducruet shared to Instagram, she promoted Cognac Visetos' luggage and leashes line. She leaned against her dog atop the expensive suitcases; luggage from the luxury brand retails for $4,290 at the time of writing. The designer modeled a similarly expensive coat from the brand in their signature tan leather style and showed off her dog's matching leather leash.