Why Charlotte Casiraghi’s chic turn in Chanel at the Met Gala 2023 marks a poignant moment for the Monégasque royal family
Fashion royalty, of course, graced the Met Gala 2023 last night. But these fashion power-players were also joined by actual royalty: in the form of the impossibly chic Charlotte Casiraghi, of the Monégasque monarchy.
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It was a moment steeped in poignant family history: Charlotte’s mother, Princess Caroline of Hanover, was a close personal friend of the late, great Karl Lagerfeld, whose extraordinary legacy inspired the Met Gala 2023 theme of ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’. Charlotte also had a treasured relationship with the late designer and is now an ambassador and spokesperson for Chanel, where Lagerfeld served as creative director from 1983 until his death in 2019. The photogenic Casiraghi has even walked the runway for Chanel – once memorably riding a horse down the catwalk.
Charlotte, who is the granddaughter of Prince Rainier III and the glamorous Princess Grace of Monaco, was the epitome of classic elegance in vintage Chanel couture from the Fall 1996 collection, which she paired with a favourite pair of black grosgrain sandals from the label. As the brunette beauty ascended the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, she stopped to pose for photographs with fellow Chanel muses Kristen Stewart and Sofia Coppola.
Lagerfeld dressed A-list actresses and the world’s leading supermodels – as last night’s roll-call of the industry's most glamorous showed – but the designer held a special place in his heart for Princess Caroline of Hanover (formerly Princess Caroline of Monaco). From meeting in the heady days of the 1970s until his death in 2019, Caroline and Karl proved an unstoppable force.
‘It’s been more than 45 years of friendship,’ Princess Caroline told French magazine Point de Vue in the wake of his death. ‘It was a photo shoot for Vogue organised by Mary Russell that my mother knew well, and it was done in Karl’s apartment, place Saint-Sulpice, in Paris. We ended up there with Chris von Wangenheim, wonderful fashion photographer. I wore Chloé clothes that Karl drew. It was a really happy atmosphere, I was very shy at that age.’
The duo’s friendship blossomed after that fateful day, with Caroline going on to be one of Lagerfeld’s biggest champions and most loyal fans, sitting front row at his fashion shows and attending all of his parties and events, wearing head-to-toe Chanel. The designer returned the favour, often supporting Princess Caroline at the glittering Monaco Rose Ball.
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Often by Princess Caroline’s side at these events was Charlotte. When Casiraghi was a teenager, Lagerfeld took her picture for his book The Little Black Jacket: Chanel’s Classic Revisited by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld. Casiraghi followed in her mother’s footsteps, sitting front row at Chanel shows and dressing head-to-toe in the latest collections. Now, she is Chanel’s ambassador, continuing the chicest of family traditions.
Here, to celebrate her triumphant turn at the Met Gala 2023, Tatler celebrates Princess Caroline and Charlotte Casiraghi’s long-standing love affair with Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel.
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2023
Charlotte Casiraghi attends the Chanel Womenswear Fall/Winter 2023-2024 show at Paris Fashion Week
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2022
Charlotte Casiraghi and Dimitri Rassam at the Monaco National Day gala
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2022
Charlotte Casiraghi and Kristen Stewart attend the Chanel Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023 show at Paris Fashion Week
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2022
Princess Caroline at the Chanel Cruise 2023 Collection in Monte-Carlo, Monaco
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2022
Charlotte Casiraghi attends the Chanel Cruise 2023 Collection
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2022
Charlotte Casiraghi rides a horse on the runway during the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2022 show at Paris Fashion Week
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2020
Princess Caroline of Hanover with her daughter Princess Alexandra of Hanover attend the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 in Paris
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2019
Princess Caroline in Chanel with Prince Albert at the Rose Ball
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2018
Princess Caroline of Hanover and Karl Lagerfeld attend the Rose Ball in Monte-Carlo
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2016
Princess Caroline of Hanover and Karl Lagerfeld attend the Chanel Collection des Metiers d'Art 2016/17 : Paris Cosmopolite show in Paris
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2016
Princess Caroline arriving at the Chanel show during Paris Fashion Week
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2015
Princess Caroline of Hanover at Chanel
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2015
Charlotte Casiraghi, Karl Lagerfeld and Princess Caroline of Hanover at the Rose Ball
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2013
Princess Caroline of Hanover and Karl Lagerfeld attend the Chanel Fall/Winter 2013 Ready-to-Wear show in Paris
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2012
Princess Caroline of Hanover and Karl Lagerfeld pose for photographers during the opening ceremony of the new Chanel jewellery shop in Monaco
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2006
Princess Caroline of Hanover at the Red Cross Ball
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2005
Princess Caroline, Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Stephanie of Monaco pose in the courtyard of the Palace of Monaco for an official photograph marking Albert's enthronement
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2004
Princess Caroline and her husband Prince Ernst August of Hanover at a wedding gala for Felipe and Letizia of Spain
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1989
Princess Caroline and Karl Lagerfeld during the Chanel Haute Couture Show
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1989
Carole Bouquet and Princess Caroline
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1986
Princess Caroline staying chic in rainy London
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1985
Jerry Hall, Karl Lagerfeld, Princess Caroline of Monaco and Ines de la Fressange
