Princess Grace’s Granddaughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi on Feeling ‘Connected’ to the Icon She Never Met (Exclusive)

Janine HenniThu, March 26, 2026 at 5:13 PM UTC

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(Left) Grace Kelly; (Right) Jazmin Grace GrimaldiCredit: getty; Vito Dane -

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi opens up to PEOPLE about the creative bond she feels with her late grandmother, Princess Grace

The pop artist and actress, who recently released her debut single “Cup of Tea,” says performing helps her process her identity and personal story

She also reflects on her unique path as Prince Albert of Monaco’s daughter

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi feels a special connection to Grace Kelly, the grandmother she never met but with whom she shares an undeniable love of performing.

Jazmin, 34, the California-born daughter of Prince Albert of Monaco and Tamara Rotolo, exclusively tells PEOPLE that she feels a strong creative bond with her grandmother. Philadelphia-born Grace Kelly became an Academy Award-winning actress and one of Hollywood’s brightest stars before leaving it all behind to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956 and become Princess Grace.

“I was shown her body of work and who she was at a young age, but not in a glorified way of, ‘Oh, this is this entity, this huge Hollywood actress,’ ” says Jazmin, a pop artist, actress and humanitarian. “It felt relatable. She was very tangible to me. I didn’t think of her as this ethereal dream — I just felt like we were connected from the start, and that’s a beautiful thing.”

Though Princess Grace remains the family’s most iconic link to Hollywood, she isn’t the only one whose legacy has echoed through the arts. Jazmin’s aunt, Princess Stéphanie, had a successful music career in the 1980s, while her cousin Charlotte Casiraghi has also stepped into the world of performance. Charlotte, the daughter of Prince Albert’s older sister, Princess Caroline, performed with French singer-songwriter Sébastien Tellier following a 2021 Chanel fashion show and appeared in the music video for his 2022 song “Mademoiselle,” written in tribute to Coco Chanel.

For Jazmin, though, the connection to her grandmother has always felt especially personal. “I’m the only other family member besides my aunt who had a music career early on," she says, "so it does feel like I’m following in my grandmother’s footsteps through the arts: acting, singing and music.”

Grace Kelly holds her Best Actress award, won for her performance in 'The Country Girl,' at 27th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 30, 1955.Credit: Bettmann/Getty

Though Princess Grace died in 1982, a decade before Jazmin was born, her granddaughter hopes that she would be proud of her amid the release of her debut single “Cup of Tea," which dropped on March 20.

“My hope is that she’d be proud of me,” she says. “And be happy and supportive, to say, ‘Just go for it. Keep leaning into your authenticity. Don’t let anyone stop you or make you feel less than — you can fully be yourself, and that’s 100 percent okay.’ ”

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi.Credit: Stephane Gagnard

Jazmin says that Grace, best known for her roles in classic movies like To Catch a Thief, Dial M for Murder, High Noon, Rear Window and High Society, "was a big lover of music, even if she didn't dabble in it professionally, but through film."

“I could just see myself in her — through certain mannerisms or personality traits,” she says. “And from what I’ve read and seen in interviews, she had a real zest for life, and I love life too.”

"She is such an icon and emblem of a time and a beautiful part of history, but her elegance, charisma, intelligence and acting abilities will be remembered," she says. "The Princess Grace Foundation and the Awards are something that I hold very dear to my heart and love to be a part of as well."

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Jazmin has previously attended the Princess Grace Awards from her grandmother's namesake foundation with her father, Prince Albert, 68, backing a program that supports the next generation of artistic talent in the U.S. through grants.

Prince Albert and Jazmin Grace Grimaldi at the Princess Grace Awards 40th Anniversary Gala at The Pierre Hotel on Oct. 23, 2024 in New York City.Credit: Dominik Bindl/Getty

She has also gotten to know her late grandmother through travel, visiting the Kelly’s family’s ancestral home in Ireland and checking out her Paramount film set with her younger brother, Alexandre Grimaldi, Albert's 22-year-old son from a previous relationship.

“Going to these places of my ancestry, her ancestry, that I was able to kind of connect with her. Every time I go to Monaco, I feel a deep connection, like I've been here before or that my soul knows this place being by the sea. I feel home," Jazmin says of her royal roots.

Jazmin herself has likened her unusual life story to a "real-life version" of The Princess Diaries, thrust suddenly into the royal spotlight as a young girl. Prince Albert publicly acknowledged her as his daughter in 2004 when she was 14, making her around the same age as Anne Hathaway's character in the Disney film about a teenager whose world is overturned when she learns she is a princess.

Jazmin is not in the line of succession to the throne like Prince Albert's 11-year-old twin children, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, whom he shares with wife Princess Charlene. But she remains close with her father and spends time in Monaco.

"My relationship with my father is really precious to me and blossoming," she tells PEOPLE. "Our relationship started uniquely, but it is something that has evolved and grown privately over time with patience and grace."

"What I’ve been learning about any parent-child relationship, especially as you become an adult, is that it becomes about understanding each other in a deeper, honest way — as human beings with all our glorious flaws and complexities — and learning, accepting and loving each other through that," she says.

Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and Prince Albert attend the 2020 Hollywood For The Global Ocean Gala honoring HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco at Palazzo di Amore on Feb. 6, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.Credit: Dave Benett/Getty

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The performer, who recently embraced the artist name JAZMIN as she released the French-English pop power ballad “Cup of Tea,” says she feels energized by this new chapter as she shares her music with the world.

"I think art has helped me process my life and my identity. It's been a form of helping me connect with myself first and make sense of everything, not just understanding my narrative that is unique, but understanding myself as a person and what I stand for," she says. "This single is a love letter to myself and to anyone finding their own identity."

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