Jean-Paul Belmondo had four children during his life: three girls, Patricia, Florence and Stella, but only one boy, Paul Belmondo. While he will celebrate his 60th birthday on April 23, Bebel’s only son followed (a little) his father’s cinematic path, but above all distinguished himself as an excellent car racer, his second passion. Married to the Italian cook Luana Belmondo since 1990 with whom he had three sons (Victor, now an actor, Alessandro and Giacomo), Paul also had a love story as passionate as it was media-driven with… Stéphanie de Monaco!
At the beginning of the 1980s, the Princess of Monaco, daughter of Rainier III and Princess Grace, had not yet rocked the charts with her hit “Comme un hurrican”. She is 17 years old, and she is experiencing her first real relationship with Paul, the son of a cinema legend, Jean-Paul Belmondo. He is a year older than her, and shines through his career as a car racer, a passion also prized by the Rock. Together, they made the front pages of the magazines of the time, as the fashionable little couple of the time. But a terrible tragedy will soon strike the Grimaldi family. On September 13, 1982, Princess Grace, a former Hollywood cinema icon, was the victim of a serious car accident while driving alongside Stéphanie.
By his side in the ordeal
Although her daughter escaped unharmed, Grace Kelly quickly succumbed to her injuries. As soon as he learned of the terrible news, Prince Rainier would have called Paul Belmondo’s home to inform him: “Please be kind enough to inform Paul that my wife and daughter were victims of a serious road accident. Stéphanie would like Paul to come see her…” relates Bebel’s ex Carlos Sotto Mayor in his book Jean-Paul, mon homme de rio released in 2021 by Flammarion editions: “Paul is at his side. Omnipresent, he will also be admirable during the long period of mourning that will follow” can we read. If the couple ended up separating some time later and Caroline of Monaco’s sister subsequently had a series of conquests, it would seem that Jean-Paul Belmondo’s only son had a special place in the princess’s life.