Legend has it that the reigning family of Monaco will never find true happiness in marriage.

This 13th century ‘curse’ was laid upon them by a girl who was allegedly raped by Prince Rainier I. She became a witch in order to exact her revenge upon him and his family – the Grimaldis – who seem to be genuinely affected.

This time around it’s Princess Caroline – again – with reports that she is splitting from husband number 3, Prince Ernst August of Hanover.

Caroline, who has not been seen with Ernst since early June, has left the family chateau in Fountainbleau, according to magazine Point de Vue.

Below, some of the other nuptials gone wrong in the house of Grimaldi:

- Prince Rainier III, who died in 2005, lost his wife Grace in 1982 when she perished in a car accident. It was even reported that their marriage had gone sour long before the tragedy.

- Princess Stephanie married her bodyguard, had two children with him, and then divorced him when he was photographed cheating on her with a model. She had another relationship that went nowhere with another bodyguard, but it did result in a third child – daughter Camille. Stephanie has had a string of boyfriends since, one which culminated in another brief marriage.

- Prince Albert, the current reigning prince of Monaco, has fathered children with two different women and has dated many models and actresses, but has never settled down. His current girlfriend, Charlene Wittstock, is rumored to be the next reigning princess but so far no engagement ring has appeared.

- Princess Caroline married playboy Phillipe Junot against her parents’ wishes. She was only 19 at the time, and two years after they wed, they were divorced. Caroline tried to have the marriage annulled, but the Catholic church refused her.

Caroline met and married Stefano Casiraghi a couple of years later. The world thought that the princess had finally found happiness with a soulmate, but Casiraghi died in a speedboat accident at the age of 30. He left Caroline with their three children.

The princess married again, this time to a descendant of King George III of the United Kingdom. Prince Ernst of Hanover seemed to be a bit too gauche but she married him anyway after it was discovered she was pregnant with their daughter Alexandra.

Charles Spencer, brother of the late Diana, is getting a divorce from his wife Caroline. Both wanted to keep it private, but a judge has ruled that they cannot block reporting of the hearing.

The judge said that he would be in “dangerous territory” to grant couples privacy merely because they are well-known, as it “potentially gives privilege to one group in the community over and above others.”

No one – aside from the circle of people involved – should be given access to someone’s private affairs in a court of law. Whether they are famous or not, who wants to hear this sort of thing? Let them retain their privacy. If the judge is so concerned about “giving privilege to one group over others”, then make it legal for everyone to keep their family matters private if they so wish.

This new culture of invading everyone’s personal space is very disconcerting. Just because a few desperate celebrities wanted everyone to know the minutiae of their lives doesn’t mean we all feel that way, Earl Spencer included.

Any legal eagles out there that want to expound on this issue? I’d  be glad to hear from you!

Via Telegraph.