Prince Albert II of Monaco was joined by his glamorous daughter Jazmin Grimaldi last night as he attended a gala in New York – while Princess Charlene stayed at home. 

The royal looked handsome in an classic black and white suit as he arrived for The Princess Grace Awards 40th Anniversary Gala at the Pierre Hotel in New York on Wednesday.

He was joined by Jazmin, 32, his daughter with Tamara Rotolo, a waitress he met in Monaco in the early 1990s.  

The pair looked glamorous on the carpet at the Princess Grace Awards 40th Anniversary Gala in the Big Apple, an annual event which attracts a host of stars – including Hollywood legend Michael Douglas.

The Monégasque royal beamed as he stood alongside his glamorous actress daughter who was his date for the evening while Princess Charlene was absent.

Prince Albert II of Monaco (pictured) looked dashing last night as he attended the Princess Grace awards with his daughter Jazmin Grimaldi on his arm 

The glamorous event was hosted at the prestigious Pierre Hotel on the Upper East Side in New York. 

Since Jazmin was born out of wedlock, she is not in line for Monégasque throne but appears to be well connected to her father’s side of the family.

Indeed, in papers from the Prince’s former aide Claude Palmero, which were leaked earlier this year to French newspaper Le Monde, it was alleged that the royal bought his daughter an apartment in New York City worth £2.6 million and gave her £73,000 in an allowance every three months. Palmero’s lawyer denied Palmero had been the source of the leak. 

The actress donned a glamorous full length grey dress, with a full pleated sparkly shirt, at the glitzy event. She showed off her toned arms in with an off the shoulder cut and swept her blond tresses into an up do.  

Meanwhile, other high profile guests including the American actor and producer, Michael Douglas and his and his sons, Dylan and Cameron Douglas, were in attendance.

Michael Douglas was awarded with the Prince Rainier III at last night’s event.

Albert posed for several pictures with the producer, with one snap capturing the moment the royal stopped to whisper something in his ear.

Other guests included the actresses, Carly Hughes and Victoria Silvestri and the director Lila Neugebauer. 

The royal pictured with Michael Douglas. He looked handsome in an classic black and white suit as he arrive the The Princess Grace Awards 40th Anniversary Gala at the Pierre Hotel in New York on Wednesday

 The royal looked sharp in a black dinner jacket with satin lapels

Other guests included the actresses, Carly Hughes  (pictured) and Victoria Silvestri and the director Lila Neugebauer

American actress, Victoria Silvestri, pictured last night

Meanwhile, other high profile guests including the American actor and producer, Michael Douglas and his and his sons, Dylan (left) and Cameron Douglas (right), were in attendance

Albert posed for several pictures with the producer, with one snap capturing the moment the royal stopped to whisper something in his ear

Prince Albert appeared to be attending the event without his South African wife, Princess Charlene, 46 – a former Olympic swimmer

Prince Albert II is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace and has been royal head of state since 2005

The awards were first established in 1982 by the former ruler of Monaco, Prince Rainier III – who created Princess Grace Foundation to honour the achievements of his wife.

Princess Grace was famed for her acting lustrous career after she soared to fame in the 1950s under her maiden name, Grace Kelly.

The charity supports emerging performers in theatre, dance and film, organising yearly awards ceremonies and granting scholarships and fellowships to hopeful stars. 

Prince Albert appeared to be attending the event without his South African wife, Princess Charlene, 46 – a former Olympic swimmer. 

It is unclear while Charlene wasn’t in attendance. She has previously accompanied her husband to awards shows.

The royal first attended the Princess Grace awards in 2007 when she was still Albert’s girlfriend. 

The pair have been married for 13 years , having first met when Charlene was still an Olympic swimmer representing her native South Africa.

Before romance struck, the two appeared to come from entirely different worlds, with Albert the son of Monégasque royals and Charlene – 20 years his junior – the daughter of Michael, a photocopier salesperson, and her mother Lynette, a competitive diver.

In a rare interview joint earlier this year,  Albert revealed his uncertainties of whether they fell in love at the 2011 competition, he told Paris Match: ‘I don’t know if we fell in love back then,’ adding that it was several years before they would meet again.

Michael Douglas gestured from the Prince to walk outside

The two men appeared to have a friendly relationship. At one moment Albert was seen whispering something privately into Douglas’ ear

The awards were first established in 1982 by the former ruler of Monaco, Prince Rainier III – who created Princess Grace Foundation to honour the achievements of his wife

The awards, which are annually hosted by the Monaco royal family , played host for several of celebrities including Michael Douglas and Albert’s own daughter, singer and actress Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, pictured

Other guests included the actresses, Carly Hughes and Victoria Silvestri and the director Lila Neugebauer (pictured left)

But while romance might not have been on the cards at first, Charlene still made an impression on Albert, with him recalling: ‘I thought that she was an excellent swimmer and that she was friendly, cheerful, and approachable’. 

Despite his initial feelings not being clear cut, the pair allowed their romance to develop slowly outside the public eye. 

The 66-year-old revealed an additional insight, explaining that he once got Charlene in trouble after he didn’t get her ‘home in time’.

It was at the opening of the 2006 Winter Olympics that they first introduced their romance to the world.    

French journalist Philippe Delorme said at the time: ‘She was on his arm for the entire ceremony and they made no attempt to hide their affection for each other, sharing kisses and other tender gestures.’

Then, in June 2010, their engagement was announced. Albert proposed with a pear-cut diamond ring.

‘People could hardly believe it,’ Delorme added. ‘For four years, since they had first been seen together, the Monegasques had been holding their breath.’

Charlene was required to convert to Catholicism — she was raised a Protestant — and had to learn both French and the Monegasque dialect.

Delorme told the Daily Mail in 2011 that Albert finally meeting someone was a tale of Hollywood proportions: ‘If the Princess Grace story was a movie, then Princess Charlene is the remake.

‘The reality is that Albert is 52, a bit overweight, and much less fabulous and glamorous than his father was. It feels a bit like a love story of an old man and a young woman rather than a story of two young lovers.’ 

In her first interview after the royal wedding was announced, Charlene spoke of the challenges she faced making the transition from the life of an athlete to that of a future royal bride. 

She admitted to experiencing ‘jealousy’ among some members of Monaco’s social elite. ‘The people I mixed with in Monaco didn’t relate to my South African mentality or humour,’ she told Tatler.

On June 30, 2011, Charlene, then 33, and 53-year-old Albert’s three-day wedding, thought to cost around £53million, went underway. 

Who are the Monaco Royal Family?

Rainier III had three children with wife Grace Kelly

Rainier III ruled Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs in European history.

He was crucially responsible for the transformation of Monaco economy, shifting from its traditional casino base to its current status as a tax haven and cultural destination. 

He also coordinated the substantial reforms of Monaco’s constitution, which limited the powers of sovereign rule. He wed US film star Grace Kelly in 1956, with generated global media attention.

They had three children, Caroline, Princess of Hanover, Prince Albert and Princess Stéphanie.

Caroline served as first lady of Monaco until her brother married Charlene in 2011. She regularly attends important social events in Monaco, such as the National Day celebrations, the annual Rose Ball and the Red Cross Ball.

She married French banker Philippe Junot in 28 June 1978, before divorcing in 1980, before marrying Stefano Casiraghi, with whom she had three children Andrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi, Charlotte Marie Pomeline Casiraghi and Pierre Rainier Stefano Casiraghi.

Stefano was killed in a speed boating accident in 1990, with Caroline going on to marry Prince Ernst August of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick in 1999, and have one daughter Princess Alexandra Charlotte Ulrike Maryam Virginia of Hanover.

Meanwhile Princess Stéphanie has been a singer, swimwear designer and fashion model.

Tragically, on 13 September 1982, while returning home from their farm in Rocagel, France, Stéphanie and her mother had a car accident. Grace died the next day, on September 14, while Stéphanie sustained a fracture of a neck vertebra.

She began a relationship with Daniel Ducruet with whom she had two children, Louis and Pauline. She gave birth to her third child Camille Gottlieb in 1992.  

Prince Albert II ascended to the throne after the death of his father, Prince Rainier III, on 6th April 2005. He is one of the wealthiest royals in the world, worth an estimated $1 billion.

He married former Olympic swimmer Charlene in 2011 and gave birth to twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques in 2014

The children are often seen at royal events alongside Princess Charlene and Prince Albert, including on the balcony at Monaco’s National Day celebrations on 19th November every year.