He points out in his notebooks the supposedly excessive expenses of Charlene of Monaco... but also those of Nicole Coste, the former mistress of Albert II.
Claude Palmero, the prince's former property administrator, is in fact cited in a Le
Monde
investigation signed by our colleagues Gérard Davet and Fabrice Lhomme.
The reporters actually obtained five notebooks that belonged to the prince's former accountant.
Notebooks which contain the smallest details of Claude Palmero's actions, but also Albert II's reactions to his requests.
Its registers reveal in particular the supposed existence of confidential payments, paid to illegitimate children and to the former mistress of Albert II.
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5000 euros “supplement”
In addition to his twins Jacques and Gabriella, born in December 2014, the prince indeed had a daughter, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, born in 1992 from his relationship with the former waitress Tamara Rotolo.
But also a son, Alexandre Coste Grimaldi, born in 2003 from his romance with flight attendant Nicole Coste.
And if the two illegitimate children cannot claim the throne, they were officially recognized by their biological father in 2005 and 2006, and can be associated with his legacy.
According to Claude Palmero's notebooks, Albert II has since paid significant sums to his illegitimate children, as well as to Nicole Coste.
In June 2007, the former accountant deplored in his first notebook “the excessive spending” of the latter and suggested “writing a letter (…) to say stop”.
As for Jazmin Grimaldi, she would have received, at the time, payments of 86,000 dollars (79,000 euros) per quarter.
In February 2010, the former property manager also paid him 5,000 euros “additionally for his birthday”.
An apartment in New York
The former accountant also allegedly supervised the hiring of two Filipino employees on behalf of Nicole Coste.
“I will pay them, and I need authorization from SAS to reimburse me for the corresponding costs,” he wrote.
In February 2017, he also paid 300,000 euros to the former mistress of Albert II.
He would also have acquired an apartment for Jazmin Grace Grimaldi in New York – all for the modest sum of 3 million dollars (2.7 million euros).
Payments that the accountant would have made in secret, as Albert II “desired the greatest confidentiality, so that this situation would not be known by his wife, Princess Charlene”, explained Me Canu-Bernard, Claude Palmero's lawyer , in exchanges with his colleagues in the service of the prince.
According to the notes of the former accountant, Albert II would also have taken care of anti-kidnapping insurance for Alexandre Coste.
Claude Palmero, for his part, would have established a ceiling on the bank cards allocated to the princely family.
A store in London
Alexandre's mother, Nicole, would have asked the prince to finance her activity as a fashion designer.
“We are on a trend of 1 million euros per year!!”, exasperated the former accountant in 2015. She would also have received 350,000 euros from Albert II, in order to open a store in London .
And when Nicole Coste asks to be provided with a pied-à-terre, she decides to entrust ownership to her son Alexandre, because she “fears big problems with SAS Charlene” in the event of the “death” of the prince, relates Claude Palmero.
Albert II would also remain the official employer of the people placed in the service of Nicole Coste.
A second bank account
According to Claude Palmero's notebooks, the prince has a second bank account, called "AG" ("Albert Grimaldi"), intended to cover part of Nicole Coste's lifestyle and to finance other personal expenses. of the sovereign.
Substantial sums would thus have been transferred from the “AG” account to the companies Gamma and Azur Property – “behind which Nicole Coste stands discreetly”, writes Le
Monde
-, and of which Her Highness “obviously knows the use”, writes the lawyer by Claude Palmero.
“In fact, he (
Albert II, Editor's note
) ordered it, sometimes against the advice of Mr. Palmero, worried about the scale of the payments, regarding sums intended for the lifestyle of Mrs. Nicole Coste and his son, who is also that of your principal", indicates Claude Palmero's lawyer to Me Darrois, referring to Alexandre Coste.
Notebooks in which Claude Palmero also discusses the quarrels between some of the Grimaldis, as well as the alleged excessive spending of the princesses of Monaco.
Since his dismissal, the former accountant has been accused of corruption and illegal taking of interests.
“I never took a cent,” he retorted in the daily columns.
This is a 100% denial.
I am neither corrupt nor a thief (…)” Anxious to “restore his honor”, the former property administrator filed a complaint, at the end of November 2023, against the members of the princely family.
He would no longer communicate with Albert II of Monaco except through lawyers.