A 42-year-old man has been charged after Antoine de Massy, the cousin of Monaco’s Prince Albert II, was found dead in a park.
De Massy, 29, was discovered in a small park on Boulevard du Larvotto, behind Villa Sauber, after failing to attend a family lunch on Sunday.
His family alerted police, who arrested a Ukrainian man on Monday, after security footage showed him with de Massy.
Monaco prosecutor Stéphane Thibault confirmed the man had been charged with involuntary manslaughter and failing to assist a person in danger.
“The suspect, a 42-year-old Ukrainian national who has resided in Monaco for thirty years, denied the charges during his police custody,” Thibault told Monaco-Matin.
“He was brought before a judge but has so far declined to answer any questions. The judge has charged him with failure to assist a person in danger and manslaughter − for acts that may have been committed at different times − and placed him in pretrial detention.”
A post-mortem examination was underway on Tuesday to determine how de Massy died.
Local media reported that de Massy, a US-educated entrepreneur and former semi-professional tennis player, was developing a technology start-up in Monaco with a business partner.
He was reportedly seen leaving a club with the accused in the early hours of Sunday.
Prince Albert and his wife, Princess Charlene, issued a statement expressing their condolences to de Massy’s family.
The royal couple described him as “a passionate tennis player, he was part of a family history closely tied to this sport in the principality”.
“Their Highnesses share in the grief of his family and loved ones and offer them their sincere condolences in this painful time.”
De Massy’s grandmother, Princess Antoinette, was the sister of the late Prince Rainier III, Prince Albert’s father.
Princess Antoinette was later exiled from the family after reportedly plotting to depose her brother, Prince Rainier III.
The investigation into de Massy’s death is ongoing.
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