Paris, Oct 27. (dpa/GNA) – Antoine de Massy, 29, a distant cousin of Monaco’s Prince Albert II, has been found dead in the principality, with one person taken into police custody in connection with the case, local media reported.
His body was discovered on Sunday in a green space in central Monaco, according to the newspaper Monaco-Matin, citing the public prosecutor’s office.
A relative reportedly alerted police after de Massy, failed to attend a family lunch that afternoon. De Massy was the grandson of Princess Antoinette, the elder sister of Prince Rainier III, who was Prince Albert II’s father.
The prosecutor’s office opened an investigation to establish the cause of death. An analysis of surveillance footage subsequently enabled investigators to identify a person, who had been in the vicinity of the scene.
According to Monaco-Matin, that person was taken into custody in Monaco on Monday morning and questioned by police The circumstances of his death remain unclear, fuelling speculation about what may have happened.
The newspaper suggested several possible explanations for the death, including an accidental fall, the involvement of another person or a failure to provide assistance.
The person taken into police custody is reportedly a Ukrainian national who lives in Monaco. According to Paris Match, citing a well-informed source, de Massy was seen leaving a nightclub in the principality during the night from Saturday to Sunday, appearing unsteady on his feet.
The palace, meanwhile, expressed the grief of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène following the news of the death.
In a statement, the couple said they “share in the sorrow of his family and loved ones and extend their sincere condolences to them during this painful time.”
As a passionate tennis player, de Massy had continued a sporting tradition within the princely family.
GNA