NEED TO KNOW
- Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella of Monaco received their First Communion on May 11
- In new photos, the 10-year-old twins dressed in white and posed alongside their parents, Princess Charlene and Prince Albert, to mark the special occasion
- The grandchildren of actress Grace Kelly “received this sacrament with faith and reverence,” according to the Prince’s Palace of Monaco
The royal twins of Monaco, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, are growing up and checking off major milestones — most recently, receiving their First Communion.
The 10-year-old siblings received the sacrament at the Monaco Cathedral. In a new photo released by the Prince’s Palace of Monaco on Sunday, May 11, Jacques and Gabriella held hands as they posed for a photo in matching head-to-toe white ensembles.
A second photo showed them with their parents, Princess Charlene and Prince Albert, who is the son of American actress turned royal Princess Grace (formerly Grace Kelly).
“On this day of First Communion, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, who received this sacrament with faith and reverence,” the Prince’s Palace of Monaco said on Instagram.
Axel Bastello/Palais princier
Monaco’s royal family is Catholic, and Prince Albert and Princess Charlene recently attended the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
In fact, Princess Charlene is one of the few women who have “the privilege of the white,” the ability to wear white when meeting with the leader of the Catholic church. The tradition is extended solely to designated Catholic queens and princesses.
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Vatican Pool/Getty
Prince Jacques and Princess Gabrielle were born on December 10, 2014, and have increasingly made public appearances alongside their royal parents.
Prince Albert, 67, jokingly called his daughter Gabriella a “pistol” in an interview with PEOPLE in 2020, adding that she still “has that little mischievous twinkle in her eye. She has her own little personality and sometimes does things that are, you know — she’ll try to use her brother and get him into trouble…”
“But Jacques stands up to her now, and when he’s had enough, says ‘No!’ So he’s not squashed by her strong personality,” he added.