From the outside looking in, Andrea Albert Pierre Casiranghi looks like he could have been your next-door neighbor. He collects Swatch watches, which we all have done at one point in our lives, if not still do (I do). Loves the outdoors. Dotes on his younger siblings and parents. He wears real clothes and doesn’t totter around in an awkward suit when he’s vacationing on the beach. However, who am I fooling? My next-door neighbor never looked like that (check cover for reference). He certainly didn’t have royal blood running through his veins (my neighbor had a slight cockney English accent). His grandmother was not Grace Kelly. Although carefully protected by his mother Caroline, the world watched as he grew up (I barely remember my next-door neighbor’s name even though we shared the same street for six years). Although he carries no formal titles, carrying his late father’s revered name instead, Andrea is every bit a prince. He follows in his mother’s footsteps who last visited here in 2004 and lends his support to the Virlanie Foundation. VFI, as it is known, gives street children a second chance to grow up in a family. Designed mostly for children born to homes soaked in abuse, drugs and alcohol, Virlanie creates communities with adults acting as second parents to these kids, giving them a second chance at life. The communities are neat, functional and integrated with learning centers – truly practicing the theory of paying it forward. Since its conception 13 years ago Virlanie has grown to 14 foster communities through the efforts of Dominic Lemay and is currently helping 300 children. This may sound small in comparison to the millions of children that need homes. However, each child they take in is a life-long commitment, educating and nourishing the child until he or she becomes a grownup. Instead of the many children who get lost in the system, these children are almost assured of a great future.
Andrea’s ultra-private upbringing has shown good results. In a time when overexposure is considered a talent, Andrea and his siblings are untouched by scandal and yet remain the fodder of fascination for many people. Andrea himself was chosen by People magazine as one of the sexiest men alive when he was a mere teenager. His mother moved the brood to Saint Remy de Provence, where Andrea was enrolled in a public school. At a young age Caroline became the official first lady of Monaco alongside her father, but even then she was determined to give her children a normal upbringing without the trappings of the throne.
During a visit in the Onyx homes, me and my friend YStyle contributor Miguel Rosales were able to see Andrea at work. In an interview in a foreign publication, Andrea’s paternal grandmother Fernanda mused that Andrea was the quietest but most affectionate among her grandchildren. Clearly, Andrea’s silent sincerity was what won hearts in this immersion. It was unfortunate that in the middle of the trip to the Onyx homes in La Paz, Makati, Andrea fell ill from the taxing schedule he has undertaken since arriving here. Still, it was clear he had brought joy to the children he visited. We didn’t really have a chance to sit down and speak to him about what he felt upon seeing what Amade, his mother’s charity which has a partnership with Virlanie, has done for the street children in Manila. We tried to talk to the organizers to learn more about the foundation, but were spurned for some reason. What we saw, however, was a testament of their good efforts.
Young Andrea, however, seemed unaffected by all this and more focused on his immersion. "He really has old-fashioned values and is truly humble," says Fortune Ledesma, Consul to Monaco of Andrea. "He even refused to have someone hold his bag or hold an umbrella over his head. It was heartwarming to see."
In a world of beautiful young things making their mark in the most questionable fashion, Andrea is certainly headed to where his heart is.