Christian de Massy was born on what was, at the time, the national holiday. His life reads like a Hollywood script: an unwitting protagonist in a coup attempt during his childhood, his rebellious spirit got him expelled from Le Rosey, “the school of kings.” He carried Princess Grace’s wedding ring, traveled across Africa in an old Land Rover in the 1970s, became a race car driver, explored the Andes, and canoed down the Amazon. He worked on a tea plantation, played football in Rhodesia, won a Rolls Royce in a late-night bet, survived a crash that destroyed his Ferrari, made a small fortune at the casino, became an early Western entrepreneur in the Eastern Bloc before 1989, and founded a luxury brand company in Monaco. He served as a judge for the Miss Colombia pageant, drove from Alaska to Ushuaia, and reached the North Cape on a solo motorcycle journey after serving 11 years as a diplomat. Selected by TOWN and COUNTRY magazine as one of the “400 international personalities shaping New York,” he was also listed among the most eligible bachelors. A key witness to Monaco’s transformation, he observed the shift from the glamorous high society and “Dolce Vita” of the 1970s to today’s world of petrodollars and oligarchs. De Massy, an intriguing figure, believes the true worth of a person lies in their word, and those who fail to honor it deserve only contempt.