In a sense, Prince Ernst August of Hanover showed Princess Caroline his unruly ways from the first moment that they crossed paths. According to Jeffrey Robinson's "Grace of Monaco: The True Story," Ernst and Caroline were formally introduced back in the 1970s while Monaco's royal family was on a family trip to Germany. The young people's parents arranged this meeting, as they, ostensibly, hoped that the two young royals would make a good match. However, as Caroline would later tell Robinson, a long-term relationship was the last thing on her mind on the day she met Ernst.

Far from developing any sort of interest in the young prince at first sight, Caroline initially felt that he was off-putting. According to the princess' account, much of her initial reaction had to do with Ernst's wild side, which he revealed almost immediately. As Robinson put it in his biography, "The young German fellow had just bought some sort of fancy sports car and, to show it off, he invited Caroline for a spin. She couldn't say no, although when she saw how tiny the car was, she wished she had." 

Ultimately, Caroline was all but forced to go on an extremely uncomfortable car ride with her new companion. To make matters worse, when it came time for her to climb out of the car, she got stuck. For years, Robinson wrote, the Monegasque princely family would laugh about the chaotic first impression.