Daniel Ducruet, the former husband of Princess Stephanie of Monaco, has finally spoken out about the scandal that led to his infidelity with a glamour model, which ultimately ended his royal marriage.

Ducruet and Princess Stephanie were married for just over a year when, in 1995, photographs surfaced showing him in compromising positions with Muriel ‘Fili’ Mol-Houteman, who had recently been named ‘Miss Bare Breasts of Belgium.’ The images quickly made their rounds in Italian tabloids such as Evatremila and Gente, prompting Ducruet to seek refuge in Morocco amid the public uproar.

In a recent interview with Italian network RAI, Ducruet claimed he had been ensnared in a setup, alleging that he had been drugged, which led to the unfortunate series of events.

Ducruet explained that the incident occurred while he was looking after a friend’s girlfriend, and the controversial pictures were taken beside a swimming pool in the South of France.

Ducruet, who was photographed with Muriel by a swimming pool in the South of France, said the ordeal unfolded while he was taking care of the girlfriend of a friend. 

‘The guy who raced in the same team as me asked me to stay close to his girlfriend, whom he was sending to the south of France while finalising their separation. 

‘I agreed and visited her, but to avoid any issues, I brought a friend. Upon arrival, we were offered wine laced with substances, and a paparazzo was ready to shoot. The rest is history’. 

He also claimed that on the same evening, he received an anonymous phone call, with the caller telling him: ‘You were having too much fun. Now you’re dead.’

Daniel Ducruet had been married to Princess Stephanie (pictured together, left) for 14 months when in 1995 his marriage ended after he was photographed engaging in sexual acts with Muriel ‘Fili’ Mol-Houteman (right), who had been named Miss Bare Breasts of Belgium that same year

Ducruet broke his silence on the sex scandal recently on an Italian television show

He immediately told his wife, who he said couldn’t hold back her tears. 

Ducruet fought to stop the images from being published, but despite his efforts, they were released three days later, sparking a global media frenzy. 

Soon after, he and Stephanie divorced and he was shunned from the royal family. 

Ducruet decided to pursue a criminal complaint and in 2000, it came out that Muriel had set up the affair, and was found guilty of breaching France’s strict privacy laws when she had sex with him in front of a photographer accomplice, Stephane de Lisiecki, 39, and his assistant Yves Hoogewys, 28. 

He said he chose to seek justice because he wanted his children to know that he had been a victim. 

‘For me, it was important that justice said: yes, you fell into a trap. 

‘I didn’t want my children to grow up believing their father was just the man who cheated on their mother’. 

Ducruet’s children with Princess Stephanie, Louis and Pauline, were three and two years old at the time.

Ducruet decided to pursue a criminal complaint and in 2000, it came out that ‘Fili’ Mol-Houteman (pictured in 1996) had set up the affair

Daniel and Stephanie on their wedding day on July 1 1995 in Monaco

The couple pictured at a gala dinner before the cheating scandal that led to their divorce

Princess Stephanie and Daniel Ducruet with their son in 1994

Ducruet and Stephanie became romantically involved around 1991 when he worked as a bodyguard for the Monaco princely family and appointed to look after the Princess by her father Prince Rainier. 

Their first son, Louis, was born just ten months later in November, with Pauline following a year and a half later.

Stephanie campaigned for her father, the late Prince Rainier to let her marry Ducruet, and he eventually relented, with the pair tying the knot in 1995.

Ever since their split, the couple have co-parented their children and have been photographed together with Pauline and Louis in their milestone moments. 

In 2018, Ducruet married Kelly-Marie Lancien and the couple have a daughter named Linoue.