Her French father, Michel Heine, was a scion of a prominent German-rooted Berlin and Paris banking Jewish family.

Michel and Amélie became regulars in the court of Napoleon III, who, along with the Empress Eugénie, became godparents to the New Orleans-born Heine.

[6] According to Thomas Fouilleron, director of the Monaco Palace Archives, "Prince Albert I was deeply in love with her.

She "set about bringing class and distinction to a country financed by the casino at Monte Carlo",[6] and devoted her energies to making Monaco one of Europe's great cultural centers with its opera, theater, and the ballet under the direction of the famed Russian impresario, Sergei Diaghilev.

[8] Alice and Prince Albert I separated judicially on May 30, 1902 (Monaco), and June 3, 1902 (France), but remained married.

Today, The Royal Courtyard Bistro & Bar, Nola Rock Company and Frank Relle Photography all occupy this mansion.