5 Shocking Reasons Why Blair Waldorf Married Louis Grimaldi (And Why It Fell Apart Instantly)

The question of whether Blair Waldorf married Prince Louis Grimaldi remains one of the most dramatic and confusing plot points in *Gossip Girl* history, even years after the show concluded. As of the current date, December 10, 2025, the definitive answer is a resounding *yes*, Blair did marry Prince Louis in a spectacular, but ultimately doomed, royal wedding. This union, featured in the series’ 100th episode, "G.G.," was less a fairy tale romance and more a tragic, high-stakes business transaction orchestrated by blackmail and a desperate need to save the Waldorf family empire. The marriage itself was a whirlwind of Upper East Side glamour meeting Monégasque royalty, but it was over before the reception even began, leaving fans reeling and setting the stage for Blair's true endgame with Chuck Bass. The saga of Blair and Louis is a deep dive into duty, desire, and the dark side of New York's elite.

The Short-Lived Royal Union: Blair Waldorf's Biography & Relationship Profile

The entire arc of Blair's relationship with Prince Louis Grimaldi, from their initial meeting to their dramatic separation, is a cornerstone of the *Gossip Girl* series' later seasons, illustrating Blair's internal conflict between the life she *thought* she wanted and the love she truly needed.

• Full Name: Blair Cornelia Waldorf (later Bass)
• Spouse (Ex-Husband): Prince Louis Grimaldi of Monaco
• Spouse (Husband): Charles "Chuck" Bass
• First Appearance with Louis: Season 4, Episode 1 ("Belles de Jour")
• Engagement Date: Season 4, Episode 9 ("The Princesses and the Frog")
• Wedding Episode: Season 5, Episode 13 ("G.G.") - The 100th Episode
• The Dowry: An undisclosed, but massive, financial sum (estimated between $15 and $50 million) that would bankrupt Waldorf Designs if the marriage was called off.
• The Outcome: The marriage was annulled shortly after the ceremony, paving the way for Blair to marry Chuck Bass.
• Child: Henry Bass (with Chuck Bass)

The 5 Shocking Reasons Blair and Louis Went Through with the Wedding

The wedding between Blair and Louis was one of the most anticipated events of the series. However, the reasons Blair went through with it, despite being deeply in love with Chuck Bass, are complex and rooted in obligation, not affection.

1. The Massive Royal Dowry Blackmail

The primary, most shocking reason Blair felt compelled to walk down the aisle was a massive financial threat hanging over her family. Blair's mother, Eleanor Waldorf, was forced to pay a colossal dowry to the Grimaldi family as part of the royal marriage contract. This dowry, which some fan analysis estimates to be in the tens of millions of dollars, was a sum large enough to completely bankrupt Eleanor’s company, Waldorf Designs. After a dramatic car accident involving Chuck and Blair, Louis's mother, Princess Sophie, used the financial penalty clause of the dowry to effectively blackmail Blair. The only way to save her mother’s company and fortune was to go through with the wedding.

2. Louis’s Vicious Revenge Plot

While Blair was motivated by duty, Louis's motivation for proceeding with the wedding after the drama was far more sinister: revenge. Moments before the ceremony, a video was leaked by Gossip Girl showing Blair confessing her enduring love for Chuck Bass. Louis, humiliated and wounded by the public revelation, decided to proceed with the marriage anyway. His plan was to trap Blair in a loveless, miserable, and public marriage, making her "ruined the way he felt his ego was in knowing she actually loved Chuck." This abrupt personality swap from the charming prince to a cold, manipulative figure was a major source of fan controversy.

3. Blair's Desire for the Princess Fantasy

Before the blackmail, Blair genuinely sought the stability and status that came with being a royal. Throughout the series, Blair Waldorf consistently chased the concept of a perfect, fairy-tale life, often falling for the *idea* of a person rather than the person himself. Louis Grimaldi represented the ultimate title: a Prince of Monaco. This royal identity was the peak of the social climbing that Blair had always dreamed of since her days at Constance Billard. The attraction was to the crown, the duty, and the public perfection of the role, a stark contrast to the volatile, passionate, and messy reality of her relationship with Chuck Bass.

4. The Need to Protect Chuck Bass

In a twisted turn of events, Blair had made a secret pact with God after the near-fatal car accident with Chuck. She promised that if Chuck survived, she would marry Louis and stay away from Chuck forever. This promise, born out of guilt and a desperate plea, added another layer of self-sacrifice to her decision to marry the Prince. This internal conflict between her spiritual promise and her heart’s true desire for Chuck made the walk down the aisle a torturous act of love.

5. Pressure from the Monégasque Royal Family

Louis's mother, Princess Sophie Grimaldi, played a critical role in ensuring the wedding took place. For the Monégasque royal family, calling off the highly publicized wedding after all the scandals—including Blair's pregnancy scare (she was briefly pregnant with Chuck's child, but tragically miscarried) and the leaked video—would have been a major international scandal. Princess Sophie was determined to maintain the family's public image, using the dowry as leverage to force the couple to proceed, ensuring a public display of royal stability, even if the marriage was a sham behind closed doors.

The Aftermath: How Blair Waldorf Escaped the Loveless Marriage

The marriage between Blair and Louis was officially over moments after they exchanged vows. During their first dance, Louis coldly informed Blair that they would maintain their public façade but that their relationship was now purely a business arrangement, devoid of love. The immediate challenge for Blair was the dowry. Because she had officially married Louis, the dowry clause—which stated that if Blair sought a divorce, the Grimaldi family would collect the massive sum—was in effect. She was trapped.

The Dan Humphrey Intervention

In a surprising twist, it was the outsider, Dan Humphrey (Lonely Boy), who ultimately helped Blair escape. Dan, who had developed a deep friendship and brief romantic relationship with Blair, found a loophole. Dan’s plan involved making Louis believe that Blair was having an affair with him, which would force Louis to seek the divorce first. This was necessary because the dowry clause only penalized Blair if *she* was the one to initiate the separation. By framing Louis as the party seeking the divorce, Blair was able to free herself from the Prince and the crippling financial obligation, saving Waldorf Designs.

The True Endgame: Chuck and Blair

Once free from Prince Louis Grimaldi, Blair was finally able to fully commit to her true love, Chuck Bass. The series finale, set five years in the future, confirms the "Chair" endgame. Blair and Chuck are shown to be happily married, living in a magnificent Upper East Side townhouse with their young son, Henry Bass. Blair, now a successful businesswoman in her own right, had the love, the power, and the family she always truly wanted, proving that her short-lived royal marriage was merely a dramatic detour on her path to happiness.