When we talk about the women in Prince’s life, the conversation usually drifts toward the "Purple Rain" era or his first marriage to Mayte Garcia. It makes sense. Those were the high-voltage years. But there is this whole other chapter—the one with Manuela Testolini—that feels a lot more grounded, even if it ended in a way that left everyone scratching their heads. Honestly, their five-year marriage was probably the most "normal" Prince ever got, if you can call living in a Toronto mansion and spending $50,000 on Oscars after-parties normal.
They met while she was working as a consultant for his charity, Love 4 One Another. She was 24, he was 43.
Most people don't realize that Manuela wasn't a backup dancer or a protégé. She was a professional. She was smart. She saw a side of him that wasn't just about the heels and the stage presence. They married on Christmas Day in 2001, right as Prince was leaning heavily into his faith as a Jehovah’s Witness. This wasn't just a romantic union; it was a lifestyle shift.
Prince and Manuela Testolini: A Shared Legacy of Giving
Philanthropy was the glue. If you look at Manuela’s life now—running the In a Perfect World foundation—you can see the fingerprints of her time with Prince all over it. He encouraged her. He pushed her to start her own thing instead of just managing his.
It’s kinda wild to think about, but during their marriage, Prince was intensely private. They moved to Toronto. They lived in the Bridle Path neighborhood. He’d be seen at local jazz clubs or just hanging out, relatively unbothered. It was a "magical journey," as she later described it, but the magic eventually hit a wall.
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By 2005, things were getting weird.
According to unsealed divorce documents that came out after his death, Prince actually locked Manuela out of their Chanhassen home in May 2005. He cut off her credit cards. He even boxed up her stuff and threw it in the vault at Paisley Park. Why? Nobody really knows. They tried counseling with Jehovah’s Witness elders in New York, but by 2006, she filed for divorce.
The Lifestyle We Never Saw
The divorce papers, which Manuela fought hard to keep sealed, revealed a life of pure extravagance. We're talking:
- $5,000-a-day hair and makeup stylists.
- Accounts at Gucci, Valentino, and Versace where there were "no restrictions."
- Massive $50,000 budgets for single parties.
Prince, who was representing himself in court for a while, argued that this wasn't a "standard of living" that could be recreated with just a check. He basically told the court that the lifestyle was tied to him, not just the money.
Ultimately, she got a $6 million house in Toronto and a Lexus. But she also fought for things that money couldn't buy—specifically, copies of videos Prince had filmed for songs he wrote about her, like "Gamillah" and "Another Girl." He claimed they were deleted. She didn't believe him.
The Bond That Stayed After the Split
The most touching part of the Prince and Manuela Testolini story is actually what happened after they split. They stayed in touch. They weren't enemies. In fact, Manuela and Prince’s first wife, Mayte Garcia, ended up becoming close friends. They bonded over the unique experience of being married to a man who was, in Mayte’s words, a "thoughtful little tyrant."
Just days before Prince passed away in 2016, Manuela reached out to him.
She wanted to tell him she was building a school in his honor through her foundation. He never got to see it finished. Today, that school in Malawi stands as a memory of a man who wanted to change the world but often struggled to navigate his own.
Why Their Story Still Matters
If you're looking for the "why" behind their divorce, you won't find a smoking gun. There was no public scandal. It was likely a mix of his intense personality, the pressures of their faith, and the simple reality that being married to a genius is exhausting.
But look at what she did afterward. She didn't just fade away or live off a settlement. She took the philanthropic spark they shared and turned it into a massive global impact. She’s now married to Eric Benét (who, ironically, was once married to Halle Berry), and they have a beautiful family.
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What you can take away from this:
- Philanthropy creates a lasting bond. Even when the romance dies, shared values can keep a connection alive.
- Privacy has a price. The secrecy Prince demanded often led to more speculation, but it also protected the "magical" nature of their best years.
- Legacy is about more than work. Manuela’s work with In a Perfect World is as much a part of Prince's legacy as "Purple Rain" is.
If you want to honor the spirit of what they started, look into youth empowerment or education charities. Supporting organizations that build schools in under-resourced areas—like the ones Manuela continues to build—is the most direct way to keep that specific "Prince" era alive. You can also check out the official In a Perfect World website to see the projects currently running in Malawi and beyond.