Back to School for Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella and other news
Prince Albert’s twins have headed back to school, along with 5,715 students at Monaco’s FANB. Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella made their way to their first day of school on Monday 6 September, just before 10 am, accompanied by their father, Prince Albert II. The family walked to the Institution François d’Assise-Nicolas Barré, a private Catholic establishment. The twins, who are now 6 years old, are in the CE1 classes.
Prince Albert II participates in World Conservation Congress in Marseille
The IUCN World Conservation Congress took place in Marseille on 6-7 September. The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and other Monegasque institutions working to preserve the environment attended alongside HSH Prince Albert II to promote their actions and commitments for our planet.
The Sovereign Prince participated in several sessions related to ocean preservation, including a conference organized by the #GlobalFundforCoralReefs, a fund aiming to develop blue economy solutions to protect and restore coral reefs.
On the afternoon of 7 September, Prince Albert attended the signature of two important partnerships, one with The MedFund and the MAVA Foundation as part of the launch of the “Highly Protected Mediterranean Initiative” and the second with His Foundation, the MAVA Foundation and the Aage V. Jensen Charity Foundation for the creation of the “Donors Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems (DIMFE)” in order to strengthen freshwater preservation.
The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), which has been co-chaired by the Principality since 2018, also unveiled the first trends and recommendations from its Global Coral Reef Health Study (GCRMN). This congress as a whole was an opportunity for HSH the Sovereign Prince to remind us of the urgency of collectively taking action for the preservation of our seas.
Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella visit International Dog Show
Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella visited the International Dog Show in Monaco on Saturday 11 September, accompanied by their aunt, HRH the Princess of Hanover as well as by Mélanie Antoinette De Massy and Charlotte Casiraghi-Rassam. Princess Gabriella visited the show in a wheelchair with a pink cast on her foot after possibly sustaining a leg injury. According to People Magazine, Gabriella’s injury is just a sprain caused by a bad fall while playing. However, the palace hasn’t made an official statement about the injury.
Prince Albert II visits Kiel, Germany
HSH Prince Albert II visited Kiel, in northern Germany, on 8 and 9 September. Received by Daniel Günther, Minister President of the region and by Ulf Kämpfer, Mayor of the city. The trip was to commemorate the Centenary of the death of Prince Albert I and to GEOMAR, one of the largest centres in marine research. Prince Albert II also met with Team Malizia as part of the “Kieler Woche” (Kiel sailing week).
From 1898 to 1914, Prince Albert I, invited by Kaiser Wilhelm II, would visit Kiel to attend the same regattas. The Prince would discuss a project concerning a network of meteorological observatories for Europe in the Azores.
Princess Charlene wants to ‘Come Back to Europe’ says Prince Albert
While on an official visit to Germany, Prince Albert gave a short interview to Monaco Info. During the interview, Prince Albert said that the emergency hospital visit was due to vagal discomfort and was blown out of proportion by the media, because witnesses saw ambulances arrive for the Princess; but she is okay. She still has medical appointments in South Africa, Prince Albert said, but he hopes she can come home earlier than the end of October.
Following the visit from her family, on the night of 1 September Princess Charlene was taken to emergency care and hospitalized in Ballito, about 40 kilometres from Durban. According to a press release from the Prince’s Palace, the Princess is “in a reassuring state” and is being closely monitored.
At the beginning of May, Princess Charlene underwent a sinus lift and bone graft for dental implants. Following the operation, while fighting poaching and raising awareness about rhino mutilation in South Africa, the princess suffered from a serious infection of the ears, nose and throat. The infection reached dangerous levels and she had to undergo emergency surgery. Since her surgeries, she has not been able to take a plane home, because the sinus area would not withstand air pressure changes caused by air travel.
