Prince Albert follows Prince Rainier’s footsteps in Montpellier and other princely news

Guided by the mayor Michaël Delafosse, Prince Albert II and a Monegasque delegation walked around Montpellier to visit the places of Prince Rainier’s youth. During a tour of the chapel of the Blue Penitents (of which Prince Rainier was a member) Prince Rainier’s portrait was unveiled by Prince Albert II. The painting will now be part of the gallery. At the Lycée Joffre, Prince Albert unveiled a memorial plaque which states that Rainier was a high school student in Montpellier. Prince Albert also visited the stage of the Opéra Comédie where Prince Rainier performed in 1942. Rainier Grimaldi played the character of Bernard in the play ‘Les jours Heureux’ written in 1938 by Claude André Puget.

The son of Princess Charlotte and Prince Pierre arrived in Montpellier in 1941, when Europe was plunged into World War II. Placed under the responsibility of Captain Ardant, Rainier discovered the French educational system for the first time after having started his schooling in Switzerland, then in Great Britain. The decision to continue his secondary studies in Montpellier was made because Montpellier was neutral land, on the Mediterranean but far enough from Monaco for the Prince to be sheltered from pressures which could’ve impeded his secondary studies.

Reception at Prince’s Palace in honour of AS Monaco Basket

HSH Prince Albert II wished to thank the entire AS Monaco Basket team for their Eurocup victory by holding a reception on Thursday 17 June in the private gardens of the Prince’s Palace. After congratulating the team, HSH the Prince presented each member of the Roca Team with a medal for Physical Education and Sport.

During the Eurocup finals in Russia against UNICS Kazan, Zvezdan Mitrovic’s team won 86-83. This first European title for Monaco’s basketball players is a historical moment for French and Monegasque basketball, more than thirty years after Limoges, the last French winner, took the cup in 1988.

Princely Research on Monaco’s Seahorses

A milestone was completed on the study of seahorse populations in Monegasque waters, carried out jointly by the Prince Albert II Foundation of Monaco and the Oceanography Institute. Seven juvenile seahorses, who were studied during the early stages of the project, were released in the presence of Prince Albert at the site of the Saint-Nicolas rocks, at the foot of the Oceanographic Museum. The findings of this research were presented to the Museum. Seahorses are an extraordinary species because it is the males which get pregnant and give birth, not the females. During this study, a gravid male had been taken and returned to the water after giving birth to baby seahorses at the Monegasque Marine Species Care Centre. The positive result confirmed that it is possible to supervise the birth of baby seahorses and reintroduce them into the wild under the best possible conditions, should the seahorse population in Monaco need strengthening.

President of Georgia visits Princely Palace

On Thursday 10 June, HSH Prince Albert II received Salomé Zourabichvili, President of Georgia at the Prince’s Palace. During an interview, the Sovereign Prince and HE Zourabichvili discussed many themes including the environment, tourism, innovation, culture and sport.

Prince’s Carabinieri get on their Bikes for Fight Aids Monaco

The Prince’s riflemen travelled to Bagnères-de-Luchon from 9 to 12 June for a cycling challenge in support Princess Stephanie’s association. Chief Warrant Officer Denis Raymond, who is originally from the region, was in charge the sporting adventure for Fight Aids. The operation began in mid-March at the Fairmont Monte Carlo in the presence of the Sovereign and Princess Stephanie, when the new jerseys with the Fight Aids logo were presented. Since then, the Carabinieri collected a substantial sum from the jerseys. In total, one hundred outfits were put on sale and two thirds have already been sold via the Ekoï website, which donated the outfits, and other shops in Monaco. Along mythical slopes, made famous by the Tour de France, 14 Carabinieri cycled a few hundred kilometres in only three days. On the last day, special guests including Pedro Delgado, winner of the 1988 Tour de France, joined the group. The cycling charity event is expected to take place again next year.

Monaco Red Cross donates Medical Vehicle to MIR Association

On Wednesday 9 June, HSH Prince Albert II participated in the presentation of a medical vehicle from the Monegasque Red Cross to the MIR association, on the Place du Palais. The MIR association (which means “Peace” in Serbo-Croatian) travels through the streets of Nice every week to help disadvantaged people. The new vehicle has been completely converted into a mobile emergency room, enabling the MIR association to provide medical and dental care during patrols. Ten years ago, Prince Albert offered the association a Chapel Bus which celebrates mass for homeless people once a month. The MIR Association is run with the help of a hundred volunteers and was created almost 30 years ago by Father Patrick Bruzzone.

New Alley named after Baroness de Massy inaugurated by Prince

On the first anniversary of the baroness’ death, Melanie-Antoinette de Massy helped name an alley after her mother. Prince Albert inaugurated the alley at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. The path, which leads from the entrance of the club to the tennis courts is now named after the former president of the club. A commemorative plaque summarizes the actions of the passionate woman who contributed to the influence of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and the Monegasque tennis federation. The plaque was unveiled during the latest tournament, in the presence of the Sovereign as well as players Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

Princess Stephanie Inaugurates “A Fàbrica” space at Parc Princesse Antoinette

On 17 June, HSH Princess Stephanie and Mayor Georges Marsan inaugurated a new space located in the heart of the Princess Antoinettte Park called ‘A Fàbrica’. This new space will be hosting creative workshops for all generations and managed by the City’s Animation Department. The space was created thanks to the generosity of two donors, Elena Sivoldaeva and Liliane Spaethe, who were both present at the inauguration.