Princess Charlene kicks off Crossing Viareggio to Monaco Water Bike Race
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II attended the start of the third edition of The Crossing Water Bike Challenge on Friday 19 June 2026. The charitable sports event, organized by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, began in Viareggio, Tuscany for the first time. Princess Charlene signalled the start of the race with an air horn.
Seven teams made up of four elite athletes each took turns on water bikes at sea, crossing the 225 kilometre distance to Monaco in just over 24 hours. Team Lionheart (Gustav Larsson, Veronika Larsson, Jeremy Josserand and Alex Bennett) claimed victory and set a new event record of 24 hours and 8 minutes. They arrived at Larvotto Beach on Saturday 20 June, with the other participating teams close behind. Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene welcomed and congratulated all the teams who participated in the environmental and charitable challenge.
This year’s race crossed the Pelagos Sanctuary for the first time, to raise awareness about the protected marine area shared by France, Italy, and Monaco, and the largest European sanctuary dedicated to the protection of marine mammals.
Princess Charlene organizes Water Safety Day in Viareggio
Princess Charlene attended Water Safety Day 2026, organized by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, on Bagno Flora Beach on Wednesday 17 June 2026. The initiative helped raised awareness among children about the fundamentals of water safety and first aid since 2014.
This year, nearly fifty young participants from leisure centres and associations in Viareggio took part in educational and sporting workshops led by Stéphanie Barneix, Ambassador of the Foundation, alongside her team and Italian lifeguards. The morning also featured demonstrations by the Italian Coast Guard and the Italian School of Rescue Dogs.
Princely Family opens 7th Grimaldi Historic Sites Meeting at the Palace
Prince Albert II officially opened the 7th Grimaldi Historic Sites Meeting in the presence of Princess Charlene, Prince Jacques, and Princess Gabriella on 13 June 2026 on the Place du Palais in front of the Prince’s Palace. The Princely Family welcomed representatives from the network of French and Italian communities, including the Department of Mayenne, the Town of Mayenne, Fontaine-Française (Côte-d’Or), Roumoules (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), Ascros and Marie (Alpes-Maritimes), as well as Pianezza and Livorno Ferraris in the Italian region of Piedmont.
The Princely Family then toured the exhibitors’ village and met elected officials, artisans, producers, and visitors who had come to celebrate this shared heritage. The event was organized by the Federation of the Grimaldi Historic Sites of Monaco.
Prince Albert II opens 65th Monte-Carlo Television Festival
The Sovereign opened the Monte-Carlo Television Festival at the Grimaldi Forum on 12 June 2026. During the opening ceremony, Prince Albert II was accompanied by Camille Gottlieb, Louis Ducruet, and Marie Ducruet. The Sovereign’s daughter, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, was also in attendance.
The opening ceremony was hosted by journalist Genie Godula. Kristin Scott Thomas received the Crystal Nymph Award in recognition of her diverse and distinguished career. Michel Drucker was presented with the Honorary Nymph Award for his outstanding career on French television. Spanish actress Ester Expósito received the Golden Nymph Award for Best International Newcomer. The event also featured the international premiere of the first two episodes of Season 3 of The Walking Dead: Dead City, in the presence of Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan.
Prince Albert II and Princess Caroline visit Wedding of the Century Exhibition at the Palace
The Sovereign, the Princess of Hanover, and Princess Alexandra visited the Wedding of the Century: Monaco, 12–19 April 1956, at the Prince’s Palace on 18 June 2026. Marking the 70th anniversary of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III’s wedding, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to discover iconic photographs and treasured keepsakes from the special day.
The dress worn by Princess Grace Kelly for the civil wedding ceremony, as well as the gown worn for the gala reception and the diamond and ruby tiara gifted to her by the Société des Bains de Mer are all on display. But the true highlight of the exhibition is Princess Grace’s iconic dress worn for the religious wedding ceremony. Cited as “one of the most elegant and best-remembered bridal gowns of all time,” the gown was gifted to Grace by MGM, designed by Helen Rose and created by the studio’s wardrobe artists. The dress was made of silk adorned with thousands of tiny pearls and a 125-year-old rose-point lace fabric which was procured from a museum in Belgium.
After the wedding, Kelly gifted the gown to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the wedding in 2006, the museum displayed it in an exhibition, which was reported to have been its “most popular exhibit”. Now, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the wedding, the gown is back in Monaco. The exhibition runs until 25 September 2026.
Princely Couple presents Crystal Nymph Award to Kurt Russell
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene attended the closing ceremony of the 65th Monte-Carlo Television Festival at the Grimaldi Forum on 16 June 2026. The Princely couple presented the Crystal Nymph Award, the highest distinction of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, to actor Kurt Russell. British actor Matthew Broome was awarded the Most Promising Talent Award, while the Prince Rainier III Special Prizes were awarded to Stenka Quillet and Emmanuel François.
Prince Albert II opens General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees in Budapest
The Sovereign participated in the opening of the 55th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), alongside a delegation from the Monegasque Olympic Committee, in Budapest on 12 June 2026.
Bringing together representatives from 49 National Olympic Committees, the event featured an address from President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Kirsty Coventry.
The Games of the 21st Small States of Europe, scheduled to take place in Monaco in 2027 was presented during the event by the Monegasque Olympic Committee. The presentation outlined preparations, which are already underway for an event which will bring together the nine small states of the continent.
Prince Albert II attends Student Olympic Day in Monaco
In the presence of the Sovereign, top-performing Year 5 students shared a morning dedicated to sports and community spirit ahead of Olympic Day 2026. Organized by the Monegasque Olympic Committee, the event featured the International Olympic Committee’s global “Let’s Move” initiative, which invites everyone to discover the joy of being active every day.
Following an initial selection phase within schools, which involved over 400 students, the best teams gathered at Espace Saint-Antoine for a friendly competition. Sporting the colours of the five continents, in homage to the Olympic rings, as well as Monaco’s colours, the students participated in various sporting activities, supervised by their physical education teachers and alongside Monegasque Olympians. At the end of the competitions, Saint-Charles School (Africa 1) emerged victorious over Fontvieille (JPEE 2027), while La Condamine (Monaco 1) and Cours Saint-Maur (America) shared third place. Prince Albert II presented the best teams with their awards.
Prince Albert II meets Re.Generation Future Leaders at the Palace
The Re.Generation Future Leaders Program took place from 22 to 30 May 2026 in the Principality, with the aim of bringing together outstanding young environmental leaders from across the world. The program included a special meeting with Prince Albert II at the Prince’s Palace.
During the campus, organized by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, participants from across the globe followed an intensive program combining leadership development, communication training, individual mentoring, masterclasses and field experiences. A highlight of the program was an ocean day, which included a scuba diving activity ahead of a masterclass by Paul Watson, environmental activist and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
This year’s Future Leaders included Garvita Gulhati, an Indian social entrepreneur working on water conservation and sustainable finance; Aman KC, a Nepalese glaciologist studying climate impacts on mountain ecosystems; Dayana Blanco, an Indigenous regeneration leader from Bolivia restoring high-altitude wetlands; Flora Artzner, a French wingfoil world champion and biodiversity expert; Amber Carter, a British marine social-ecological scientist; Grace Cordsen, an American polar explorer and environmental storyteller; Joseph Nguthiru, a Kenyan climate-tech engineer; Thamires Pontes, a Brazilian entrepreneur developing seaweed-based textile fibres; Ge Yu, a Chinese sustainable fashion entrepreneur; and Fiorella Herrera, a Peruvian marine biology student and environmental advocate.
