On Thursday, June 23, 2022, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco accompanied by his two children, His Serene Highness Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco and Her Serene Highness Princess Gabriella of Monaco arrived on the island of Spitsbergen to begin their polar cruise around the Svalbard archipelago.

This morning, Prince Albert II and his two children visited the Norsk Polarinstitutt (Norwegian Polar Institute) in Longyearbyen where he was warmly welcomed by the director of the NPI, Mr. Kim Holmén, and staff.

After speeches were made Prince Albert II unveiled a bronze bust of the late His Serene Highness Prince Albert I of Monaco. The late Prince Albert I, also known as the Navigator Prince, had organized and financed four major polar expeditions in the Svalbard archipelago from 1906-1907. These expeditions were to become the prelude to the Norwegian Polar Institute.

Tomorrow, the princely family will set sail around the Svalbard archipelago aboard the Commandant Charcot, which is the first high polar exploration cruise ship powered by liquefied natural gas, to retrace the historic expeditions of the late Prince Albert I of Monaco.