On October 15, 2012, Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania for an official two-day visit.  Click here to watch a video.   

On Sunday, October 14, 2012, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco celebrated the 17th Edition of Journée Européenne du Patrimoine (European Heritage Days) at the Palais Princier library and archives:

“For the first time, the library and part of the archives of the palace were open to the public…” During the opening the sovereign prince welcomed visitors who were “…delighted to meet him.”  The theme of this year’s event is: Albert I de Monaco (1848-1922) : Science, Lumière et Paix. 

In the evening, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene attended the opening of the 7th Annual Oktoberfest Monte-Carlo held at the Café de Paris.  Attendees dined on delicious Bavarian foods, drank a heck of a lot of beer, and listened to music by “… ‘Echt-Guat’ under the direction of Michael Stumberger and accompanied by the Bavarian singer Bettina Stadler…”.

On Friday, October 12, 2012, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco participated in the 13th Board of Directors meeting of the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco held at the Ritz Hotel in London.

Today’s meeting allowed “… the Board members to examine the state of progress of projects supported by the Fondation Prince Albert II, to approve the 2013 estimated budget and consider new projects implementation will be financed by the Fondation Prince Albert II.”

Yesterday, the sovereign prince hosted a fundraising dinner for “… one hundred international supporters of the Fondation Prince Albert II…” held at the Claridges Ballroom in London.

This afternoon, Prince Albert II presided over the 5th annual Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco Award Ceremony held at the Science Museum in London.  The recipient of the Climate Change Award went to Dr. James Hansen.  The Biodiversity Award went to Sir David Attenborough and  the Water Award went to the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

After the ceremony attendees watched an advanced screening of the new Disneynature film entitled, Chimpanzee.

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012, Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco arrived in Florence, Italy for a brief visit. Upon their arrival at the Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, the princely couple were warmly greeted by the local people and government officials including Mayor Matteo Rienzi.

After gifts were exchanged, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene toured some of Florence’s most famous sites.  This evening the princely couple attended the Bal du Lys (Ballo del Giglio) held at the Palazzo Pitti. Guests at tonight’s event included Mr. James Ferragamo, Mr. Paolo Rossi, and Ms. Marisa Monti Riffeser to name a few.  Proceeds from tonight’s charity gala ball will be donated to the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco and to various museums in Florence.

On Monday, October 8, 2012, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco along with Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline of Hanover attended the inauguration of a new intuitive surgical robot at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace.

The robot, nicknamed Da Vinci, will be used for gynecological, visceral, and urological surgeries:

“The instruments are fully controlled by the surgeon, allowing the surgeon easier access to sensitive areas with a high precision of movement. The Da Vinci robot  contributes to the well-being of patients by reducing the risk of post-operative sequelae, and the duration of hospitalization. The robotic surgery represents a major evolution of surgery for the 21st century.”

And, finally, yesterday, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II participated in the in a conference aboard the ship, Thunder.  The purpose of the conference was to discuss the preservation of the environment specifically the oceans.  The conference, also held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), was organized by the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco and the Musée Océanographique.

Longer video.

After participating in various conferences in New York City, Monterey, California, Brussels, Belgium as well as meeting the locals in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco decided it was it was time for a mini-vacation.

On October 5, 2012, the sovereign prince was spotted in Marbella dining at the “… celebrity hotspot La Sala restaurant…” with 12 of his dearest and extremely tanned friends.

After dinner Prince Albert II and friends danced and partied the night away at the ultra hip club known as, Aqwa Mist.

On Thursday, October 4, 2012, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the 2012 Arctic Futures Symposium held inside the Jacques Delors Building at the European Union Committee of the Regions in Brussels.

During today’s event the sovereign prince gave a brief speech along with the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Ms. Maria Damanaki, and the President of the International Polar Foundation, Mr. Alain Hubert to name a few.

Topics during the symposium included: Perspectives from Arctic stakeholders, the future of energy resources in the Arctic, and management of Arctic marine resources.