On the evening of December 14, 2015, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the 20th Annual United Nations Correspondents Association Awards Gala held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
During last Monday’s gala the sovereign prince received the Defender of the Year award for his lifelong dedication to protecting the marine environment as well as raising awareness about climate change.
On Wednesday, December 16, 2015, Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco accompanied by Mr. Louis Ducruet and Miss Camille Gottlieb (children of HSH Princess Stephanie of Monaco) distributed Christmas gifts to Monégasque children at the Palais Princier in Monaco-ville.
On December 3, 2015, the famed Scottish distillery, Glenmorangie, announced that they will collaborate with His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco to create a special whiskey bearing the sovereign prince’s name. Proceeds from the sale of the whiskey will be donated to various environmental causes.
Per a press release:
“The rare, single-cask whisky, bottled in his honour, will support environmental conservation, a cause dear to the Prince and echoed by Glenmorangie and La Maison D’Ecosse.
In June, His Serene Highness Prince Albert visited Glenmorangie’s Highland home, to explore the unseen lengths to which Glenmorangie goes in the creation of its unnecessarily well-made whisky. There, on the shores of the Dornoch Firth, the Prince – a renowned connoisseur of single malts – selected a single cask, with the guidance of Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation.
Dr Bill said, ‘The beautiful, pale gold whisky we chose was matured in an ex-bourbon cask for 12 years. Reflecting nature’s gifts in its notes of heather, honey, bananas, peaches and lime, the bottling epitomises the Prince and Glenmorangie’s combined passion for single malt and the natural world.’
Adorned with the coat of arms of the Prince’s House of Grimaldi, just 180 bottles will be created. The first two will be auctioned at the Monte Carlo Whisky Society’s annual festival in December, to raise money for the Prince’s environmental charity, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and for Glenmorangie’s partner, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). The remaining bottles will be used to support the ongoing work of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco said, ‘I have a deep-rooted connection to Scotland through my Scottish great-great grandmother and during a recent visit to the Glemorangie Distillery, was delighted to select a rare single cask to be bottled in aid of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which promotes sustainable development and protection of the environment. I am delighted that Glenmorangie also shares a similar commitment.’”
On Monday, December 7, 2015, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco witnessed the partnership launch between the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco and the Monaco-based association, Eco Explorers Society (EES).
The purpose of the EES, established by Mr. Gildo Pallanca Pastor, Dr. Bertrand Piccard and Mr. Raphaël Domjanis, is to implement innovative sustainable development projects in exploration of air, land, and water. The overall goal is to preserve the goods and services produced by the sustainable management of these ecosystems and the creation of economic wealth for the people inhabiting these spaces.
As pioneers in eco-adventure the trio have each launched some of the most innovative and important projects in recent history in regards to clean and sustainable mobility. Mr. Pastor has successfully engineered the world’s fastest fuel cell and electric vehicles with his renowned VBB program, Venturi. Dr. Piccard is the initiator and Pilot of Solar Impulse aiming at accomplishing the first solar flight around the world to promote the use of clean technologies. Mr. Domjan is the founder and expedition leader of Planet Solar, the first around the world powered by solar energy, it was with a boat.
These three prototypes made for extreme conditions are helping to develop new technologies in sustainable energy use including capture, transformation, efficient consumption management and storage.
The real world testing of these projects develops the most efficient systems to face the most demanding of applications. All three eco-adventurers have run a part of their projects in the Principality of Monaco with the support of the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco.
These four major players in the field of sustainable development and mobility join forces to create the Eco Explorers Society in order to continue to discover and develop efficient and multifaceted solutions in engineering systems within the realm of sustainable mobility.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, December 8, 2015, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco was presented with the Médaille de Commandeur du Mérite Maritime from the President of France, Mr. François Hollande, during a private ceremony held at the Palais de L’Elysée in Paris, France.
The sovereign prince received the award for his passion for and dedication to protecting the marine environment around the world.
On Tuesday, December 8, 2015, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline of Hanover arrived at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, France, to view the unique installation exhibition entitled, EXIT.
The exhibition, organized and presented by the Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, is based on a prompt set out by French philosopher and urbanist, Mr. Paul Virilio, whose experimental work was created by American artists and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with architect-artist, Ms. Laura Kurgan, and statistician-artist, Mr. Mark Hansen, with a core team of scientists and geographers for the exhibition Native Land, Stop Eject in 2008, and is now part of the Fondation Cartier collection.
EXIT is composed of a series of immersive animated maps generated by data that investigate human migrations today and their leading causes, including the impacts of climate change. Its complete 2015 update has been planned to coincide with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21).
Conceived as an artwork, EXIT uses geo-coded data that was collected from over 100 sources, processed through a programming language and interpreted visually. The work is a reflection on the notions of being rooted and uprooted, as well as related questions of identity, Native Land addressed issues that have continued to intensify. The current refugee crisis makes the 2015 presentation of EXIT more timely and relevant than ever.
EXIT will be open to the public until January 10, 2016, at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
On November 23, 2015, Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline of Hanover, as President of AMADE Mondiale, participated in a symposium held under the theme, L’adoption Nationale et Internationale, in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.
Last month’s meeting was organized by the Gouvernement Princier Département des Relations and Coopération.
The Royal Correspondent 