Monaco Princely Family

H.S.H. Princess Antoinette of Monaco Has Died: UPDATES!

The Palais Princier de Monaco announced this morning that H.S.H. Princess Antoinette of Monaco has died peacefully at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre.  She was 90 years old.

Per the French paper, Paris Match:

Born in 1920, Her Serene Highness Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness de Massy was the daughter of Princess Charlotte of Monaco and his Serene Highness the Prince of Monaco, Duke of Valentino. During the hours troubles experienced in Monaco during the Second World War, Antony fell in love with a German officer of the army of occupation. It is his grandfather, Prince Louis II, who put a veto on the union. Rainier’s eldest sister, she was his “first lady” when he ascended the throne in 1949, until his marriage to Grace Kelly.

She had three children, Elizabeth Anne, born in 1947, Louis Christian, born in 1949 and Christine Alix, born in 1951 and died in 1989. All three were born outside marriage, and would father the lawyer and tennis champion Alexander Noghès, Monegasque nationals, whom she married in 1951. Divorced in 1954, Antoinette second wife, Jean-Charles Rey, Monaco notary in 1961. She divorced again in 1973 and married ten years later with the British dancer John Gilpin. It will turn off a heart attack, September 5, 1983, six weeks after the wedding.

Resident of Eze-sur-Mer, France, Antoinette was eighth in order of accession to the throne. ‘She was very involved in animal rights, she chaired, including the Humane Society of Monaco’, said the Palace in a statement.

H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco has ordered that all flags in Monaco are now to be flown at half mast.

May you rest in peace, Princess Antoinette.

***UPDATES!

It was announced late this afternoon in Monaco that the late H.S.H. Princess Antoinette of Monaco funeral services will be held on March 24, 2011, at the Cathedral in Monaco. Per the French newspaper, Nice-Matin:

Following the death of Princess Antoinette last night, the Principality of Monaco and particularly the Government of Monaco and the Royal Household will observe a mourning period of fifteen days will run until April 1. The remains of Princess Antoinette of Monaco has been transferred to the Palace Chapel on Friday which is collected in the late afternoon the royal family and members of the Royal Household.

A final tribute will be made to Princess Antoinette of the population. This, Saturday, March 19, only the staff of Prince’s Palace will visit the chapel.

On Sunday, March 20, a Mass will be celebrated in the presence of the Princely family and close at 8:30. The chapel will be open to Monaco and then to residents on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, from 9h to 19h, and Wednesdays from 9 to 14. The condolence books will be open from Sunday, March 20 in the Courtyard.
On Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 10am, the funeral will be held at the Cathedral. Interment will follow in the Chapel of Peace, in strict privacy.

Source:  Paris Match, Nice-Matin, and Washington Post

Monaco Princely Family

A Lovely Ladies Lunch With Charlene Wittstock: UPDATE!

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Today at the Hotel Metropole in Monte-Carlo the future Princess of Monaco, Charlene Wittstock, attended a charity luncheon cleverly entitled, Ladies Lunch.   Miss Wittstock is the honorary President of this organization so it is her duty to show up looking fabulous as always, and to pretend that she is actually interested in talking with the other old ladies at this event.  I don’t know how she does it, but I give her props for having to spend three hours one hour with bored 50+ year-old women whose husbands are probably having affairs with hot Russian supermodels.

I’m kidding.

Well, only slightly.

Anyway, the Ladies Lunch, founded by Baroness Cécile de Massy in 2004, is actually a great charity organization.  You see, they usually raise a significant amount of money for various organizations such as the Académie de Danse Princesse Grace, charities for the children in Monaco and other “…Monegasque charity associations…” At the end of today’s event the Ladies Lunch raised 28,000 Euros (roughly $39,000+) which will be donated to the Académie de Danse Princesse Grace.

To view lots of photos from today’s charity event please click the link: Photos galore

To watch a long video from the event which includes an interview with the future Princess of Monaco please click the link here. Scroll down until you see the title Ladies Lunch.  Miss Wittstock’s interview begins at the 7:40 mark.

To learn more about Ladies Lunch please click the link:  Ladies Lunch Monte Carlo and The Riviera Woman

Photos courtesy of:  Zimbio.com by Photo Agency

**Update and Correction! I have received a lovely email message from The Ladies Luncheon Monte Carlo board member, Madame Celina Lafuente de LaVotha, who kindly informed me that the future Princess of Monaco, Charlene Wittstock, participated at this event for only one hour.  She also informed me that she was none to pleased with the group photo backdrop, either.

So, thank you Madame de LaVotha for your information and may your next Ladies Lunch charity event be just as successful as today’s.  Oh, and since you asked me a very personal question:  Yes, I am taken.   Happily.    🙂

Again, thank you Madame de LaVotha for you inside information.  I appreciate it very much.   🙂

British Royals

H.R.H. Prince William of Wales In Christchurch, New Zealand

After last month’s devastating 6.3 earthquake that left Christchurch, New Zealand in shambles H.R.H. Prince William of Wales toured the city, which he described the damage as “unbelievable” on March 17, 2011.

According to the British newspaper, The Telegraph, Prince William met with various rescue workers and toured several quake damaged sites:

Driving through the city streets that had been reduced to rubble by the powerful earthquake, the Prince was visibly shocked by the extent of the destruction.

After stopping off at the Christchurch Cathedral, which has lost its spire and is now surrounded by metal scaffolding, and passing the Grand Chancellor Hotel, the city’s tallest building which is leaning dangerously and will have to be demolished, he told Des Bull, an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) engineer: ‘It’s just the scale of it is unbelievable.’

‘When you see buildings like that….that’s very very sad. It really does bring it home to see it leaning like that.’

To read the article in its entirety as well as to watch a video clip please click the link: The Telegraph

Another article and video from the BBC News and ABC News Australia

Photo courtesy of: ABC News Australia by AFP

Belgian Royals

Their Majesties King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium Visit Maldegem

This afternoon Their Majesties King Albert and Queen Paola visited the East Flemish town of Maldegem, Belgium. Though the visit went well, the royal couple were met with 20 or so protesters who advocate Flemish independence from Belgium.

According to the online Belgian newspaper, Niewsblad.be:

The royal couple were met by Mayor John De Roo and the board of Aldermen were they were received in the House Wallyn. The East Flanders Governor Andre Denys and Defence Minister Pieter De Crem were also present.

The royal couple were given a memento and signed the Golden Book.  After a brief visit they were then greeted by the people of Marktstraat.  Later on, Her Majesty Queen Paola visited the Woon- en zorgcampus Begijnewater home and care campus.  The visit ended with a reception at the local sports Meos.

To view photos as well as to read more about the royal visit to Maldegem please click the link:  Nieuwsblad.be

Source and photo courtesy of: Nieuwsblad.be by Belga

 

Monaco Princely Family, Princely Wedding

The Official Website for the Upcoming Princely Wedding in Monaco is Finally Here: Try to Contain your Enthusiasm

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For those of you who were waiting ever so patiently to gaze upon the official website for the upcoming princely wedding in Monaco, well, you are in luck.

Today, you can finally breathe a sigh of relief and then scream like a teenager at a Justin Bieber concert because the website is officially up and running complete with H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco and Miss Charlene Wittstock’s giant monogram plastered all over the site.

Well… actually it’s only on the left hand side, but whatever.

Any way, the site contains all the important information for you to know.  For example:

  1. The dates for the civil and religious ceremony
  2. Information about Monaco
  3. Details about the Princely wedding
  4. A bio about the Prince and Miss Wittstock (who apparently loves to surf like yours truly… though I have a feeling Charlene sucks at it.)
  5. FAQ
  6. Useful information (like how to get to Monaco and we all know how important that is.)
  7. Contacts
  8. Press room
  9. Lots of pretty pictures

Overall, the site is quite nice looking; moreover, it is nice to see that someone at the Palais Princier de Monaco FINALLY realized the correct title of the wedding.  For some time now, the official tourism website for Monaco, Visit Monaco, and some dude who works at the Palais Princier de Monaco, kept referring the upcoming wedding as a royal wedding.  It’s not.  It’s a princely wedding.  So, congrats to Visit Monaco and the underpaid Palais Princier de Monaco employee dude who finally realized their past mistake.

To view the website in all its glory please click the link:  Mariage Princier Monaco 2011

Photo courtesy of: Zimbio.com by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images

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