On Monday, July 4, 2022, Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco visited the Maternity Ward at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace in Monte-Carlo.
Accompanying Princess Charlene this afternoon was the General Secretary of the Monaco Red Cross, Mr. Frédéric Platini and a representative of the Board of Directors of the Monaco Red Cross, Dr. Mathieu Liberatore.
On Friday, July 1, 2022, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco accompanied by his niece, Mrs. Charlotte Casiraghi Rassam, attended the 120th Anniversary celebrations of the Sûreté Publique de Monaco held at the Musée Océanographique de Monaco in Monaco-Ville.
Established in 1902 by the His Serene Highness Prince Albert I, the Sûreté Publique de Monaco is placed under the patronage of Saint George and the motto, Fides, Diligentia, Virtus.
During yesterday’s celebrations, Prince Albert II gave a speech as well as presented medals to Officiers, Mr. Guillaume Oversteyns and Mr. Charly Dubrulle, for their “…exceptional acts of courage and dedication to the public safety force…”
On Friday, July 1, 2022, the Palais Princier de Monaco released a new photo of Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco on the occasion of their 11th wedding anniversary.
The image, photographed by Mr. Eric Mathon, was taken in the back garden of the Palais.
On Wednesday, June 23, 2010, the Palais Princier de Monaco announced the engagement of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II and Miss Charlene Lynette Wittstock, an Olympian swimmer from South Africa.
On July 1, 2011, at 5 P.M. the couple were civilly married in the Throne Room at the Palais Princier. The two witnesses were Mrs. Donatella Knecht de Massy and Mr. Chris Levine (Prince Albert II’s first cousin) with Mr. Philippe Narmino conducting the civil marriage.
After the civil ceremony, the princely waved to the crowds from the balcony of the Salon des Glaces at the Palais Princier. After a reception on the Place du Palais Princier with hundreds of Monégasques and government officials, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene attended a private cocktail reception for friends and family at the Hermitage hotel in Monte-Carlo.
Later in the evening, the princely couple along with hundreds of people from around the world arrived at Port Hercule in Monte-Carlo to attend a concert by French artist, Jean-Michel Jarre, in honor of the princely wedding.
The couple were married in a religious ceremony held in the courtyard of the Palais Princier de Monaco on July 2, 2011. Guests in attendance included Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, His Royal Highness Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Duke and Duchess of Brabant (now Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians), Their Royal Highnesses Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark, Their Imperial and Royal Highnesses Prince Georg Friedrich and Princesss Sophie of Prussia, The Duke and Duchess of Vendôme, The Duke and Duchess of Castro (Bourbon-Two Sicilies), and a then Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima of Oranje (not Orange) to name a few.
By the way, I love that the couple used the same colors and background tones in their 2010 engagement photo; moreover, the image was taken not too far from where their princely couple’s engagement photo was taken twelve years ago. 🙂
On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco gave a speech during the United Nations Ocean Conference side-event entitled, Polar Oceans: Engine to the Global Ocean.
On the early evening of June 29, 2022, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco arrived in Oran, Alergia for a two-day visit to attend the 19th Edition of the Mediterranean Games.
Upon his arrival at the Ahmed Ben Bella International Airport in Oran, the sovereign prince was warmly welcomed by the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Mr. Ramtane Lamamra, who wished him on behalf of the President of the Republic of Algeria, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune. He also wish Prince Albert II a pleasant stay in El Bahia.
In turn, Prince Albert II expressed his warmest gratitude to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for this kind invitation. The sovereign prince also congratulated Algeria, people and government, for the excellent organization and the great success of the 19th Edition of the Mediterranean Games.
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.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, June 22, 2022, Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco accompanied by their two children His Serene Highness Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco and Her Serene Highness Princess Gabriella of Monaco along with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway attended the opening of the exhibition entitled, Sailing the Sea of Science: Scientist and Explorer. Prince Albert I and the Early Norwegian Exploration of Svalbard, at the Frammuseet (Fram Museum) in Oslo.
The exhibition tells the story of the late Prince Albert I of Monaco and his four scientific expeditions around Svalbard and the Arctic Archipelago aboard his yacht, Princess Alice. According to the periodical, Polar Record, Prince Albert I:
“…from an early age evinced a strong fascination for the polar regions. But it was only after 1898 that he was able to mount four scientific cruises to Svalbard. The first cruise was an oceanographical and zoological reconnaissance, aimed mainly at adding to the collections of the Musée Océanographique de Monaco, the construction of which had just started.
In 1899, the focus was on the hydrography and topography of Raudfjorden, of which a map was published. In 1906, meteorology was added to the range of observations and surveys were pursued. The Prince also provided support for two other expeditions, that of the Norwegian, Gunnar Isachsen, to northwestern Spitsbergen, and that of the Scotsman, William Bruce, to Prins Karls Forland.
The Prince’s expedition in 1907 was aimed at completing the results from the previous summer. Prince Albert also lent his support, either financially, or through gifts or loans of oceanographic instruments, to numerous Arctic and Antarctic explorers. Finally, he showed a keen interest in environmental protection, especially in Svalbard.”
Sailing the Sea of Science: Scientist and Explorer. Prince Albert I and the Early Norwegian Exploration of Svalbard is organized in cooperation with the Frammuseet with the contribution of the Palais Princier de Monaco Archives, the Musée Océanographique de Monaco and the Albert I Committee.
The exhibition will be open to the public from June 23 – August 31, 2022.
Prior to the opening, the princely family attended a private luncheon at Bygdø Kongsgård (royal estate) hosted by Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway. Other royal guests in attendance included Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and Her Highness Princess Martha Louise of Norway.
Tomorrow, the princely family will make a private visit to Longyearbyen on the island of Spitsbergen as well as visit tour parts of the Svalbard archipelago. The purpose of the private visit is to retrace the steps of Prince Albert II’s great-great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert I, on the 100th anniversary of his death on June 26, 2022.
