On July 10, 2011, H.R.H. Princess Caroline of Hanover previewed the latest exhibit at the Grimaldi Forum entitled, Fastes et Grandeur des Cours en Europe (Magnificence and Grandeur of the Royal Houses in Europe.)
Per the official website of the Grimaldi Forum:
Embarking on a veritable journey through the ages, visitors will for the first time enter 20 European courts and meet great imperial, royal and princely figures. In the course of this sumptuous journey – a European Tour of a very special kind – they will meet:
- Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and elected King of Poland
- Frederick I, first King of Prussia, and Queen Sophia Charlotte
- Ludwig I, King of Bavaria, and his grandson, Ludwig II
- Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elizabeth of Austria
- the Danish kings Christian IV, a legendary monarch, and Christian IX, “the father-in-law of Europe” in the 19th century
- Philip V, King of Spain and grandson of Louis XIV, and Elizabeth, heir to the fabulous Farnese collections
- Napoleon and Josephine and the first French Empire
- Prince Nicholas Esterhazy, a great collector and Joseph Haydn’s patron
- Luís I, King of Portugal, and Queen Maria Pia
- Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, “the grandmother of Europe”, and her consort Prince Albert
- Gustavus III, King of Sweden
- Tsar Alexander II, The Liberator, who launched the vogue for imperial Russian holidays on the French Riviera
- Leopold I, first King of the Belgians
- Haakon VII, elected first King of Norway following the dissolution of the union with Sweden
- John III Sobieski, elected King of Poland, victor over the Turks at Vienna
- Charles, King of Naples, who launched the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompey
- Victor Amadeus II, King of Sicily then of Sardinia
- Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, whose role in the first part of the 20th century was so important
- the Grimaldis, Princes of Monaco, from Honoré II in the 17th century through Charles III, founder of Monte-Carlo, to Rainier III and Princess Grace.
To illustrate this ambitious undertaking, the Grimaldi Forum Monaco is collecting together some 700 sumptuous or moving exhibits that plunge visitors into the very heart of the lives, roles and passions of these individuals and couples who marked the histories of their dynasties and countries. The exhibition will thus focus on their eras but no less on their accomplishments in the fields of the arts, history and science.
Portraits, sculptures, objets d’art, furniture, porcelain, silver and gold, costumes and jewellery will breathe new life into four centuries of history for a rich and unique experience. Historical films, both documentaries and fiction, complete this masterful exhibition bringing back to life these great figures who have often fired our dreams.
The Fastes et Grandeur des Cours en Europe exhibit runs through September 11, 2011, so if you happen to be in Monaco or nearby in the south of France why not stop by to see it. 🙂
To learn more about the Grimaldi Forum please visit their official website here. To read an article about the exhibit via the French newspaper, Nice-Matin, please click here.
To view photos from today’s event please click here.
Photo courtesy of: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
The Royal Correspondent 
