HSH Prince Albert II has been very busy lately. On June 28 he attended the 'Inventaire sans Frontieres' Exhibition at Jardin des Plantes in Paris, France and the Institut Pasteur where he expressed his hopes for future collaboration between the institute and Monaco. He also reiterated the importance his Principality has placed on playing a part in protecting public health as part of their contribution to international aid. The following day he welcomed the new official representatives of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Principality of Andorra to Monaco, accepting the credentials of those diplomats. On the 30th His Serene Highness made a 200m dive in the last submarine of the Comex society, the remora 2000, off the coast of Monaco. The mini-sub can accomodate 2 people and can dive to a depth of 610 meters for up to ten hours.A little less thrilling to me, Albert II has recently been trying very hard to 'make nice' with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development or OECD which had been critical in the past (along with others) for Monaco's 'tax haven' reputation. They are still complaining about financial relations between Monaco, Italy and Great Britain but, on the financial transparency front, Monaco has recently signed new fiscal agreements with Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. After all this recent activity, the Sovereign Prince still found time for some fun, attending the Monaco Live Music 2010 event yesterday along with fiance Charlene Wittstock (seen above) and sister Princess Caroline, both of whom he danced with during the evening.
Princess Caroline seems to be spending a good deal of time with Albert and Charlene. Is this a cultural things where the couple shouldn't be seen in public alone or is the Prince very worried about his sister's situation at the moment and wants her along so he can make sure she's okay?
ReplyDeleteIs she okay?
Mom
As far as Albert & Charlene are concerned I think she's fine. Appearing together may not have been planned or it may have and might be an effort on Caroline's part to 'pass the baton'. There has been talk lately about Caroline possibly being upset that she and her children could be passed over for the succession if Albert now has children but I tend to discount that. Princess Caroline has shown herself to be very aware of the history and significance of her family and the monarchy, and I cannot say of course what she is feeling now, but many years ago when asked about this she very plainly said that if Albert would marry and have children no one would be more thrilled than her. She has been very troubled by all the press scrutiny and media attention and seemed very anxious to avoid the extra weight of attention that would fall on her and her children if they succeeded to the throne. In the absence of any further information I will stick with what she said back then.
ReplyDelete