St Devote Celebrations

Thursday was St Devote Day in Monaco and the Grimaldis were out in force:

Princess Charlene was in fine form for her first St Devote Day as Princess

The Prince and Princess of Monaco cross themselves as the procession passes before the palace, bearing the relics of St Devote, the patron saint of Monaco and the Grimaldis. The faithful family dog "Mila" can just be seen peeking through the balcony.

Archbishop Bernard Barsi of Monaco greets the Princely Couple after the St Devote mass

Princess Alexandra and Princess Caroline of Hanover join Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II for the final festivities of the day at the seaside.



Finally, like every St Devote Day, it all ends with a good ol' Monegasque boat burning! This tradition goes back hundreds of years when an attempt was made to steal the relics of St Devote, but it didn't work and the perpetrator ended up having his boat burned. For more information about the patron saint of Monaco and the House of Grimaldi read about Saint Devote.



Princely Couple - Awards, School and Church

Busy, busy times for the Prince and Princess of Monaco. On Thursday, HSH Prince Albert II presented the Vermeil Medal for Physical Education and Sports to Pierre Weiss, former Secretary-General of the IAAF (that is the International Association of Athletics Foundations) at the Princely Palace. Lamine Diack, President of the IAAF and members of the IAAF Council also attended the ceremony.

On Friday the Princely Couple popped in to surprise the students at Saint-Charles school in Monte Carlo. They talked with the staff and students for a bit before the Sovereign Prince had to hurry off to his next engagement. However, Princess Charlene stayed behind to talk to the students some more, join in with art class and that sort of thing. The children were as adorable as can be, one giving a gushing welcome to their new Princess. Seeing things like that make me feel rather old; here is a generation of little Monegasques who never knew Prince Rainier or Princess Grace. Anyway, Princess Charlene finally left, all smiles, and loaded down with Saint-Charles school souvenirs.

Then, on Saturday, Prince Albert II was in neighboring Nice for the opening of the 2011 UIPM Congress, that being the governing organization of the International Modern Pentathlon Union, which is based in Monte Carlo and oversees the pentathlon world championships and Olympic competitions. Prince Albert serves as the Honorary President of the UIPM and addressed the 2011 Congress, commenting on the advances made recently with new technology and in attracting new, younger people to the sport. Since 2008 the UIPM President has been Klaus Schormann of Germany. Also on Saturday, Prince Albert dashed back down to Monaco to attend the 2011 World Athletics Awards Gala at the sporting club in Monte Carlo. The top prize this year went to Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Sally Pearson of Australia (way to go British Commonwealth!) who were named “Athletes of the Year”.

Sunday morning, it was off to Church for mass, but this was no ordinary Sunday mass. (Let’s get all the titles right for such a lofty occasion) HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco, HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover and HRH Princess Alexandra of Hanover all attended a special Pontifical Mass celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Barsi (of course) in honor of the 100th anniversary of Saint Martin church parish in Monaco, one of the five Roman Catholic parish churches in the Principality. The parish church was formally opened 100 years ago during the reign of Prince Albert I and has now reached the century mark during the reign of Prince Albert II. How appropriate is that? Princess Caroline was looking very smart and very, well, “Caroline” -as no one else can be. Of course, as usual, I think Princess Alexandra stole the show -cute as a button.

Happy Birthday Alexandra!

It was on this day in 1999 that HRH Princess Alexandra of Hanover was born to Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Princess Caroline of Monaco in Vöcklabruck, Upper Austria. Amongst her ancestors are King George III and Queen Victoria of Great Britain, King Christian IX of Denmark and German Kaiser Wilhelm II. She has been adored from day one and already in her life so far she has been a very impressive princess. She is currently in school in Monaco, living with her mother. Mad for Monaco wishes Princess Alexandra a very happy 12th birthday with many, many more to come!

Religious Festivities in Monaco

After making making the big announcement about his engagement, Prince Albert II, Princess Caroline and Princess Alexandra took in the local celebrations in honor of the feast of St John the Baptist. The little Princess of Hanover is really growing up fast.

Princess Caroline points out to her Protestant daughter how Catholics do things...

Prince Albert II teamed up with Princess Caroline again today for the opening of the "Buddha Bar" in Monte Carlo. A business geared toward over-indulgence in alcohol in a country famous for harboring the super-rich with a Buddhist theme...hmmm....somehow I doubt that the 'Enlightened One' would approve of his image being used in this way.

Princess Caroline Out & About

At the end of last month Princess Caroline and Princess Alexandra were both on hand to cheer on Charlotte Casiraghi at the Villeneuve Loubet tour equestrian competition, put on by Queen International. The event lasts two weeks, unfortunately, initial results showed Charlotte not finishing (evidently some horse trouble!). On the 6th Princess Caroline was seen at a charity fair in the Principality of Monaco. From all of her appearances it seems all the recent family drama with the Prince of Hanover have not gotten the better of Caroline, once again showing what a trooper she is. In the face of more terrible occasions than anyone would want to deal with, Princess Caroline has never lost the 'grace' of her mother and the solid Grimaldi strength of her father.

Princess Alexandra on Ice

TRH Princess Caroline and Princess Alexandra were out enjoying the winter weather today, on skates and skis. Princess Alexandra is still a newcomer and learning how to skate.

Alexandra's First Garden Party

HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover (who seems to have been absent alot lately) came with her daughter, HRH Princess Alexandra of Hanover, to a traditional Monegasque picnic/garden party organized by the Mayor of Monaco. Of course, HSH Prince Albert II, the proud uncle, was also on hand for this first official engagement. Princess Alexandra was presented with a bouquet of flowers from a troupe of traditional Monegasque folk dancers. After mass Prince Albert II and the two Princesses of Hanover joined several hundred of their Monegasque countrymen for a reception in the Princess Antoinette of Monaco Garden. This friendly meal and meeting between the native Monegasque population and their sovereign is an annual event in Monaco and one of the unique features of the monarchy which enable it to retain a friendly familiarity between the Monegasque (a minority in their own country) and their Princely Family. This year of course the most attention went to the little Princess of Hanover.