New "Green" Jet for Monaco

They do not call them the "jet set" because they take the train everywhere. Yesterday, HSH the Sovereign Prince, HSH Princess Charlene and HRH Princess and son Pierre Casiraghi were at the airport in neighboring Nice, France for a ribbon-cutting of the Prince's new private jet, complete with a spiffy Grimaldi coat-of-arms on the side. The new Princely private jet is valued at about 50 million euros, a Dassault Aviation Falcon 7X and will be used for state trips by the Princely Family (think of it as a much more modest version of President Obama's Air Force One). It can fly 11,000 km without stopping for gas and, because Prince Albert II is an environmentalist who means it (and doesn't just pay lip-service to 'cash in' on the cause like some people) he has started a special humanitarian fund to off-set the carbon footprint of his new jet. So, everyone wins, everyone is happy. It will be housed in a special shelter at the Nice Airport by means of a special contract with Monaco since, unfortunately, the Principality is not large enough to have an airfield.

Rio+20 Votes Down Abortion Language

HSH Prince Albert II was proud to attend the United Nations "Rio+20" sustainability conference which was to address environmental issues. What has that got to do with abortion? It's certainly a stretch. It comes down to the fact that international groups have been taking money from wealthy, First World countries and redistributing it among poorer Third World countries in order to help these poorer countries combat global warming/climate change/environmental armegeddon. Some, such as the current U.S. administration and the European Union along with others, have pushed to include "reproductive rights" (contraceptives and abortions) as something that wealthy countries should fund in poorer countries as a way of reducing the population in these poor countries because, to their way of thinking at least, more people=more pollution. However, the representatives of the Holy See as well as countries from Chile to the Russian Federation, managed to block including any such language in the agreements signed by the international grouping. Pro-Life sources have hailed this as a victory in the struggle against abortion, particularly in the fight to promote abortion in poor countries. How did Monaco vote? I wish I knew! I have been unable to find a country-by-country breakdown or even if Monaco was voting at all. I have not seen Monaco listed among the countries that opposed the measure but the lists may not be exhaustive.

Around the World Voyage Complete

Yes, it can be done, it has been done. The festivities are still ongoing in honor of the return of the futuristic catamaran "PlanetSolar", the first ocean-going vessel to circumnavigate the globe powered exclusively by solar energy. The "PlanetSolar" left from Port Hercules in the Principality of Monaco (ground zero for all things "green") in September of 2010 and now the sleek, 31 meter long craft has returned to the "Rock" of the Grimaldis. HSH Prince Albert II was on hand to meet the crew when they arrived in port from their historic voyage and there have been a number of meetings, receptions and special parties for the last couple of days to mark the occasion.

President Clinton on an earlier visit to Monaco

The Princely Palace has also announced that a special celebration will be held on May 23 attended by former U.S. President Bill Clinton as well as HSH Prince Albert II. The gala will benefit both the William J. Clinton Foundation and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. So far more than 200 celebrities and assorted big-whigs have confirmed their attendance for this event.

A Birthday and St Patrick’s Day Salute

On Wednesday HSH Prince Albert II celebrated his 54th birthday (hurrah!) and he spent the day doing what he does best -attending an environmentalist conference. Specifically it was the Territorial Governance of Water in the Mediterranean at the 6th Annual World Water Forum. The conference was held in collaboration with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Blue Plan, Veolia Environment, the International Office for Water and Unitar and the Water Think Tank Méditerranée. Our Albie was in his element (so to speak).

Tomorrow the Sovereign Prince will be at the Chapelle de la Visitation for a special Irish harp concert, held under the auspices of the Princess Grace Irish Library, to mark St Patrick’s Day and pay tribute to the Irish heritage of the Prince, thanks to his mother, the iconic Irish-American Princess Grace. The Princely Palace will also be lit up in green lights for the occasion and the Ambassador of the Irish Republic to France and Monaco will be among the special guests for the events.

The "Green" Prince in Italy

HSH Prince Albert II, devoted environmentalist, crusader against global warming and defender of the earth (you know, in a way) is in the beautiful northern Italian city of Milan to participate in a conference concerning pollution in the Mediterranean Sea at Bicocca University. This will be followed by a gala event that evening at Palazzo Mezzanotte organized by the Italian branch of the Prince Albert II Foundation. As all regular readers will know, the Sovereign Prince, in addition to his global environmentalist zeal, has naturally always had a special interest in the Mediterranean (it being a rather immediate concern for the Monegasque) and in maintaining sustainable biodiversity, fighting pollution and protecting the local marine life. Monaco is directly responsible for more of the Mediterranean than most probably realize as Monegasque territorial waters extend farther out to sea than is usual for most nations. Here's hoping the event is a productive success.

The Prince and the Pole

Last night, HSH Prince Albert II was at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, to attend a special series of lectures and gala dinner at the Scott Polar Institute in honor of the explorer Robert Falcon Scott. Scott was an officer in the British Royal Navy who led expeditions to the South Pole, was the second man to reach the South Pole after Roald Amundsen of Norway. Also attending the festivities was HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in his first public engagement since being released from the hospital for heart trouble (still doing pretty good for a man of 90). Along with the rest of those present, Prince Albert met with polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes who spoke about his experiences, descendants of Robert Scott were also present to discuss their famous ancestor, his life and work.

There is, of course, a tradition of interest in the polar regions amongst the Princes of Monaco named Albert. The Scottish explorer, William Speirs Bruce, who almost accompanied Scott on his famous voyage, joined Prince Albert I in some of his scientific voyages and the Prince placed Bruce in charge of the scientific observations made during his studies. Prince Albert II also accompanied a Russian arctic expedition in 2006 and became the first head-of-state and reigning monarch to reach the North Pole. In 2009 he visited Antarctica on an expedition to study the effects of global warming on the south polar region. The great concern Prince Albert II has for the environment has fueled most of his studies and interest on the state of the northern and southern polar regions.

Busy Days for the Grimaldis

On Wednesday, Prince Albert II was at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco for a special conference on Antarctica where the Sovereign Prince discussed his favorite subject, climate change, and how that is impacting the south polar region as well as new innovations and marking the 100th anniversary of Roald Amundsen reaching the South Pole (something Prince Albert did in 2009). Meanwhile, on Friday, Princess Charlene dropped by to visit the students at Charles III College before attending a special mass at the college and then having the students and staff over to the Princely Palace for a little Christmas party. A very special holiday event, no doubt.

It was also recently announced that the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation will be teaming up with the American Museum of Natural History to support conservation efforts in the Solomon Islands (a Commonwealth Realm in the Pacific near New Guinea which saw some fierce battles with the Japanese in World War II). There is evidently some concern over the preservation of the bio-diversity of the region due to the islands being at the center of the crossroads of oil exploration and maritime trade. We will have to wait and see how that develops.

And finally, Princess Charlene was in Germany yesterday where she attended the "Heart for the Children" charity gala in Berlin (and there's nothing the Grimaldis love more than a good gala). This is one of the biggest television-charity events in Germany and Princess Charlene had a number of friends among the group. As well as being there to support their efforts, Princess Charlene was honored herself, being awarded the "Golden Heart" for her charity work and devotion to humanitarian causes. The Princess of Monaco said she accepted the award on behalf of all the volunteers who devote their time to helping children. Good works connected with the little ones have always been at the top of Charlene's priorities as Princess of Monaco and it was nice to see her recognized for this. Keep up the good work!

More Green News and a New Foundation

Still in South Africa, on Thursday, TSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene met with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in Cape Town. After exchanging greetings Princess Charlene presented the archbishop with a check for one million Rand (South African dollars) for his charity The Giving Organization; a group Princess Charlene has had an interest in for some time. Afterwards the Princely couple were off to the Cape Town Clock Tower to attend the Polaris Climate Change Observatory hosted by the Polar International Foundation. I hope that all went well (what do you say to that? "I hope you observe alot of climate change" doesn't really sound right does it?).

In other news, people have been talking about it for quite a while and now (fanfare here) it has been announced officially. Starting next year the new Princess consort will have her very own charitable foundation called (are you ready for this?) The Princess Charlene Foundation. She'll have her own website and everything, it's going to be terrific. According to the official announcement details about what the foundation will actually do will be forthcoming in 2012 when it all gets started. However, I think it would be safe to say that, knowing Princess Charlene as we do, we can probably expect it to involve children and sports to a large extent. Good for her. There is no better sign that you are getting into the 'groove' of being royalty than establishing your own charitable foundation. I'm sure it will be a great source of good to many people.

Prince Albert, Saving the Planet

What's that up in the sky? A French aristocrat? A wealthy businessman? The sovereign of a European microstate? No, it's Prince Albert - Savior of the Planet! Okay, all joking aside, our favorite Prince is once again united with his true love. Princess Charlene? No, his other true love (alright, last one, I promise) environmentalists! On Tuesday Prince Albert II was in Durban, South Africa where, in the presence of presidents, prime ministers and other assorted dignitaries he officially opened the "High Level Segment of the United Nations Climate Change Conference" aka COP17. For those of you not keeping up, "climate change" is what used to be known as "global warming" before everything started freezing and people started to wonder what was up with that. The Prince gave a speech about climate change and the impact it was having on the environment and kudos to him for being able to still say something new on this subject when he's been speaking on this exact topic for what seems like almost his entire life. But that's our Albie, saving the world from climate change one speech and awards ceremony at a time. God love him.

Yesterday he teamed up with Princess Charlene (who is no doubt enjoying this trip to her South African homeland) for the UNEP "One Billion Tree Campaign" (shouldn't that be "trees"?) or "Climate Action Networking Reception" because if there's one thing that is going to get us off of fossil fuels and stop Chinese air pollution, it's networking and receptions. I'm sorry, I really need to tone down the sarcasm but as long-time readers will know, I've just never been able to get on the whole environmentalism bandwagon. The way I see it, human beings are still a far greater danger to each other than we are to the planet. I tend to think the planet will be here long after we've managed to kill each other off completely. In any event, the Green crusader from Monte Carlo continues to forge ahead on his quest to save planet Earth and, at this particular event, the Sovereign Prince paid tribute to the Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maatai, alas no longer on this mortal coil, who founded Kenya's "Green Belt Movement". Surely, a man after the Prince's own heart. All joking aside though, anything that can be done to make the planet a cleaner, healthier place, I am all for and wish them the best in their ongoing efforts.

No Finish Line and Rio+20

On November 20, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene were on hand at the finish line for the “No Finish Line” race, who were started on their way by Princess Stephanie, organized by the “Children and Future” association which has as its cause to help abused, sick and underprivileged children. They presented the trophy to the winner, the honor going this year to William Sichel of Scotland. The Princely Couple were both in their element on such an athletic and charitable occasion, both looking very comfortable and very happy to be present. Princess Charlene also displayed, once again, her great rapport with the children present.

It is always pleasing to see the Prince and Princess of Monaco at a sporting event, be it the Olympic games or something like a small, charitable affair such as “No Finish Line” as they clearly seem more ‘at home’ in such surroundings and can relax and be very much themselves.

For Prince Albert, probably the only surroundings in which he fits in as well would be a crowd of environmentalists, and they are never far away. This past Monday the Sovereign Prince received at the Princely Palace Luiz Figueiredo the under-Secretary for the environment, energy, science and technology from the Republic of Brazil. Along with Monegasque-Brazilian relations the two also discussed the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and reiterated the shared commitment of Monaco and Brazil to that cause and grappling with “climate change”. This will be held on June 20-22 next year.

Trading in the Jet?

 You knew it was bound to happen; from electric cars to electric planes.Yesterday HSH Prince Albert II was in the Federal Republic of Germany for the Global Show for General Aviation in Friedrichshafen which will run until the sixteenth. While there the Sovereign Prince made a close inspection (as you can see) of "Electra One" electric airplane designed by Calin Gologan. Our Albie seemed impressed enough with it but I cannot see such a think becoming a mainstay of the jet-set crowd anytime soon. The show presented exhibits from 630 sources hailing from 29 countries. Now, the early stages of innovation often appear ridiculous, perhaps rightly so as that separates the men from the boys in the field of invention, and I don't want to be a wet blanket for those who think "smart cars" and "smart planes" now will 'save the planet' but I just have to add something often overlooked. Battery powered vehicles are good for the environment in that they burn no fossil fuels and do not produce pollution. However, the electricity that powers them has to come from somewhere and in most cases it comes from (guess where) burning fossil fuels. Until something more productive and practical than windmills and solar panels come along electric-powered vehicles are simply adding another step to the process. We still have to burn oil or coal to produce the electricity to power the batteries to run the "smart cars". In any event, the march of progress continues and, as usual, the Prince of Monaco is keeping a close eye on it.

Still Green

Even with his wedding day drawing ever closer, Prince Albert II has not forgotten his first love: environmentalism. On the 10th (as seen above) the Sovereign Prince received the first electric "smart" cars for Monaco from the local chief of Mercedes-Benz France. The following day Prince Albert spoke at the "Natur Kongress" in Basel, Switzerland on the subject of ecology and consumption. The Prince has won many awards and hearty kudos around the world for his work in this area but also some criticism (particularly for his many pleas for reduced consumption) given that the lifestyle of a head of state and sovereign prince is not exactly conducive to a maximum limitation of pollution -particularly jet fuel.

Following that up, the next day (13th) the Prince of Monaco gave the opening speech to the scientists, environmentalists, businessmen and politicians gathered for the second edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative. This program is a joint effort on the part of Prince Albert's own Foundation, the Institut Océanographique de Monaco. There is also a large business convention being planned for September on marine bioresources and the biomarine business in France at St Nazaire and Nantes in which over 2000 people representing 1000 companies are expected to be involved.

Back in New York and Being Honored

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco is currently attending "The Value of Sport as a Tool for Development" conference in New York as part of the Millennium Development Goals Summit at the United Nations General Headquarters. This is being held to coincide with the General Debate of the 65th UN General Assembly this week and will include a review as to the progress of anti-poverty campaigns adopted in 2000 and, if these goals are not being met, to discuss ways to speed up implementation. Prince Albert also recieved an award from the United Nations for his efforts to promote peace through sport due to his many years of involvement with the Olympic Games (both as an IOC member and an Olympian) as well as his patronage of other sports for charitable purposes. The Sovereign Prince is High Patron of “Peace and Sport, l’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport" and at the reception of his award was commended for his, “global leadership and passionate commitment as a champion of the cause of peace through sport”. More details on the award and the Prince's comments can be found here.

He has also participated in Climate Week NYºC 2010 (seen above) in which he stressed again the need for widespread adoption of electric cars and discussed the dangers of rising sea levels due to melting at the polar ice cap; something he has done considerable 'first-hand' research in. More information on that gathering and their goals for electric vehicles can be found here.

Albert Preaches the "Green" Gospel

The Sovereign Prince of Monaco is serious about the environment -as absolutely everyone should know at this point- and he was banging the environmentalism drum again on the first of this month he officially opened "Monacology"; a week of environmental awareness in the Principality of Monaco. This year it corresponded with International Kids Day so there was some special attention given to children. A number of topics were talked about from fishing (bad), farming (bad), deforestation (bad), repotting plants (good) and recycling (good). The next day he was in Paris to talk plants and hand out Prince Rainier III scholarships. That is probably one reason why Prince Albert (who talks about environmentalism *alot*) is usually preaching to the choir when it comes to 'green' issues. There really is not much Monaco can do to impact the environment; it is extremely developed but does have a high percentage of park space for so small a country and the Prince is constantly on the move, jetting around the world which would not tend to make global warming skeptics take him very seriously (though the Prince has done far more than many others who only talk about the problem). It is obviously an issue he cares a great deal about, but talking about the polar ice cap or ocean temperatures simply does not stir the public sympathy in the same way as Princess Stephanie caring for AIDS victims or Princess Caroline caring for orphans and destitute children does.

Around the World Voyage Launched from Monaco

Yesterday, HSH Prince Albert II was on hand to see off 30-year-old sailor Alexia Barrier who left the port of Monaco to start a voyage around the world, on her own, to benefit her project called "4myPlanet". The intended purpose of the voyage is to raise money for research and technology to combat global warming/climate change. The Sovereign Prince met with Barrier and her family, gave her an Albert II Foundation cap before seeing her on her way to circumnavigate the globe for the cause of the environment. Today the Sovereign Prince was in southern France to help promote advances in the use of nuclear energy and recent advances in that area. Evidently the record cold temperatures of much of the world have not dampened the Prince's devotion to combating global warming.

Prince Albert in Copenhagen

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco is in Copenhagen, Denmark for the UN global climate change conference to talk about his favorite subject. So far he has spoken at a seminar on the Congo basin and at a meeting of the European Environment Agency. He touched on the issues which have long been the center of his focus, namely global warming and the acidification of the oceans because of green house gas emissions. The Prince stressed the importance of this issue for island nations and vulnerable coastal communities, something the people of Monaco are certainly familiar with. He also announced the launch of the "Monaco Blue Initiative" which be a collaboration between the Monaco Oceanographic Museum (founded by HSH Prince Albert I) and his own Prince Albert Foundation. He also participated in round table discussion on electric cars and the zero emissions policy of the Principality of Monaco. None of this is out of the ordinary for the Prince of Monaco though he might ruffle some feathers with his criticism of the culture of consumerism. Albert II warned that every individual consumer must take responsibility for their actions and re-evaluate their consumption due to the impact on the environment. Again, this is not exactly anything new from Prince Albert. He has said similar things in the past and, he is often answered with fingers pointing at his own jet-set lifestyle and constant travels around the world. This time will surely be no different and there will certainly be those who will accuse the Sovereign Prince of having no room to talk on the subject.

*Note: It has probably not helped the "cause" that the UN global warming conference has produced a larger carbon footprint than any other meeting in the history of the United Nations. The conference has generated more pollution than a population of millions would in an entire year -again, probably not a great thing for a group of world leaders telling everyone else to stop being so wasteful and to pay up for "green" initiatives.

Prince Albert in Washington DC

Yesterday, HSH Prince Albert II was at the National Press Club in Washington DC, where he talked about -you guessed it- the environment! Go figure right? Specifically he addressed the action that the Principality of Monaco had taken on sustainable practices for the protection of the marine environment. This is an issue of some concern to the Prince and people of Monaco who have traditionally been bound up with the sea. In the past it was a matter of survival, nowadays it is to a much lesser extent but also true that if sea levels were to rise too much the tiny country might disappear. In 1913 Prince Albert II's great-grandfather Prince Albert I also addressed the Press Club. Afterward the Sovereign Prince spoke at the Antarctic Treaty summit at the Smithsonian Museum wherein he talked about his own Antarctic expedition.

*Additional note: Prince Albert also addressed the recent controversy over the emails passed between scientists speaking of exaggerating the data on global warming and blocking any evidence contrary to their point of view. Prince Albert said it was unfortunate, there was room for some minor disagreements, but that global warming was real, was happening and that he had seen the evidence himself in his extensive field work on the subject. He warned that to turn our backs on the problem was to sacrifice the future of the world for present-day selfishness. He also bemoaned the fact that the climate-change treaty in Copenhagen does not look set to be nearly as far-reaching as was first thought. I am sure Prince Albert is sincere in this, but I also doubt his words will have much effect on the skeptical crowd. Coming from a prince with a reputation as a playboy who flies to a different country almost every day in his private jet, lectures on selfishness and environmental protection will probably not go very far -at least in the USA.

Prince Albert of Monaco: The Green Prince

Prince Albert Speaks on the Environment

Yesterday HSH Prince Albert II, in New York City for the UN General Assembly, addressed a news conference at UN headquarters on the environment and in particular the impact of climate change on the Arctic, an area he is very familiar with following in the footsteps of his predecessor and namesake on the Monegasque throne. For someone who is easily annoyed with the whole environmentalist movement I have to give the Sovereign Prince of Monaco a great deal of credit and would consider his words to hold far more weight than someone like former US VP Al Gore. That is because Prince Albert has taken the advice of the Chinese sage who said "go thyself". He has gone to the Arctic and the Antarctic and other areas to see the situation for himself and, unlike many others who seem eager only to profit from environmentalist fears, Albert II has actually put his money where his mouth is. The Chicago Field Museum recently made public that the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation had donated about $537,344 toward a 3-year project to establish new conservation landscapes in the Amazon region of Peru. You see what can be done without government regulations, forced taxation as compared to the philanthropic power of simple princely status? Quite a lot it seems.