Holding on to History

It was recently 'Heritage Day' in the sunny Principality of Monaco and in honor of that occasion, for a rare treat, the library of the Princely Palace was open to the public (I would have loved to have been there for that). HSH Prince Albert II was at the openning and met with one Ms. Carpine, an historian who specializes in the history of the Princes of Monaco (dare I hope for an English-language publishing?), which covers quite a long stretch of time. HSH Princess Charlene was not to be seen but she was perhaps busy getting packed and making travel plans as afterwards the Princely couple left for an official 2-day visit to the Baltic state of Lithuania.

Looking for Work Ladies?

Opportunity may be knocking on your door from the direction of Monte Carlo. It seems HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco is in need of a lady-in-waiting. According to Italian Journalist Agency the Princess is looking for someone to fill this top spot. According to the report, “The lady companion must be discrete, courteous and always ready to help the princess both while traveling and with her guests”. I suppose being fluent in English and French would probably be helpful as well. So, if you are a lady, if you don’t mind to wait and fit those qualifications, Princess Charlene just might have a job for you as her official shadow. Wages were not mentioned but there will definitely be comfortable living accommodations and frequent opportunities for travel included. According to a French newspaper Princess Charlene is currently being assisted by, believe it or not, the former lady-in-waiting to the late Princess Grace, Virginia Gallico, a preeminent member of the palace staff and one of the godmothers of HRH Princess Alexandra of Hanover (hence her fourth middle name being Virginia). Virginia Gallico, widow of the author Paul Gallico (author of “The Poseidon Adventure” among others), was one of the few Americans to join the palace staff and was one of the closest friends and assistants to Princess Grace. Certainly the woman has earned a comfortable retirement by this time. Anyway, put your name in the hat ladies, if you like. We hope the Princess soon finds someone suitable and please God, whoever the woman turns out to be, let her be someone trustworthy.

The Blue Drawing Room

The Louis XV Drawing Room or, as it is probably better known today, the Blue Stateroom is so named because of the blue brocade and gold color theme and the portraiture associated with King Louis XV of France. There is a representative painting of King Louis XV done by Francois Stiémart which is a copy of one by Jean-Baptiste Vanloo which hangs at the palace of Versailles in France. There is also another painting copied by Stiémart of Marie Leczinska (then Queen consort to Louis XV) and both of these were given to HSH Prince Antoine I by His Most Christian Majesty King Louis XV. There are also portraits of Prince Honore III and his sister Princess Charlotte done when they were children and a portrait of Prince Antoine I by Dominique-Joseph Bressan. There is another famous painting, called the Bourgignon, which is a battle scene painted by Jacques Courtois. Also, still in the military theme, is a painting called the Triumph of Galateus which is believed to have been painted by Annibale Carracci of Bologne. Not forgetting the family, there is also a painting of Princess Caroline done in 1878 by Marie Veroust and two smaller paintings representing spring and autumn.

The Blue Stateroom is between the Officer’s Hall and the Throne Room. Venetian chandeliers of Murano glass decorate the room which is used for official receptions.

Princely Remnants in Menton

Le Palais de Carnolès est situé à Menton dans les Alpes-maritimes. Le prince Honoré II s’installe à Menton en 1640. Un terrain jouxtant la première résidence princière, est acheté par son descendant le prince Antoine Grimaldi en 1717 aux moines. C’est là que l’architecte Antoine Latour construisit un palais qui devint la résidence d’été des princes de Monaco.
Aujourd’hui, le palais expose au niveau du premier étage de belles pièces datant du 17ème au 19ème siècles. le rez-de-chaussée est réservé pour des expositions temporaires organisées par la ville de Menton. Le parc abrite quant à lui la principale collection d’agrumes de France avec 400 variétés. (Merci à Versaillaise pour les photos)
Palais de Carnolès - Musée des Beaux-Arts de Menton - 3, avenue de la Madone - 06506 Menton - France

The Princely Palace of Monaco

The Princely Palace of Monaco is one of the oldest monarchial homes in the world that is still in use today. Just as it has been for centuries past the Princely Palace is still the official residence of the Monegasque sovereign and, as such, is the heart of the political and social life of Monaco. Part of the unique beauty of the palace is the blending of styles, part modern Mediterranean palace, part medieval fortress, sharing Italian and French styles as well as others. This all goes back to the palace being originally built as a military fortress, a castle, by the Genoese republic in 1191. In 1297 the castle was taken by the House of Grimaldi but the transition from military bulwark to princely palace took a long time.

Over the centuries the Princely Palace that was once a castle was attacked many times, fought over in numerous small wars including Monaco and often changed hands. Seigneur Charles I of Monaco (r. 1331-1357) expanded the fortifications and constructed new buildings which saw the first shift in style from that of a military base to a residential home. Further expansions were made under Lords Lambert and Jean II, however, battles and skirmishes continued off and on until a lasting sense of peace and security was established by the alignment with the Kingdom of France. That, of course, was during the reign of HSH Prince Honore II.

A man of refined taste and a Francophone, Honore II embellished the palace with the works of some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance period and more or less completed the change from castle to palace. By the time his reign ended he had made it a place any French or Italian prince would be comfortable in, as able to entertain as to defend. In the years that followed the Princely Palace was further refined and decorated until it became known as the ‘Versailles of the Mediterranean’. Louis I spent lavishly on furnishings, his son Antoine more on defensive works as the threat of war crept closer to Monaco again. However, with the rise of Louis XIV in France and the importance attached to the court at Versailles a long period ensued in which most Princes of Monaco spent most of their time in France rather that at home.

Some additional work was done during the reign of Honore III, though he was also often absent, and it was during his reign that the Duke of York died in the palace, giving his name to one of the bedrooms. However, toward the end of his reign the outbreak of the French Revolution brought ruin and occupation to Monaco. The Princely Family was arrested in France, the country occupied, the palace looted and later turned into a military hospital and poor house for the revolutionaries. When the Revolution and Napoleonic Wars had passed and the House of Grimaldi was restored the palace had deteriorated considerably and some areas had to be demolished and replaced with new structures.

The rebuilding and restoration increased under Prince Charles III who was the next monarch to actually spend most of his time in Monaco. He went to great lengths to try to recover as much as possible of the art work and family treasures that had been stolen and dispersed at the time of the Revolution. Subsequent monarchs, however, spent much of their time abroad and the palace lingered in the rather gloomy atmosphere it acquired during the long period of Charles’ infirmity. This did not change until the arrival of Prince Albert I and his second wife, Princess Alice. Although the sovereign was often at sea, Princess Alice put her own touch on the palace and society life in Monaco as she encouraged art, learning, music and dance. The place became something of a haven for intellectuals alongside the flow of visitors of every stripe to the booming casino at Monte Carlo.

Prince Louis II did not spend much of his life in Monaco, being in the field with the French army most of the time, his most lasting legacy being the opening of the Napoleonic museum at the palace where the bathing pavilion of Honore II had once stood. However, when his successor Rainier III married the American film icon Grace Kelly the Princely Palace was steadily lived in again and, for the first time in a long time, became a family home. Princess Grace redecorated, which drew some snide comments about what were perceived as California styles, but such attitudes did not last long. Rainier and Grace also oversaw the restoration of much of the priceless artwork at the palace while carrying out their own renovations, mostly geared toward making the palace a more practical home. It was also under Rainier III that the palace became part office as the home base of the big business that was the Grimaldis’ Monaco.

Today, although again often traveling, Prince Albert II still maintains his formal residence at the Princely Palace which, in recent years, has become as much a tourist attraction as many other Monegasque landmarks. State rooms are open to the public in the summer months, parts have the appearance of a museum, but the smart changing of the guard every day reminds all that it is still a monarchial residence.

The Throne of Monaco

The throne room, in the past known as the Grimaldi room, of the Princely Palace is surely the most important of all for all of the historic, official and most significant ceremonies held there. A large Renaissance chimney faces the throne (it would be behind where the photographer was standing to take the above picture). Portraits of past Monegasque sovereigns usually decorate the room, such as those of Prince Albert I and Prince Louis II seen above. This is the room where allegiance is pledged in the Principality of Monaco. State and commune dignitaries are sworn in before the Sovereign Prince in the throne room and it is here that the Sovereign Prince receives foreign consuls and the political, religious and military leaders of Monaco during the National Day celebrations. HSH Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly had their civil wedding performed in the throne room and it is here that Monegasque leaders come to pledge their loyalty to the Sovereign Prince when a new monarch ascends the throne. The Empire style throne is decorated with the Monegasque crown and the Grimaldi coat-of-arms is displayed behind while overhead is a canopy of crimson Viennese velvet. The throne of Monaco is the lasting symbol of authority in the principality and of the centuries old rule of the House of Grimaldi over the Mediterranean nation.