Baptism Day for the Twins

The Twins Meet the Public

It was a day of celebration in the Principality of Monaco today as the two new twins met their people (and for little Prince Jacques, his future subjects) for the first time. Proud parents Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene presented the babies to the public from the balcony of the Princely Palace and later walked among the crowds of well-wishers turned out to celebrate the adorable new additions to the Princely House of Grimaldi and a new heir to the throne.

It's a Boy And a Girl!

HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco was delivered of two healthy babies (by c-section) with a little girl first and, a couple of minutes later, a son and heir for the House of Grimaldi. Here is the official press release:

It is with immense joy that TT.SS.HH the Prince and Princess of Monaco have the great pleasure to announce the birth of Their children named:

- Gabriella, Thérèse, Marie (born at 17h04)

- Jacques, Honoré, Rainier (born at 17h06)

The births took place on 10th December 2014 at the Maternity of the Princess Grace Hospital Monaco. 

The Princess and the Children are doing well.

The Prince Jacques, Honoré, Rainier is the Crown Prince. In accordance with the historic custom established by the treaty of Péronne (1641), He shall receive the title of Marquis of Baux (in Provence). 

The Princess Gabriella, Thérèse, Marie, second child in the line of succession, shall receive the title of Countess of Carladès (in Auvergne).

The salute fired from Ft Antoine 

The official princely announcement being posted outside the palace

Still More Babies on the Way?

Hello! Magazine started the rumors and the other media in Europe have been running with it; that Tatiana and Andrea Casiraghi are expecting another child. At a recent wedding in the Thurn und Taxis princely family of Germany, to which the couple were invited, someone thought they noticed a slight "baby bump" under the loose-flowing fashions sported by Tatiana and the story has taken off from there. In the Spring of last year Tatiana gave birth to the couple's first child, Sacha, in London (the two were married first at the end of August 2013 and then secondly at the end of January 2014). So far there has been no official confirmation from the palace about this, nor do most expect there to be any time soon given past behavior. However, it seems that babies have suddenly become quite popular in Monaco these days and when Princess Charlene delivers, the new arrival will have several cousins of similar age to play with. Nice to see the family growing, presuming this rumor turns out to be true and we wish the couple all the best in any event.

It's Official - Twins on the Way!

The Princely Palace has finally confirmed what has long been rumored: Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco are going to be the parents of twins. Additional congratulations for that! It will be very nice to have a mom, dad and children in the palace again, it has been far too long. Just an extra word though for those reading the hysterical headlines at places like the Daily Mail, this is not causing any confusion or worry over the succession. There is absolutely nothing rule-testing about having twins, it will be the same as with any siblings, it is just that in this case they are arriving much closer together. If the twins are a boy and a girl, the boy will become heir to the throne. If the twins are both boys, the first one out of the gate (so to speak) wins the race for the crown of Monaco. If it is to be twin girls, likewise, the first to arrive will displace HRH Princess Caroline and ultimately succeed to the throne. Perfectly simple, no fuss, no confusion.

Casiraghis in the News

The little Principality of Monaco made a number of headlines last week when New York businessman Adam Hock sailed into the Port of Hercules on the yacht of a billionaire Canadian friend of his, all set to attend the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix in late May as well as the celebrity birthday bash of Naomi Campbell at the Billionaire Club in Monte Carlo. However, the night after his arrival, the captain of the yacht informed him that he was ordered out of the country by Prince Albert II himself. Why? It probably has something to do with the fact that Hock assaulted princely nephew Pierre Casiraghi in New York in 2012, sending him to the hospital. Hock’s friends tried to intercede for him but the Sovereign Prince would have none of it, Hock had to go and was threatened with immediate arrest if he set foot in Monaco again. His lawyer complained of course but, thankfully, it did the sucker-punching rat no good as the Prince still has final say on what goes on in Monaco and he can expel anyone from the country as he pleases. In this case, well deserved I would say. In Paris last week, niece and new mom Charlotte Casiraghi fell from her horse in a jumping competition, still managing to look glamorous doing it (not many can pull that off). Save perhaps for a bruised bottom, no harm was done and Charlotte later appeared at Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday.

More Baby News

Making the news last week, in the Principality of Monaco the mother-to-be Princess Charlene has started to show some visible signs of her maternity at recent public engagements. The Sovereign Prince said that they were “thrilled” and “overjoyed” to learn that a baby was on the way for the Grimaldi dynasty. In other baby-related news, the Princely Family was gathered in full force at the royal chapel in the Princely Palace for the baptism of Raphael, son of Charlotte Casiraghi and Gad Elmaleh. What I have not seen in any of the coverage is exactly what the name of the little bundle is. Raphael…what? The couple are not married and have not given many clues that they intend to change that so is he Raphael Casiraghi or Raphael Elmaleh or what? Perhaps some reader in the know will enlighten me on that score. Anyway, all the best to the new little Christian (with the background of the father I wasn’t entirely sure there would be a christening) and pretty much the whole family was there, the Sovereign Prince and Princess, grandmother Princess Caroline, Andrea, Pierre and their significant others, little Princess Alexandra of Hanover (though she is looking quite grown up these days) and Princess Stephanie and her three children. There were, of course, also members of Gad’s family present but I prefer not to think about him more than is absolutely necessary. Charlotte could have done so much better...

Baby on the Way - At Last!

It has just been announced that Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene are expecting their first child! The newest member of the Grimaldi dynasty is scheduled to be born at the end of the year. A boy or girl? What will the name be? Time for all sorts of speculation I'm sure. In any event, congratulations to the happy couple, congratulations to the Princely Family and congratulations to Monaco on this happy occasion.

Long live the Prince!

Charlotte Causing a Stir, Andrea Setting a Date

Not a few people (including yours truly) were less than thrilled when Charlotte Casiraghi started getting serious with the Jewish-Moroccan-French actor/comedian Gad Elmaleh, 15 years older than her and already the father of a 12-year old son, but it seems things have only gone further and recently Charlotte has been causing the rumor-mill to go into overdrive. Recent photos of Charlotte have shown what many see as the beginnings of a 'baby bump' and (as seen above) Princess Caroline's youngest was recently spotted shopping for baby clothes. Are they for big brother Andrea's offspring -or one of her own? Charlotte recently celebrated her 27th birthday and has been keeping company with Gad for about eighteen months now. Rumors are thick that the two are already engaged but, if so, there has been no official announcement of it as yet. Still, many are running with the story that Charlotte is expecting a baby and that the two will be married before the year is out. Time will tell if these people are correct.

Meanwhile, August 31 has been named as the date for the wedding of Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo. According to the Princely Palace it will be a small, private ceremony. Not long ago the couple welcomed their first child, a boy, to the world; Sacha, Princess Caroline's first grandchild. Will another be far behind?

Jumping Competition in Monaco

Last week TSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene visited the grounds of the 18th International Jumping Competition in Monte Carlo; a sport very popular with the Grimaldi family and one Casiraghi lady in particular.

Last Saturday evening the Sovereign Prince and Princess consort arrived to watch the jumping competition.

The Not-So Latest

I knew it would happen of course. Take some time off and that's when all the news decides to happen. So, as most have probably already heard by now, last week HRH Princess Caroline became a grandmother. Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo welcomed their first child into the world last Thursday and Princess Caroline, Pierre and Charlotte were quick to join them in London at the elite Portland hospital. It's a boy! We send our congratulations to the proud couple of course, mother and son have been released from the hospital but are still in London, though no one is saying where of course. It is expected that their primary residence will be in Paris where Andrea and Tatiana first met. Some have remarked on how relatively low-key the birth has been compared to that of Caroline, Albert or Stephanie but, of course, that is to be expected. Those were offspring of the Sovereign Prince, not the grandson of the current second-in-line to the throne who may be displaced at any time should Albert II do his duty (hint, hint). If or when Princess Charlene produces an heir to the throne, I'm sure things will be much different with formal announcements, bells ringing and gun salutes at Ft Antoine (if anyone can still remember how they work). Word is that the new Grimaldi baby boy is named "Sacha" but so far that has not been confirmed. Once Andrea and Tatiana are married the new addition will take his place in the princely line of succession.

In other news of the romantic variety, Princess Stephanie's daughter Pauline Ducruet (who has certainly inherited the Grimaldi good-looks) has gone public with her boyfriend for the first time. The lucky young man is former footballer Paul-Noel Ettori and the two have been an item since 2011, first meeting when he was 21 and Pauline was 17. Both have moved to Paris where Pauline is pursuing a career in fashion and Paul-Noel is trying to get into the acting and/or modeling game. I'm sure neither of them will be short on opportunities. So, it seems that 'love is in the air' for the Grimaldi clan. Charlotte brought her (much older) beau to the Rose Ball this year for the first time, Pauline has gone public with her romance and Andrea is a new daddy.

In less romantic news, HSH Prince Albert II announced on Friday that the Principality of Monaco will be growing with a 6 hectare expansion into the sea near the Grimaldi Forum. The Prince has been studying the issue since 2008 (it is not the first time Monaco has reclaimed land from the sea) but earlier plans for a 12 hectare expansion had to be scrapped because of environmental and wildlife concerns as well as worries over the cost at the height of the economic crisis. Of course, with this new expansion, Prince Albert II can be counted on to take care that no little fishies are disturbed. "I will pay particular attention to ensure the project respects the strict environmental rules that I will impose, during the construction as well as during the use of the new surfaces created," the Sovereign Prince said. Monaco has long been bursting at the seams with the number of people who would like to relocate to a country with beautiful views, a good climate and no income tax and a lack of space has long been the country's biggest problem. Also, recently, the Sovereign Prince welcomed Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations to Monaco as part of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Principality becoming a member of the UN.

In a Family Way

Many of us were suspicious when Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo announced their engagement in July after seven years of keeping steady company and acting very much like a couple. Well, it is official, Tatiana herself has confirmed that she is not only a bride-to-be but a mother-to-be as well. HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover will be a grandmother (the first Grimaldi of her generation to reach the rank) and I'm sure she is happy about that. According to Tatiana, the baby is due in January of next year. Now, I'm the old fashioned sort who thinks that the wedding is supposed to come before the baby announcements but I realize I'm a dying breed on that front. All the same, we send our heartfelt congratulations to the expectant parents and I am sure everyone involved is happy to see the family continuing to grow. As for what this means for the monarchy; who can say? All still depends on HSH Prince Albert II doing his duty by Princess Charlene. If he does not, Andrea is next and come January Tatiana may be giving birth to an heir to the Monegasque throne. If he does, the Casiraghi line will be 'in the clear' and the Grimaldi-Polignac line will carry on for another generation. In any event, we wish all the best to Tatiana and Andrea, I'm sure they will be great parents and I'm sure the new addition will be getting all sorts of attention from Aunt Charlotte, Uncle Pierre, Great Aunt Stephanie, Great Uncle Albert and Her Royal Highness the Grandma of Monaco! Congratulations all around!

The Latest in Monaco

Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene attended a special charity football match, in which the sporting Sovereign Prince was happy to participate, to benefit the new Princess Charlene Foundation to help children. Princess Charlene was excited to pose for a group photo with a crowd of her young fans.

And also, former U.S. President Bill Clinton was back in the Principality (here being greeted by the Sovereign Prince) for the special charity gala "Nights in Monaco" which was a joint effort to benefit the Prince Albert II Foundation and the Clinton Foundation. The stated goal of the Clinton Foundation is to "strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence". Whatever that means...

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.

Grimaldi Goings-On

Last Friday, HSH Prince Albert II presided over a meeting of the board of directors of the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco to review for approval new projects such as a Pew Charitable Trust campaign for the creation of a protected marine area in the Arctic passage of northwest Canada and another for the conservation and protection of the Mediterranean monk seal in collaboration with the Tethys Research Institute, the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the monk seal and the WWF Greece. The foundation will also be supporting a new exhibition at the MIT Museum called "Rivers of Ice: Vanishing Glaciers of the Greater Himalaya". At the same time, HSH Princess Charlene has offered to help the South African Olympic Swimming Team in their preparations for the upcoming Olympic games in London, an offer graciously accepted by team CEO Shaun Adriaanse. The Princess will be providing the team with living accomodations and a practice pool and facilities in Monaco free of charge. Living and training in Monaco for free? Awesome!

Also last Friday HRH Princess Caroline presided over a meeting of the general conference of her charitable foundation AMADE. And, also in the Caroline camp, lawyers for Pierre Casiraghi in Europe have been trying to keep his nightclub brawl out of the tabloids in Europe, saying that it is a private matter, on another continent and has yet to be settled in the legal system. Yeah, good luck with that. I'm afraid Pierre's only hope is that something even more "juicy" comes along to give the tabloids something else to talk about. However, this also highlights the absurdity of the claim by the lawyers of the man who assaulted Pierre that he is some sort of serial-brawler. The media bottom-feeders would have never let events like that go unreported.

And, finally, on Monday TSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene were in Monaco for the 2012 Monte-Carlo ATP Masters Series Tournament. They awarded the Médaille en Vermeil de l’Education Physique et des Sports (Vermeil Medal for Physical Education and Sports) to Serbian tennis player Novak Đoković for his contributions "to the development of physical education and sports in the principality". The medal was founded in 1939 by HSH Prince Louis II.

Out and About with Albert and Charlene

TSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco went on a visit to the Kingdom of Norway and on Monday were in Kautokeino where they donned native clothes and took a reindeer sleigh ride through the pristine countryside. Later the Sovereign Prince presented a scholarship to students studying Russian and Mongolian reindeer herding. The Princely couple met with leaders from the University of the Arctic, the Finnish Sami Reinders’ Association, the NGO Finnish Sami Youth, the Youth Council of the Sami Parliamant of Finland, the Association of World Reindeer Herders and the Upper Secondary and National Reindeer Herding Scholl. Yesterday, Prince Albert II spoke at the 2012 World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Conference in Norway on the subject of "Arctic Change, Indigenous Youth and Future Opportunities".

Still keeping to the trend of activities involving ice, the Prince then dashed back to the south of France where he teamed up with TRH Princess Caroline and Princess Alexandra to take in the 2012 World Figure skating Championships.

The Latest from Monaco

HRH Princess Caroline is not letting her recent court defeat get her down, she is carrying on doing good for the least of these her brethren in the world. She recently presented a check for 475,000 euros to the African Republic of Burundi on behalf of her charity AMADE. The funds will go toward providing medical care and education in the impoverished African country.

Meanwhile, the Palace announced that, starting next week, HSH Prince Albert II will be off to visit the African continent himself with a state visit to the Republic of Mali from 13 to 15 February followed by an official visit to Burkina Faso from 15 to 17 February. In Mali His Serene Highness is scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister, President and President of the National Assembly (the President visited Monaco last October so this will be formal reciprocation for that event). While there he will visit medical, education and sporting facilities which were built in part thanks to funding from the Monegasque Office of International Cooperation. Over 16,000 citizens of Mali have benefited from the projects enacted due to cooperation from the Principality of Monaco. The Sovereign Prince will also open the first Honorary Consulate of Monaco in the country (I'm still holding out for mine!).

Likewise, in Burkina Fasco Prince Albert II will meet with the Prime Minister and have a working meeting with the President. He will also visit the National Fire Brigade and some other sites where assistance is being given thanks to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and other Monegasque government agencies. The visit of the Prince to both African countries will be followed up by a delegation from the Chamber of Economic Development.

Red-White and Green in Monaco

Yep, even Santa Claus likes to vacation in Monaco, and a man dressed in red and white always fits right in. Yesterday, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene attended the opening of the Monaco Christmas Village in Port Hercules, taking in the shops and displays all done up in 19th Century style with lots of Christmas goodies available for visitors. Last Friday the Prince opened the 2011 MonacoPhil Stamp show in Fontvieille which had displays of some particularly rare stamps from the collections of HM Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Sovereign Prince himself. Today though the Princely Couple are on their way to South Africa where they will be out and about attending a number of events revolving around that subject nearest and dearest to the heart of Prince Albert II; the environment, climate change and all that stuff.

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.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene in America

T.S.H. Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene have been in North America and have had to cover quite a great distance to be everywhere they were required. Late last month Prince Albert II, because of his years of work with the Olympic Games, was honored with a doctorate from the United States Sports Academy. This was presented at the (previously covered) 5th annual Peace and Sport International Forum. His helping in putting the forum together was also cited as merit for his new honorary doctorate. On the west side of the Atlantic, the Prince and Princess were busy this week, starting the month off with the Princess Grace Awards gala in New York City. Among those honored this year were Jon M. Chu (yes, the guy who made the Justin Bieber movie -not kidding) who received the Princess Grace Statue and stage and screen legend Dame Julie Andrews DBE who was presented with the Prince Rainier III Award. She deserves any award she receives as far as I’m concerned and I doubt anyone would argue that. There was also a special luncheon in honor of the Princely couple attended by most of the social elites of New York City. If you’re somebody in the Big Apple -you were probably there. Keeping a busy schedule as usual, the next day the Prince and Princess of Monaco zipped up to Toronto, Canada to attend the opening of the “Grace Kelly: From Movie Star to Princess” Exhibition. The special will run until January 22 and is based on the exhibition “The Grace Kelly Years” which has been such a big hit at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.