Prince Albert took over Monaco's royal powers on Thursday, assuming all but the throne in the tiny principality after a royal commission decided that his critically ill father was too sick to perform his duties.
The announcement by the royal palace marked the first time since 1949 that Prince Rainier III -- Europe's longest-serving ruler -- had not been in control of the Mediterranean realm smaller than New York's Central Park and famed as a playground for the rich and famous.
Albert, 47, is the only son of Rainier and his late wife Grace Kelly, the American beauty who exchanged Hollywood stardom for the life of a princess.
Well-traveled, multilingual and Monaco's top ambassador in recent years, the unmarried Albert is regarded as a shy, even reluctant, heir. Sports are a love: He is a five-time bobsledding Olympian and has headed Monaco's Olympic Committee since 1994.
Albert promised to devote himself "with strength, conviction and passion" to his new role as regent.
"The state of health of our father remains very fragile," he said in a statement. "Today, faced with the difficulty for my father in exercising his high functions, I will assume all of the royal powers in his name."
Rainier, 81, was hospitalized on March 7 and has been in intensive care for 10 days with breathing, kidney and heart problems, although he remains in stable condition.
The Council of the Crown, a commission appointed by Rainier, met on Thursday at the royal palace and decided after weighing his doctors' diagnosis that the ailing prince can no longer rule.
The regency means Albert takes over royal powers while Rainier is sick, but his father could regain them if he recovers, said palace spokesman Armand Deus.
"The sovereign prince is still Prince Rainier III," Deus said.
Albert has been groomed to rule the principality run for seven centuries by his family -- the Grimaldis.
But he has remained heirless -- causing such concern that the Constitution was revised in 2002 to ensure the continuation of the dynasty. His older sister -- Princess Caroline, now 48 -- would succeed him. She in turn, would be succeeded by her oldest son, Andrea Albert Pierre, now 20.
Albert studied in the US, at Amherst College, in Massachusetts, after receiving his high school baccalaureate diploma in 1976.
He returned home in 1981 after being awarded a degree in political science.
Befriended by numerous celebrities, Albert has remained doggedly his own person and, despite his retiring nature, increasingly assumed the role as Monaco's public face as his father grew frail.
"We were waiting for this," said Carlos Gonzales, a Monaco tour guide. "This is a way of saying his [Prince Rainier's] condition is irreversible. We all knew the end was coming."
Elsewhere in Monaco, life went on as normal. A construction crew was at work repaving the streets near the Monte Carlo Casino that are part of the Formula One circuit in the upcoming Grand Prix.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS