Prince Albert Unveils Plan for His Reign in Monaco
Prince Albert II was officially proclaimed ruler of Monaco yesterday, determined to improve both the financial reputation and the air quality of the tiny Mediterranean enclave.
Celebrations began with a solemn Mass at the cathedral and ended in a waterside ball and fireworks display.
Banners and flags of red and white, the national colours, fluttered from the palace, shops and casinos to mark the ascension to the throne of the 47-year old monarch, the latest ruler of the principality in the seven-century Grimaldi dynasty.
Although Albert automatically assumed power on the death of his 81-year-old father Rainier in April, yesterday he formally embraced his role as His Serene Highness.
Wearing a dark blue suit and sky blue tie, a relaxed-looking Albert walked passed the royal guards and was followed into the royal cathedral by his two sisters, Princess Stéphanie and Princess Caroline, for the Mass.
Later in a ceremony in front of the palace, thousands watched as Monaco's mayor handed over the keys of the city to the new monarch. While Albert restated his father's favourite saying, "You don't need to be a big country to do big things," he set out to rebrand the monarchy, pledging to rid Monaco of its reputation as a sunny place for shady people, such as money launderers.
"Ethics must be behind everything we do. Money and virtue must go together at all times," he said.
Asking his subjects to be "vigilant" to types of financial activity that are "not welcome here", he said: "Creating wealth is not an end in itself. It needs to be shared by all."
Albert also promised to promote green issues. He would be an "ardent defender of he environment".
Until now Albert has been regarded as a shy, secretive son who lived in the shadow of an overbearing father.
The media has focused on his sisters - in particular Stéphanie's marriages to a former bodyguard and a circus acrobat.
On the day the official mourning period ended last week, the prince confirmed reports that he fathered a child out of wedlock with an Air France stewardess of Togolese origin. Neither was present yesterday.
He then told French television on the eve of his enthronement that there may be others waiting to step forward with paternity claims. When asked to elaborate he refused, saying only: "We will answer such claims in due course."
In publicly acknowledging he is the father of a 22-month child, Alexandre, Albert said he wanted to face up to his responsibilities. His son, he said, will want for nothing, though he will never take the throne nor bear the Grimaldi family name.
Politically, Albert has been keen to make a clean break with the past. He instantly sacked a small group of elderly palace retainers - said to have wielded the true power behind the ailing Prince Rainier, and replaced them with a younger inner circle of childhood friends.
Yesterday the 7,500 Monegasque citizens and 26,000 foreign-born residents rallied around their new ruler. "I was here for his father's weddings, then the births, then the dark years and now our Petit Prince. For me, he is like a son. I love both his qualities and his imperfections," said Josette, a Monegasque pensioner.