Charles II, eldest son of Honore I and Isabella Grimaldi, took over as Lord of Monaco on the death of his father in 1581. It was a time of great power rivalry in Europe between France and Spain.
Everybody knows that the reign of French King Louis XIV, ‘Le Roi Soleil’, was the longest in European history. Two British Queens — Elizabeth II who will celebrate 70 years on the throne in 2022 and her great-great-grandmother Victoria (who reigned for 63 years) also had lengthy reigns.


