Princess Charlene supports the Special Olympics
On Saturday 18 March, HSH Princess Charlene attended the Opening Ceremony of the 11th Special Olympics World Winter Games. Hosted in the Austrian town of Schladming between 14-25 March, this year’s Games bring together more than 2,500 athletes from 105 countries.
In Her capacity as a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics, Princess Charlene came to show Her commitment to the movement and support the 22 Monegasque athletes competing in Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing. The Principality of Monaco has participated in the Special Olympics World Games for over 20 years.
In addition to leading out the Monegasque team in the parade of athletes at the Opening Ceremony, Her Serene Highness was able to meet the South African athletes and accompany them in the parade too.
The Monegasque delegation which accompanied the Princess included HE Mrs. Isabelle Berro-Amadei, Ambassador of Monaco in Austria, Prof. Alexander Liegl, Honorary Consul of Monaco in Münich and Mr Sébastien Gattuso.
The sovereign receives the prestigious title “Doctor Honoris Causa” for his commitment in the fight against climate change and ocean protection.
“Doctor Honoris Causa”. This is the prestigious title that Prince Albert II received on Tuesday 21 March at the Sorbonne in Paris. It was presented to him by Jean Chambaz, the president of the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University (UPMC), during a ceremony held in the presence of a large audience composed of academics, scientists, students, and Monegasque personalities. This French university has chosen to give a Doctorate Honoris Causa – or DHC – to the sovereign in order to honor his commitment in the fight against climate change, in favor of biodiversity and his numerous actions for the protection of the seas and Oceans through his Foundation.
Princely support
The DHC is a distinction granted to a French or international scientific personality outside the institution. The Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University has awarded this title since 1975. To date, it has honored nearly 130 recipients. UPMC is France’s first scientific and medical university. It has a network of marine stations which are unique in the world. The three observatories in Banyuls-sur-Mer, Roscoff and Ville Franche-sur-Mer have played a major role in the emergence of marine biology and oceanography in Europe and currently bring together all the disciplines of the marine sciences. This makes UPMC the first European university in marine sciences.
The Prince Albert II Foundation has been supporting research for two years in Banyuls and Ville Franche. Support which has now been honored.
Prince Albert II Honors Red Cross Monaco Volunteers
Prince Albert II gave out diplomas and honored Red Cross Monaco volunteers after they completed a First Aid training course. Helping volunteers quickly and skillfully respond to an emergency incident is the aim of the training course offered by the Monegasque Red Cross.
“These training sessions take place over a weekend and last one day and a half. They essentially consist of practical training, no need to take notes. The trainer demonstrates the First Aid maneuvers and explains which ones to use. Then we put the trainees into situations, using make-up to simulate symptoms, fake blood to simulate hemorrhaging and they play the role of a first responder for the victim, so when they are in a real-life situation they will be able to use the skills they’ve learned,” said Viviana Fraval, First Aid Co-Director, Red Cross Monaco.
More than 600 volunteers were especially honored. The sovereign paid homage to all these people at the Auditorium Rainer on Monday evening. The honored volunteers had an air of pride: “We are very proud to be honored. It’s an honor to meet the Sovereign of Monaco, to know that he is the one giving out the diplomas.”
“I’m very proud, the ceremony is in an extraordinary venue, and I’m proud to have received the training, which was very friendly, enriching, and now we have the skills to save lives,” said the volunteers.
The First Aid training courses are free and open to everyone. For more information, visit: www.croix-rouge.mc
Prince Albert II visits Castiglioni’s home
His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco visited Luigi Castiglioni’s widow in Maisons-Laffitte, where the artist lived between 1979 and his death in 2003 at the age of 66. Castiglioni had a strong bond with the Principality.
He kept his promise. Taking advantage of the gala evening celebrating the 10th anniversary of his foundation in Paris, Prince Albert II of Monaco visited Tersilia Castiglioni in her house in Puebla Street in the Maisons-Laffitte. Luigi Castiglioni’s widow guided the Monégasque sovereign for two and a half hours in her home full of art and history. It’s where the Italian painter lived and worked between 1979 and the year of his death.
Meeting in 1995
A very strong bond between the artist, the Principality and the Prince was formed in 1995 when the artist revolutionized the sports poster, by staging the Monzon-Bouttier World Boxing Championship of 1972. In that year, as part of Sportel, an international sports and media convention organized every year on the Rock, the first exhibition dedicated to Castiglioni’s work was set up. His dreamlike paintings returned to the Palais des Congrès Monégasque under a marquee every year. The casino was also dedicated to him in 2001, as part of another exhibition.
The love of sport and humanitarian causes are the link between the artist and the Sovereign. Luigi Castiglioni had created several works for the Principality’s charity operations and sporting events.
Shared humanism
An attachment to the painter has lasted beyond his death. In 2007 and in 2008, Monaco issued two stamps inspired by the artist’s works.The first at 0.54 euro to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the appearance of Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, the second at 0.50 euro to announce the 52nd biennial congress of the International Union of skating on the Rock. The memory of Castiglioni still lives on in the Princely Palace. The painting offered to Albert by the artist still hangs in the Monégasque Sovereign’s office.
“Honored and touched” by this private visit to Maisons-Laffitte, Tersilia Castiglioni showed her husband’s house, workshop, and museum step by step. After being surprised by the frescoes decorating the facade, the shutters of the patio and the house’s alley, the Prince was in awe when he entered the house. “We feel his soul right away here,” he told Tersilia.
The guardian of the temple then led the monarch, accompanied by the ambassador of Monaco to Unesco and Joseph Zorgniotti, a Monegasque friend of the Castiglioni couple, upstairs to the master’s studio. There, he lingered in front of the famous “Votre Solidarité”. This painting from 1982, representing Poland and the face of woman crying a tear of blood, was created for a Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) campaign.
The Prince did not resist the pleasure of holding the brush Castiglioni had used to paint the beard in the portrait of the great Luciano Pavarotti.
The #WhiteCard 2017 campaign
Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, launched the #WhiteCard 2017 campaign at the Yacht Club of Monaco in the presence of the Sovereign Prince, the Minister of State, numerous dignitaries and several leading sportspeople.
A group WhiteCard photo was taken on the roof of the Aquarama Riva Bar to mark the occasion and launch the 2017 “Show us where you play your Peace” campaign.
The aim of this campaign is to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. On 6 April, everyone is invited to become involved, using a white card as a symbol. Take a photo of yourself or a group waving a white card like a referee, and then post the photo on Peace and Sport’s social networks, stating your name, with the comment: @peaceandsport #WhiteCard #IDSDP2017
Car-free day, fuel ban, solar panels: Monaco launches its green revolution
Thursday, March 23, 2017: Prince Albert II unveiled an important white booklet on Energy Transition at the Yacht Club. An ambitious document supported by “historical” announcements. It is the fruit of months of exchanges between institutions, companies and members of civil society.
As a prelude to a solemn speech by the sovereign, Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, the government advisor-Minister of Environment and Urban Planning, summarized Monaco’s ambitions.
“Goals far higher than commitments of other countries signing the Paris Agreements at COP 21.”
“50% reduction of greenhouse gases in 2030 compared to 1990 and carbon neutrality in 2050. These targets imply a rate of reduction of emissions four times faster than those observed so far.”
“The creation of a national pact”
A “challenge”, according to Prince Albert. (Who has already created an impressive roadmap for sustainable development!) With an obvious goal: to become a world example in terms of preserving the planet.
“Our entire community must commit itself with courage and determination, to the path of this energy transition. To facilitate its mobilization, I call for the creation of a national pact on an energy transition which brings together all the forces of our country.”Momentum facilitated by the introduction of “incentives … to accompany our country towards decarbonisation.”
Solar panels and fuel ban
A regulatory framework which, in practice, would lead to “encouraging the development of solar panels with the introduction of a solar register before this summer,” “banning fuel oil for heating,” “creating an information platform”, “subsidies and new initiatives such as the creation of a car-free day.”
“Be assured of my determination that our society evolves in a progressive but irreversible way towards this energy transition. All decisions we make today are effective in their immediacy and beneficial effects for the future”, concluded Albert II.
“Riviera Water Bike Challenge” Gala dinner
In the presence of HSH Prince Albert II, the “Riviera Water Bike Challenge” gala dinner took place on Friday 24 March at the Yacht Club de Monaco, in favor of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.
The funds raised will be used to create an aquatic rescue center in Burkina Faso. The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation partnered with the Monaco Red Cross and Burkina Faso Red Cross in order to implement this project.
The live and silent auctions raised 266.150 €. The evening was presented by Mrs. Jo-Ann Strauss, a South African TV star and Goodwill ambassador for Unicef. The music bands Garçons Chics, Capital Collective and the South African choir Cenestra Male Choir provided the entertainment for the evening.
Among the participants who attended the gala dinner, we can name Mr. Georges Marsan, Mayor of Monaco, Mr. Jacques Raffaele, Mayor of la Turbie, Mr. FrédéricPlatini, Secretary General of the Monaco Red Cross, Mr. Michael et Gareth Wittstock, Mr. Brett Gosper, CEO of World Rugby, Mr. Judah Schiller, creator of the water bikes “Schiller Bikes”, Mrs. Stéphanie Barneix, inshore rescue and paddle board world champion, Mrs. Paula Radcliffe, marathon world record holder, Mr. Kevin Crovetto, gymnast, Mr. Jérôme d’Ambrosio, race car driver, Mr. Pierre Frolla, four-time world record holder in free diving and ambassador for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, Mr. Valère Germain, AS Monaco striker, Mr. Esteban Lozada, former Captain of the RC Toulon rugby team and Argentinian international, Mr. Dan Luger, rugby world champion with England, Mr. Luciano Orquera, former Italian international rugby player, Mr. Bruno Senna, race car driver and ambassador for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.
See you on 4 June 2017 for the “Riviera Water Bike Challenge”, the first relay race on water of its kind between Nice and Monaco.
Sources information: www.palais.mc and www.peace-sport.org
Photos source www.palais.mc
