Prince Albert II pays tribute to Ayrton Senna during Monaco’s Historic Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc and Thierry Boutsen!
Prince Albert II participated in the 14th Monaco Historic Grand Prix parade, which paid tribute to the memory of Ayrton Senna on 11 May. Bruno Senna (Ayrton Senna’s nephew) Thierry Boutsen and Charles Leclerc all joined the Prince in commemorating the triple F1 world champion and six-time winner of the Monaco Grand Prix. Ayrton Senna lost his life thirty years ago, on 1 May 1994, after a crash on the Imola circuit.
Five of the racing legend’s cars were featured in the parade, from the kart he drove to become South American champion in 1977 to his 1990 McLaren MP4/5 B. Behind the wheel of Senna’s 1985 Lotus 97T was non other than Thierry Boutsen. Ayrton Senna won the Monaco Grand Prix race more times than any other driver, with six victories (including five consecutive wins between 1989 and 1993) and his record remains unbeaten to this day.
Prince Albert II makes a Historic visit to Mayenne
Prince Albert II visited Mayenne, in the Pays de la Loire, to welcome the town into the Grimaldi network on 5 May. The Prince unveiled a “Grimaldi Historic Sites of Monaco” sign in the presence of Mayor Jean-Pierre Le Scornet and the president of the departmental council, Olivier Richefou.
After a stroll to the Castle and a trip to the local museum, the Sovereign Prince and the mayor of the city spoke about the centuries-old links which connect Monaco and Mayenne during an official ceremony in front of a large crowd. The day ended with an awards ceremony for an international piano competition. The Prince presented the “Prince Albert II” Special Prize to pianist Mikhail Kambarov before attending a recital by the winners.
Prince Albert II, as Duke of Mayenne, inaugurates a Special Exhibition in Mayenne
Prince Albert II, who bears the honorary title of Duke of Mayenne, continued his visit to Mayenne on Monday 6 May at the Toiles de Mayenne weaving factory before visiting Laval to inaugurate “The Duchy of Mayenne in the time of Mazarin and Grimaldi” exhibition. The exhibition highlights the link that unites the lordship of Nord-Mayenne with the Grimaldi dynasty, and runs until 27 September.
After inaugurating the exhibition, the Prince joined the departmental council for an official lunch before an interview with prefect, Marie-Aimée Gaspari. The princely trip ended with a tour of the Cité du Lait, a museum about dairy products, in the presence of Emmanuel Besnier, CEO of Lactalis group.
In 1777, Louise d’Aumont married Honoré Grimaldi. The heiress of Cardinal Mazarin became Duchess of Mayenne upon the death of her mother in 1781. Honoré became Prince of Monaco under the Treaty of Paris in 1814. Through their marriage, the Duchy of Mayenne and the Principality of Monaco became united under the same crown. Prince Albert II is Louise and Honoré’s direct descendant.
Princess Charlene attends the 10th Champagne and Oyster Cycling Club of Monaco
Princess Charlene attended a much-anticipated sports fundraiser, the 10th Champagne and Oyster Cycling Club of Monaco, on 5 May for the benefit of the Princess Charlene Foundation. Over 90 cyclists took part in the 140 kilometre race between Saint-Tropez and Monaco. The Princess welcomed the athletes and celebrated the event’s 10th anniversary with an enormous cake. The cyclists then went to Slammer’s, a bar in the Condamine district, to celebrate the successful event, which raised €70,000 for the Princess’s Foundation.
Prince Albert inaugurates Ferrari F1 Exhibition in Monaco
The night before the Historic Grand Prix, HSH Prince Albert II, accompanied by his nephew Louis Ducruet, inaugurated the “Ferrari F1 in Monaco: History and Victories” exhibition on Thursday 9 May at the Prince’s Car Collection. The exhibition traces the fascinating history of Scuderia Ferrari in the Principality, a history which began on 21 May 1950 when Ferrari first participated in the Monaco F1 Grand Prix. That year, Alberto Ascari finished in second place at the wheel of a 125S, the first in a very long series of podium finishes for the Italian manufacturer. Since then, Ferrari has claimed nine victories, as well as numerous pole positions and several fastest laps, on the Monaco circuit.
During the inauguration, the Sovereign Prince, guided by Franco Meiners, former consultant for Ferrari, and Valérie Closier, Director of the Car Collection, viewed ten single-seaters driven by legends like Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda, Gilles Villeneuve and Sebastian Vettel. Charles Leclerc’s SF90, which drove him to two victories at Spa and Monza in 2019 is also on display. The exhibition runs until 31 August 2024.
