Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene celebrate 160th Anniversary of Monaco’s Consulate in Florence
On 12 April, the princely couple was welcomed to Monaco’s Consulate in Florence by Alessandro Antonio Giusti, Honorary Consul of Monaco in Florence, before taking a walk in Florence’s historic centre. Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene then attended a lunch at the Palazzo Gondi in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Andrea Bocelli, Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence and the highest local authorities.
In the early afternoon, the Sovereign and Princess Charlene, accompanied by Andrea Bocelli and his wife Veronica, visited the headquarters of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. For the occasion, the Maestro played a few of his tunes on the piano for the princely couple. The Bocelli Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life for people in difficult situations and for those facing illness or disability. It also supports humanitarian projects in Italy and around the world.
In the evening, the Princely Couple went to the Palazzo Vecchio for a charity gala evening in the “Salone dei Cinquecento”. Before dinner, the Prince received portraits of Grace Kelly from Elena Campeggi. The artworks were drawn by Italian artist Nano Campeggi, famous for his illustrations of legendary Hollywood movie posters.
Onstage, Honorary Consul Alessandro Giusti presented initiatives for the 160th anniversary of the Consulate in Florence. He presented the Consulate’s anniversary booklet, “Principato Di Monaco, 160 anni del Consolato a Firenze”.
The gala dinner was organized for the benefit of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation and the Instituto Degli Innocenti, the oldest Italian institution dedicated to childcare.
Princely Family attends Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters with Wittstock Family
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene shared some loving and happy moments when they attended the final of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters Tennis Tournament with the Princely twins and the Wittstock family on Sunday 16 April.
Princess Charlene was dressed in a white outfit by Akris and a pair of Ferragamo sunglasses. Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella also wore summer outfits on the warm spring day. Charlene was surrounded by her two brothers, Sean and Gareth Wittstock, her sister-in-law Chantell, and her niece and nephew Aiva and Raigen. Prince Albert II was accompanied by his cousin, Mélanie-Antoinette Costello de Massy, president of the Monegasque Tennis Federation and of the Monte-Carlo Country Club.
Andrey Rublev won against Holger Rune in the final of match of the tournament. The 25-year-old Russian, who won his first Masters 100 of his career, was presented with a trophy by Prince Albert II and Mélanie-Antoinette.
Many Monegasque personalities attended the event and the Sovereign was able to greet drivers Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc, as well as former tennis champion Björn Borg. Also in the stands during the tournament was Princess Alexandra of Hanover accompanied by her boyfriend, Ben-Sylvester Strautmann. The basketball player and the Princess had one of their first dates at a Champions League match held at the Louis-II stadium back in March 2017. Recently engaged, Prince Charles-Philippe d’Orléans and Naomi Kern also attended the final of the tennis tournament.
