With assets valued in 2010 at US$1 billion, Albert owns shares in theSociété des Bains de Mer, which operates Monaco'scasino and otherentertainment properties in the Principality.[6] In July 2011, Prince Albertmarried South African Olympic swimmerCharlene Wittstock.[7] He has four children, two of them illegitimate, the other two legitimate:Jazmin, Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste,Gabriella, andJacques.
Albert spent a year training in princely duties before enrolling atAmherst College, inMassachusetts, in 1977 as Albert Grimaldi. He joinedChi Psi fraternity and lived in the Alpha Chi Lodge. Albert spent mid-1979 touring Europe and the Middle East with theAmherst College Glee Club, and also undertook an exchange program with theUniversity of Bristol, at the Alfred Marshall School of Economics and Management, in 1979. He graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree inpolitical science.[11] He speaks French, German, Italian, and English.[12] From September 1981 to April 1982, Albert trained on board theFrench Navy'shelicopter cruiserJeanne d'Arc , attaining the rank of Ship-of-the-Line Ensign (2nd class), and is currently a reserveLieutenant Commander.[13] From 1983 to 1985, he took training courses with companiesJ.P. Morgan & Co,Louis Vuitton,Rogers & Wells, andWells, Rich and Greene in the United States and Europe, studying financial management, communication, and marketing. Since May 1993, the Prince has led the Monegasque delegation to theGeneral Assembly of the United Nations. In 2004, the Prince presided over the delegation of Monaco inStrasbourg, France, for the official accession of the Principality onto theCouncil of Europe.[14]
Prince Albert's mother, Princess Grace, died at age 52 as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in 1982. In 2017, the Prince stated during an interview that his mother's death was a traumatic event for him and his family, revealing that his father was "never the same man" after the loss.[15]
Albert was an enthusiastic sportsman, participating in cross country, javelin throwing, handball, judo, swimming, tennis, rowing, sailing, skiing, squash and fencing. He became a judoblack belt in 1985.[16]
On 31 March 2005, following consultation with theCrown Council of Monaco, thePalais Princier announced that Albert would take over the duties of his father asregent since Rainier was no longer able to exercise his princely functions.[20]
The first part of Prince Albert II's enthronement as ruler of the Principality was on 12 July 2005, after the end of the three-month mourning period for his father.[21] A morningMass atSaint Nicholas Cathedral presided over by thearchbishop of Monaco, the Most ReverendBernard Barsi, formally marked the beginning of his reign.[22] Afterward, Albert returned to the Palace to host a garden party for 7,000 Monégasques born in the Principality. In the courtyard, the Prince was presented with two keys of the city as a symbol of his investiture, and subsequently gave a speech.[23] The evening ended with a fireworks display on the waterfront.[22]
As Rainier III's health declined, Albert's lack of legitimate children became a matter of public and political concern owing to the legal and international consequences. Had Prince Albert succeeded his father and died without lawful heirs, it would have triggered Article 3 of the1918 Franco-Monegasque Treaty, according to which the Principality of Monaco would become aprotectorate of the French Republic.[25] Prior to 2002, Monaco's constitution stipulated that only the last reigning prince's "direct and legitimate" descendants could inherit the crown.[26]
On 2 April 2002, Monaco promulgated Princely Law 1.249, which provides that if a reigning prince dies without surviving legitimate issue, the throne passes to his legitimate siblings and their legitimate descendants of both sexes, according to the principle of male-preferenceprimogeniture.[27]
Under the current constitution, neither Jazmin nor Alexandre are in theline of succession to the Monegasque throne as they are not Prince Albert II'slegitimate children, and he emphasised their ineligibility to inherit the throne in statements confirming his paternity.[28][29] Monegasque law stipulates that anynon-adulterine illegitimate child islegitimised by the eventual marriage of his/her parents, thereupon obtaining the rights to which that child would have been entitled if born in lawful marriage. Thus Alexandre would have become Monaco'sheir apparent under current law if Albert were to marry Alexandre's mother. In a 2005 exchange with American reporterLarry King, Albert stated that this would not happen.[30]
Prior to the birth of Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, Prince Albert's elder sister,Caroline, Princess of Hanover, washeir presumptive and, according to the Grimaldihouse law, bore the traditional title of Hereditary Princess of Monaco.[31] Following their births, she is now third in line.[26]
In the early years of his reign, Prince Albert oversaw multiple judicial and legal reforms, including the regulation ofcustody, protections of the privacy of the individual in the face of technological growth,freedom of the press, legislative gender equality, and the protection of children's rights and disabled students.[13] In July 2005, in echo ofAlbert I, his great-great-grandfather, he travelled toSpitsbergen, Norway. During this trip, he visited the glaciersLilliehöökbreen andMonacobreen. Prince Albert also engaged in a RussianArctic expedition, reaching the North Pole onEaster, 16 April 2006.[28]
Prince Albert II with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin in October 2013
Since his ascension, the Prince has overseen the construction of various community facilities, includingsocial housing, railway infrastructure, educational institutes for thehospitality industry, and secondary education. He currently heads an initiative to promote ethical economic activity, criminal liability, the adopting of systems to combat money laundering and organized crime, and the introduction oftax fraud into Monegasque criminal law.[13] In 2006, Prince Albert created thePrince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which continues Monaco's commitment to supporting sustainable and ethical projects around the world. The foundation's focus has three main objectives: climate change and renewable energy development, combating theloss of biodiversity, and improving universal access to clean water.[32] In July 2011, Albert married South African Olympic swimmerCharlene Wittstock.[33]
On 27 August 2015, Prince Albert apologized for Monaco's role in facilitating the deportation of a total of 90 Jews and resistance fighters to the Nazis in 1942, of whom only nine survived. "We committed the irreparable in handing over to the neighboring authorities women, men, and a child who had taken refuge with us to escape the persecutions they had suffered in France," Albert said at a ceremony in which a monument to the victims was unveiled at theMonaco Cemetery. "In distress, they came specifically to take shelter with us, thinking they would find neutrality."[34]
Between 2006 and 2022, Albert's chief of cabinet was Georges Lisimachio.[35] In June 2023, Albert dismissedClaude Palmero, the manager of the Prince of Monaco's assets who had been serving for over two decades.[36] Albert said of the decision, "I exercised my right to choose the asset manager of my choice. Events have shown how much this decision was the right one." Palmero proceeded to sue Albert for €1 million and leaked information of the palace's spending to the French media.[37]
Albert was close friends with the artistNall and owns some of his works.[46]
On 19 March 2020, amid theCOVID-19 pandemic in Europe, it was announced that Albert II had tested positive forCOVID-19,[47] making him the first monarch and head of state to have contracted COVID-19.[48] It was reported that he had begun to self-quarantine from within his apartment, performing his work and duties from there.[47] On 31 March, it was announced that he had made a full recovery.[49] In April 2022, he tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time and observed a brief period of self-isolation.[50]
Tamara Jean Rotolo — Prince Albert was reportedly listed as the father ofJazmin Grace Grimaldi on her birth certificate, registered inRiverside County, California, United States. The case went to trial in 1993 and was eventually dismissed bySuperior Court Judge Graham Anderson Cribbs, who refused jurisdiction and found that there was "insufficient connection between [Prince Hereditary] Albert and the State of California to justify hearing a suit [in California]",[52] justifying the statements of the Prince's lawyer. On 31 May 2006, after aDNA test confirmed the child's parentage, Albert admitted, via statement from his lawyer, that he is Jazmin's father.
Nicole Coste — In May 2005, a formerAir France flight attendant from Togo claimed that her youngest son, born Éric Alexandre Stéphane Tossoukpé on 24 August 2003 in Paris, France,[53][54] whom she called Alexandre Coste, was Prince Albert's child, and stated that his parentage had been proven by DNA tests requested by the Monegasque government. She further declared that the Prince had signed anotarized certificate confirming paternity, of which she had not received a copy. TheParis Match published a ten-page interview with Coste, including photographs of Albert holding and feeding the child. Coste also told the publication that she was living in the Prince's Paris apartment, and receiving an allowance from him, while pretending to be the girlfriend of one of his friends in order to maintain discretion. She also stated that the prince had previously last seen the boy in February 2005. The prince's lawyer, Thierry Lacoste, announced that as a result of the international publicity over these revelations, Prince Albert was suing theDaily Mail,Bunte, andParis Match for privacy violations. On 6 July 2005, a few days before he was enthroned on 12 July, the Prince officially confirmed via his lawyer Lacoste that Alexandre was his biological son.[29] He calls himself Alexandre Grimaldi.[55]
Bea Fiedler — In a suit filed around January 1989,[56] a German model and former adult film actress claimed her son Daniel was the prince's child from an October 1986 tryst.[57] A judge reportedly dismissed the suit, despite the fact that Prince Albert had submitted a DNA sample to be tested, as the genetic sample had not been rendered in front of a witness. Fiedler rejected the DNA blood sample as truly belonging to the prince.[58][59]
In December 2020, a Brazilian woman filed a paternity suit against Albert, claiming that he had fathered a child with her during his relationship with Charlene. Albert's lawyer described the claim as a 'hoax'.[60]
Their engagement was announced by the palace on 10 June 2010. The wedding was originally scheduled for 8 and 9 July 2011, but was moved forward to prevent a conflict with theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting inDurban on 5–9 July, which they both attended. The couple had invited members of the IOC, including presidentJacques Rogge, to their wedding.[62]
The couple were married in a civil ceremony on 1 July 2011 in the Throne Room of thePrince's Palace.[61] Thereligious ceremony took place in the courtyard of the palace on 2 July, and was presided over by ArchbishopBernard Barsi.[61] The couple honeymooned in South Africa, where they stayed in separate hotels,[63] and Mozambique.
In 2001, at the 36th Congress of theMediterranean Science Commission held in the Principality, the CIESM Member States unanimously elected Monaco in the person of Prince Albert to the presidence of the commission.[13]
The year 2007 was declared as(International) Year of the Dolphin by the United Nations andUnited Nations Environment Programme.[67] Prince Albert served as the International Patron of the "Year of the Dolphin", saying "The Year of the Dolphin gives me the opportunity to renew my firm commitment towards protecting marine biodiversity. With this strong initiative we can make a difference to save these fascinating marine mammals from the brink of extinction."[68]
TheZoological Garden of Monaco (Jardin Animalier) was founded by Prince Rainier in 1954. Rainier was petitioned unsuccessfully for many years byVirginia McKenna, founder of theBorn Free Foundation, to release a pair of leopards at the zoo.[69] He intends to convert the Jardin into a zoo for children.[69]
In January 2009, Prince Albert left for a month-long expedition toAntarctica, where he visited 26 scientific outposts and met with climate-change experts in an attempt to learn more about the impact ofglobal warming on the continent.[70] During the trip, he stopped at the South Pole, making him the only incumbent head of state to have visited both poles.[71][72]
Prince Albert II at the 5th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts and Islands atUNESCO Paris, 2010
In June 2009, Prince Albert co-authored anop-ed published inThe Wall Street Journal withCharles Clover, the author ofThe End of the Line, a book about overfishing and ocean conservation issues that had recently been made into a documentary byRupert Murray. In the piece, Prince Albert and Clover note that bluefin tuna have been severely overfished in the Mediterranean, and decry the common European Union practice of awarding inflated quotas to bluefin fleets.[73] Albert also announced that Monaco would seek to award endangered species status to the Mediterranean bluefin,Thunnus thynnus, (also called the Northern bluefin) under theConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This was the first time a nation had called for the inclusion of Mediterranean bluefin under CITES since Sweden[73] at the 1992 CITES Conference, which was vehemently opposed by Japan who eventually threatened retaliation through trade barriers.[74]
On 16 July 2009, France declared that it too would seek to have Mediterranean bluefin listed as an endangered species.[75] Only hours later, the United Kingdom followed suit.[76]
On 19 September 2017, Prince Albert expressed his great interest for the preliminary draft of theGlobal Pact for the Environment presented by French PresidentEmmanuel Macron in the context of the 72nd session of theUnited Nations General Assembly.[77] He added that he will be very attentive to the future of this Pact, which he qualified as a "universal, legally binding agreement, which recognises the right of future generations to sustainable development."[77]
On 12 February 2020, Albert andVictor Vescovo reached the bottom ofCalypso Deep, a depth of 16,762 ft, in a submarine. They were only the second team to do so after a French group in 1965.[82]
In 1996, Prince Albert received the Eagle Award from theUnited States Sports Academy. The Eagle Award is the academy's highest international honor and was awarded to Prince Albert for his significant contributions in promoting international harmony, peace and goodwill through the effective use of sport.[121]
On 23 October 2009, Prince Albert was awarded theRoger Revelle Prize for his efforts to protect the environment and to promote scientific research.[122] This award was given to Prince Albert by theScripps Institution of Oceanography inLa Jolla, California.[123] Prince Albert is the second recipient of this prize.[124]
In October 2017, Prince Albert received the Lowell Thomas Award fromThe Explorers Club, a non-profit group that promotes scientific exploration. The award is presented by the president of the club on special occasions to groups of outstanding explorers. The Club cited Prince Albert's dedication to the protection of the environment, commemorating his status as the first head of state to reach both the North and South poles.[125]
On 14 October 2019 at the Comenius University in Bratislava, he received the honorary title "doctor honoris causa" for activities in the field of protection of natural and cultural heritage within his efforts tocombat climate change.[126]
As Monaco's head of state, Prince Albert II is depicted on both standard-issue and collector's coins, such as the €5 silverPrince Albert II commemorative coin, the first commemorative coin with his effigy, minted in 2008. On the obverse, the prince is depicted in profile with his name on the top of the coin. On the reverse, the Grimaldi coat of arms appears; around it, the words "Principauté de Monaco" (Principality of Monaco) also appear along with the nominal monetary value of the coin.[127]
^United Nations Treaty Series, 1975, vol. 981,Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1918. P. 360. "Should the throne become vacant, particularly for lack of a direct or adoptive heir, the territory of Monaco shall form, under the protectorate of France, an autonomous state under the name of the State of Monaco," United Nations translation.
^"H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco".World Economic Forum. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved24 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^Déjeuner au Palais Princier en l'honneur de LL. AA. RR. le Prince et la Princesse de Savoie à l'occasion du 1er Millénaire de la Maison de Savoie.1 March 2003Archived 16 September 2018 at theWayback Machine (French)
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