by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Prince Albert II of Monaco prays at the November 19, 2005 Mass; Photo: Zimbio

When the Sovereign Prince or Princess of Monaco dies, royal powers are automatically conferred upon his/her heir. At the end of the official mourning period, the accession of the new Sovereign Prince or Princess is celebrated with three ceremonies. Prince Rainier III (reigned 1949 – 2005) had ceremonies similar to the ones of his son and successor Prince Albert II. This article is based on  Prince Albert II’s ceremonies and events.

Prince Albert II followed by his sisters and brother-in-law arrives at the Cathedral of Monaco on July 12, 2005

On July 12, 2005, at the end of the official mourning period following the death of his father Prince Rainier III on April 6, 2005, Prince Albert II was officially proclaimed Sovereign Prince of Monaco at a morning Mass presided over by Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco. at the Cathedral of Monaco (also called St. Nicholas’ Cathedral) in Monaco-Ville, Monaco.

Prince Albert II with the two keys of the city as a symbol of his investiture

In the afternoon, Prince Albert II hosted a garden party at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco for 7,000 citizens of Monaco. Prince Albert II was presented with two keys of the city as a symbol of his investiture. He then gave a speech setting out the priorities of his reign, making Monaco “a model society, a society model”. The evening ended with fireworks over the waterfront.

Prince Albert II sits on the throne during his investment ceremony on November 17, 2005, in the Throne Room at the Prince’s Palace

On November 18, 2005, Prince Albert was formally invested as the Sovereign Prince of Monaco during a ceremony in the Throne Room at the Prince’s Palace in Monte Carlo, Monaco. As the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert is the Grand Master of the Order of Saint Charles, Monaco’s highest honor. He was invested as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Charles in 1979. At the November 18 ceremony, Prince Albert received the Grand Master’s Grand Collar of The Order of Saint Charles by Chancellor of the Order, Jean-Joseph Pastor.

Prince Albert II receives the Grand Collar of The Order of Saint Charles

In the evening of November 18, 2005, Prince Albert hosted a dinner with some of the foreign royalty including Prince Joachim of Denmark, Prince Feisal of Jordan, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, and The Earl and Countess of Wessex (now The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh).

Prince Ernst-August of Hanover, Princess Caroline of Hanover, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, and Princess Antoinette of Monaco at the November 19 Pontifical Mass

On November 19, 2005, coinciding with Monaco’s National Day, a Pontifical High Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral of Monaco, witnessed by 800 guests including royalty from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The day ended with an evening gala and a performance of Gioachino Rossini’s opera Il Viaggio a Reims (Voyage to Reims) at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

Andrea Casiraghi, Princess Caroline of Hanover, Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Charlotte Casiraghi surround Prince Albert II in the royal box at at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo

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