The Technical High School and Hotel Monaco (LTHM) was inaugurated yesterday by TSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene. One of the highlights of the inauguration was the blessing by Archbishop Barsi, followed by a speech from the Sovereign Prince ahead of the the unveiling of two plaques, one the nameplate of the Technical and Hotel School at the entrance, and the other dedicated to Charles Scotto, a former chef in Monaco, located in the kitchens Cordon d'Or...

According to the event organizers, Prince Albert is due to attend the conference in Israel in June called 'Facing Tomorrow' that has been catapulted into world headlines in recent days following the announcement by famed British physicist Professor Stephen Hawking that he is joining the academic boycott of Israel, in protest of what he described as "Israel's treatment of Palestinians."

This past weekend the Monegasque Association Futurum organized a gala dinner and a new art-applied technological exhibition entitled “Installation Music Box: A Tribute 2 Love,” in the Salon Mediterranee of the Meridien Beach Plaza Hotel. During the event Mme Kawther Al Abood attributed the Prize Futurum consisting of miniature sculptures of her own creation “The wave of Love” (original piece exposed in the “Olive Trees Garden” in Roquebrune Cap Martin), to HRH Prince Albert, Honorary President of the association, Tod Machover, MIT Media Lab in Boston, and the two young artists Fiona Tan et Sasha Siem…

Prince Albert yesterday visited some of the 116 state-owned apartments in the second release of the Apolline Gardens development above Condamine. Built on the site of the old station, the new quarter has 237 apartments and 752 parking spaces plus a further 360 for scooters and motorcycles, together with 1,400 m2 of shops, a pedestrian link and an underground tunnel between the plaza and shopping mall at Fontvieille. The total budget was € 173 million, including the demolition of the old buildings of La Colle, the construction of the entire development and the surrounding area...

The second annual charity bike ride from St. Tropez to Monaco finished in damp conditions this afternoon at Place d'Armes, with champagne and oysters for the 70 riders who set out early in the morning in pouring rain. The Champagne and Oysters Cycling Club of Monaco can count the ride a great success, with 30 more riders than last year taking part and the proceeds going to the Princess Charlene Foundation to help children across the world through sport… 

Prince Albert has sent his condolences to the President of the United States following the bomb explosions in Boston on Monday. "It is with immense sadness that I heard about the tragic explosions that took place on Monday at the Boston Marathon. I would like to express my most profound sympathy and all my condolences, those of my family and of the population of Monaco, to the families of the victims and to everyone who was touched by this drama. Our thoughts, our prayers and our compassion are with the wounded. Be assured, Mr President, of our deep solidarity in these terrible circumstances." Prince Albert has strong personal connections with the Boston area and was educated at Amherst College, Massachusetts, where he studied Political Science, Economics, Music and English Literature, graduating in 1981.

_____________________________________

The future Princess Grace Hospital has taken ​​a big step forward with the announcement on Friday of the winner in charge of its implementation as well as the first virtual images. After a long process of reflection and analysis of records, and after many meetings with the Government of Monaco, the sovereign said: "I am pleased to announce that the project group AECOM Limited - Natasha Innocenti Morin - Architect International AIA - AIA Engineering and Tractebel Engineering SA has been selected. Bold, modern and functional, it will perfectly meet the needs of Monaco, the residents of the Principality and of nearby towns..."

Scotland's West Highland Free Press has reported on the visit to Skye last weekend by Prince Albert, Princess Charlene, and other members of the Monte-Carlo Whisky Society… "They stayed on Friday at the Three Chimneys in Colbost, and then at Kinloch Lodge in Sleat on Saturday night. In between times the Monégasque party - which included members from the Monte Carlo Whisky Society - visited Talisker distillery and took a trip on the ‘Bella Jane’ boat trip out of Elgol. Prince Albert’s trip comes as part of a recently-established link between Skye and the principality. Last November Three Chimneys chef Michael Smith was invited to cook for a banquet organised by the Monte Carlo Whisky Society. The ingredients for the plush banquet had been driven all the way from Kyle of Lochalsh by local butcher George MacRae. Isabella MacDonald,  manager at Kinloch Lodge, said the party had been “lovely, laid-back guests” during their Saturday-night dinner and stay."

Today saw the first edition of the EDGE, organized by the Monaco Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (MVCA) in partnership with the International University of Monaco (IUM) at the Oceanographic Museum. This highly successful full-day event was attended by 300 people, composed of investing companies, family offices, private investors, business angels, university alumni from top international universities and of course, entrepreneurs.  HSH Prince Albert opened the conference with an interesting presentation confirming his firm belief in socially-responsible investing...

Prince Albert has announced that the extension into the sea that has been in a study phase for some time, will now go ahead at the site that has long been the front-runner, between Portier and the Grimaldi Forum. A total of five to six hectares will be added to the Principality, with the greatest respect for green spaces. The development will not be high-rise, the Prince told Nice Matin in an interview published today…

The Cinemateque Francaise in partnership with the Franco-American Cultural Association and the Monaco Audiovisual Archives tonight presented the recently restored and digitized 1963 French film The Bay of Angels by Jacques Demy, a vibrant comedy about love and luck...

 

Monaco again tops the league table for the number of billionaires per capita, according to data from the Forbes Billionaire List. Michele Ferrero, of the chocolate family, is a Monaco resident, as is Leonardo Del Vecchio of the Luxottica Group. His companies control a large segment of the eyeglass market. Dmitry Rybolovlev, owner of Monaco's soccer club, is also on the Forbes Billionaire List. David Nahmad is a Monegasque national with an estimated net worth of $3 billion, while Prince Albert, according to Wikipedia, has joined the ranks of the billionaires with a net worth of $1 billion...

Prince Albert took delivery of his new Falcon 7X jet from Dassault Aviation on Sunday afternoon on the tarmac of Nice Airport. The previous Falcon, a 900EX, was operated by the Prince from 2008. The new three-engined aircraft will continue to use the registration number 3A-MGA, and is the 200th Falcon 7X produced by Dassault. As of 2008, the list price of the new model was close to $50 million...

The Prince's Palace yesterday issued a statement highly critical of the way in which the film Grace of Monaco is being produced, saying that the movie is by no means a biopic, but "a page rewritten and unnecessarily glamorized." Prince Albert II and his sisters, Princesses Caroline and Stephanie, in a sternly-worded press statement, said that they have in "no way been involved in this project… supposedly devoted to their parents." Expected in cinemas in 2014, the film supposedly examines events in 1962, during a political and financial crisis with France. Nicole Kidman plays the part of the Hollywood actress who became the wife of Prince Rainier...

PHOTO: Nicole Kidman as Princess Grace in Grace of Monaco

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene have won a major victory in the British courts, with the once-glorious Sunday Times admitting that a story it ran two days after their wedding in July 2011 was completely untrue. The royal couple were represented at London's High Court by their lawyer, Mark Thomson, who said the newspaper article accused the Prince of having the Princess's passport confiscated at Nice airport to prevent her fleeing Monaco just days before the wedding...

PHOTO: Owen Humphries/PA

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene have addressed their best wishes to Monegasques, residents and friends of the Principality. The Prince said that he and the Princess: "…want to express the very warm wishes we have for each and every one of you. We hope very fervently that this year 2013 is marked for you by personal joy, professionally and in the family. Our thoughts go out especially those of you affected by loneliness, sorrow or disease, and that the support of your family will help you through these trials." Prince Albert reiterated his confidence in the young people of the Principality...

PHOTO: TSH Prince Albert and Princess Charlene in the Palace  Palais Princier/Eric Mathon