Albert II, Prince of Monaco, here pictured in an official portrait before his succession.

His Serene Highness Prince Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born March 14, 1958), styled HSH The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the current ruler of the Principality of Monaco. Prince Albert, Marquis of Baux. ... HSH is an acronym for His Serene Highness or Her Serene Highness. ... March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in Leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the sovereign monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. ... The House of Grimaldi has been the princely family of the Principality of Monaco since 1297. ... Prince Albert of Monaco on the left represents a principality where he wields adminisitrative authority. ...

He is the second child and only son of Rainier III and his American wife, the film star Grace Kelly, and became the reigning prince following his father's death on April 6, 2005. Prior to that, he had been the heir apparent, carrying the titles of HSH the Hereditary Prince of Monaco and Marquis of Baux; after his father became increasingly ill in early 2005, he was appointed regent, in which capacity he served for nearly a week during the last days of his father's life. Rainier III ruled Monaco from 1949 to 2005. ... Grace Kelly - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Contrasting with heir presumptive, an heir apparent is one who cannot be prevented from inheriting by the birth of any other person. ... The Hereditary Prince(ss) of Monaco is the title given to the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the reigning Prince of Monaco. ... Marquis of Baux (French: Marquis des Baux) is one of the Prince of Monacos many hereditary titles, and one which is usually also given to the reigning Princes eldest son. ... A regent is an acting governor. ...

Early life

Born in Monaco, Albert attended the Albert I High School, graduating with distinction in 1976. He spent a year training in various princely duties, and enrolled at Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1977 as Albert Grimaldi, studying political science, economics, music, and English literature, and also joined Chi Psi fraternity. He spent the summer of 1979 touring Europe and the Middle East with the Amherst Glee Club and graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Amherst College is an independent liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. It is the third oldest college in Massachusetts. ... State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th)  - Land 20,317 km²  - Water 7,043 km² (25. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... Niccolò Machiavelli, ca 1500, became the key figure in realistic political theory, crucial to political science Political science is an academic and research discipline that deals with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. ... Economics (deriving from the Greek words οίκω [okos], house, and νέμω [nemo], rules hence household management) is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Music Look up Music in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikicities has a wiki about Music: Music Music City : a collaborative music database All Music Guide: includes a comprehensive and flexible Genre and Style system MusicWiki: A Collaborative Music-related encyclopedia Science... The term English literature refers to literature written in the English language, or literature composed in English by writers who are not necessarily from England. ... ΧΨ On May 20, 1841, 10 students at Union College created the society with emphasis on the fraternal and social principles of a brotherhood, rather than the literary characteristics of existing societies. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... A Glee Club is a chorus, historically of men but also of just women or mixed voices, which specializes in singing short songs. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B.) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... Niccolò Machiavelli, ca 1500, became the key figure in realistic political theory, crucial to political science Political science is an academic and research discipline that deals with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. ...

Hereditary Prince Albert speaking at the United Nations in 2001

During school, Prince Albert distinguished himself as an enthusiastic athlete, participating in cross country, javelin, handball, judo, swimming, tennis, rowing, sailing, skiing, squash and fencing. He is also a patron of Monaco's various football teams. He competed in the bobsled at the 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, and 2002 Winter Olympics. Hereditary Prince Albert of Monaco, speaking at the United Nations, 2001. ... Hereditary Prince Albert of Monaco, speaking at the United Nations, 2001. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... Bobsleigh is a winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked purpose-built iced tracks in a gravity-powered, steerable sled. ... The XV Olympic Winter Games were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ... The XVI Olympic Winter Games were held in 1992 in France. ... The XVII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1994 in Lillehammer, Norway. ... The XVIII Olympic Winter Games were held in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. ... The XIX Olympic Winter Games were held in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. ...

On 25 October 2002, Prince Albert visited Miami, Florida for a World Olympians Association fund-raiser at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. The group's mission was to have the 100,000 or so Olympians around the world get involved with their communities and talk to young athletes about dedication and training. October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Miami skyline, as it is seen from the northeast on Biscayne Bay. ... The World Olympians Association is an association of former olympic athletes (Olympians) from all over the world, to promote the dissemination of Olympic ideals, fair play, advance environmental protection, educate against doping – drug use, supply educational resources, work against violence and intolerance, support diversity and equality, contribute to sport related... Coral Gables is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Miami. ... State nickname: Sunshine State, Everglade State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ...

Regency

On March 7, 2005, Rainier was admitted to a hospital in the principality and on March 22 he was moved to intensive care. The Prince was being treated for breathing, kidney, and heart trouble. On March 31, 2005, the Palace of Monaco announced that Prince Albert would take over the duties of his father as Regent since Rainier was no longer able to exercise his royal functions. The 47-year-old prince spent his first day as regent of Monaco caring for his critically ill 81-year-old father, who was Europe’s longest-serving living monarch. March 7 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Rainier III ruled Monaco from 1949 to 2005. ... March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in Leap years). ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... A regent is an acting governor. ... Rainier III ruled Monaco from 1949 to 2005. ...

Accession

On April 6, 2005, Hereditary Prince Albert became Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco upon the death of Prince Rainier III. April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Rainier III ruled Monaco from 1949 to 2005. ...

Prince Albert II will be enthroned as ruler of the Principality of Monaco on July 12, 2005 after the end of the three-month mourning period for his father. He will be the principality's 30th monarch. July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Bachelorhood

Over the years, there has been much discussion of the prince's continued bachelor status, though he has received much press attention for dating well-known fashion models and actresses, including Angie Everhart and Claudia Schiffer, as well as Victoria Zdrok (who has been both a Playboy Playmate and a Penthouse Pet). His apparent disinclination to marry has given rise to rumors that he is gay, but Prince Albert has consistently denied this suggestion, most notably in a 1994 interview published in the French magazine "Madame Figaro". "At first it was amusing," he said, "but it becomes very irritating in the long term to hear people say that I am homosexual." ^[1] Angie Everhart is an American model and actress. ... Claudia Schiffer on the cover of TIME magazine. ... Victoria Zdrok Victoria Zdrok (b March 3, 1973) was born in Kiev, Ukraine. ... Playboy is an adult entertainment magazine, founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner, which has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc. ... Penthouse magazine cover Penthouse is a mens magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combining urban lifestyle articles and soft-core pornographic pictorials, that eventually, in the 1990s evolved into hard-core. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

Paternity suits

In 1992, a California woman, Tamara J. Rotolo, filed a paternity suit against the prince, claiming that he was the father of her illegitimate daughter, whom she named Jazmin Grace Grimaldi. However, the case, which went to trial in 1993, eventually was dismissed by Superior Court Judge Graham Anderson Cribbs, who claimed that there was "insufficient contact between Albert and the state of California to justify hearing a suit there" (Evening Standard, March 24, 1993, page 20), agreeing with an assertion by the prince's lawyer, Stanley Arkin, that the California court had no jurisdiction. In court papers, Prince Albert admitted that he had been with Tamara Rotolo in Monaco on "a couple of occasions" in July 1991. (The child had been born approximately nine months later, on March 4, 1992.) As reported by a local newspaper covering the case, "Arkin asserted that the Riverside County court had no jurisdiction in the case since the romantic encounter supposedly occurred in Monaco and Albert has had no contacts with California that relate to the issues in the suit." ^[2] Prince Albert has not agreed to Rotolo's request that he take a paternity test. The mother of the alleged daughter of Prince Albert II of Monaco. ... Born on March 4, 1992. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The Evening Standard is a newspaper published in London. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

An earlier paternity suit, brought by Bea Fiedler, a German topless model whom the Daily Telegraph described as a "sex-film star", reportedly also was dismissed. A blood test reportedly proved that the prince was not the father of Fielder's son, Daniel. ^[3] Bea Fiedler (born 28 June 1957 in Witten, Germany) is a German topless model whom the Daily Telegraph described as a sex-film star. She entered a paternity suit against Prince Albert of Monaco. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ...

Alexandre Coste

In May 2005, Nicole Coste, a former Air France stewardess from Togo, claimed that her youngest son, Alexandre, born August 24, 2003, is the son of Prince Albert and that DNA tests conducted by technicians working on orders from the Monegasque government have proven her assertion. She further claimed that the prince had signed a notarized certificate confirming his paternity but that she had not received a copy of the paper. The French weekly Paris Match published a ten-page interview with Coste and included photographs of the prince holding and feeding the child and another of the prince on the cover of the magazine showing him holding Alexandre in his arms. Coste also said in her interview with Paris Match that she is presently living in the prince's Paris apartment, has been receiving an allowance from the prince, and has been pretending to be the girlfriend of one of his friends in order to maintain the couple's privacy. She also said that the prince had last seen his purported son in February 2005. A spokesman for Prince Albert had no comment, though upon news of Coste's claims, the prince's lawyer, Thierry Lacoste, announced that "A judicial strategy will be determined within the next few days." This article is about the month of May. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Nicole Coste on the cover of Paris Match Nicole Coste, (1972 - ), a former Togolese flight attendant from Air France, is the former mistress of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of his son Eric Alexandre Stèphane Coste. ... Air France Boeing 747 Air France (Compagnie Nationale Air France) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before the take-over of KLM, it was essentially the national airline of France, employing over 64,000 people. ... Alexandre Coste on the cover of Paris Match Eric Alexandre Stèphane Coste (born August 24, 2003 in Paris), simply known as Alexandre Coste, is the illegitimate son of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and his former mistress, Nicole Coste, a Togolese flight attendant. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Space-filling model of a section of DNA molecule Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or deoxyribose nucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life (and many viruses). ... Alexandre Coste on the cover of Paris Match Paris Match is a French magazine. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

In mid May 2005, Lacoste announced that as a result of the international publicity over the revelations of the prince's son, Prince Albert is suing the Daily Mail, Bunte, and Paris Match for delving too deeply into his private life. The front page of the Daily Mail on the 7th February 2005. ... Alexandre Coste on the cover of Paris Match Paris Match is a French magazine. ...

On July 6, 2005, a few days before he was enthroned on July 12, Albert II officially confirmed via his lawyer Thierry Lacoste that Alexandre Coste is his son [4]. At the time Alexandre was 22 months old. July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... Alexandre Coste on the cover of Paris Match Eric Alexandre Stèphane Coste (born August 24, 2003 in Paris), simply known as Alexandre Coste, is the illegitimate son of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and his former mistress, Nicole Coste, a Togolese flight attendant. ...

Succession Issues

Prince Albert has not married yet, and has only fathered an illegitimate child, whose existence has been known since 2005. This has become a matter of public and political concern in recent years, casting doubts on the succession and the continued independence of Monaco. On April 2, 2002, a legal solution was formulated: Monaco passed Princely Law 1.249 which provides that if a reigning prince dies without any surviving legitimate direct descendants, the throne would pass to his siblings and their descendants under the rule of male-preference primogeniture. Before this change, the crown of Monaco could only pass to a direct male descendant of the reigning prince, making Prince Albert's sisters ineligible to inherit the throne upon his death, if he remained childless. This change made the extinction of the Grimaldi dynasty less likely. (This issue did not arise in Prince Rainier's case, since he succeeded his maternal grandfather - not an uncle.) 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... 2 April is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Primogeniture is inheritance by the first-born of the entirety of a parents wealth, estate or office, or in the absence of children, by collateral relatives in order of seniority of the collateral line. ...

His elder sister HRH Caroline, Princess of Hanover, follows him as heiress presumptive in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne. Though she is only the heiress-presumptive and not -apparent, in the Monegasque constitution, the title Hereditary Prince (or Princess) is not reserved for heirs-apparent. Thus, Caroline is Hereditary Princess of Monaco. The Princess of Hanover is the eldest child of the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco and is currently heir presumptive to the principalitys throne. ... An Heir Presumptive (capitalised) is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an Heir Apparent or of a new Heir Presumptive with a better claim to the throne. ... The line of succession to the Monegasque Throne passes to the descendants of the reigning Prince of Monaco in accordance with male-preference primogeniture. ...

Titles

Albert has held two positions from birth:

• His Serene Highness The Hereditary Prince of Monaco, Marquis of Baux (1958-2005)
• His Most Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco (2005-) [5]

As Prince, his official shortened title is His Most Serene Highness Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco; this does not include the many other hereditary titles acquired by the Grimaldi family (see Sovereign Prince of Monaco for a complete list of titles). The Hereditary Prince(ss) of Monaco is the title given to the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the reigning Prince of Monaco. ... Marquis of Baux (French: Marquis des Baux) is one of the Prince of Monacos many hereditary titles, and one which is usually also given to the reigning Princes eldest son. ... The Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the sovereign monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. ... HSH is an acronym for His Serene Highness or Her Serene Highness. ... The Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the sovereign monarch and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. ...

References

1. ^  "Madame Figaro", 1994; reported in Daily Mail, August 13, 1994, page 17.
2. ^  "Riverside Press-Enterprise", March 13, 1993, page BO2
3. ^  "Bea in His Bonnet," "Daily Telegraph", July 29, 1987. Also "Sunday Mirror", March 8, 1998, pages 1+

The front page of the Daily Mail on the 7th February 2005. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alternate newspaper: The Daily Mirror (Australia) The Daily Mirror is a popular British tabloid daily newspaper. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

External links

• Prince Albert Ancestry Chart
• Prince Albert Family Ties Chart

Rainier III ruled Monaco from 1949 to 2005. ... The following is a chronological list of rulers of Monaco. ... Duke of Valentinois (French: Duc de Valentinois; Italian: Duca Valentino), formerly Count of Valentinois, is an extinct title in the French peerage, and is currently one of the many hereditary titles of the Prince of Monaco. ... Marquis of Baux (French: Marquis des Baux) is one of the Prince of Monacos many hereditary titles, and one which is usually also given to the reigning Princes eldest son. ... The Hereditary Prince(ss) of Monaco is the title given to the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the reigning Prince of Monaco. ... The Princess of Hanover is the eldest child of the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco and is currently heir presumptive to the principalitys throne. ...