Prince Albert II of Monaco: Head of State for 15 years

The Principality of Monaco is celebrating a very special anniversary today, July 12th. Exactly 15 years ago Prince Albert II was enthroned.

Albert II (62) has been the reigning Prince of Monaco for exactly 15 years. Albert II was appointed regent on March 31, 2005 and climbed after the death of his father Rainier III. (1923-2005) the throne on April 6, 2005, but the official enthronement took place only on July 12, 2005, after a mourning period of almost three months.

The independent city-state will probably not be able to celebrate the whole thing because of the ongoing Corona crisis as some citizens might have imagined. The palace published a video of just over five minutes on Facebook and wrote: "July 12, 2005 to July 12, 2020 – 15 years of the reign of Prince Albert II of Monaco".

From the life of the prince

Starting on April 6, 2005, the clip shows excerpts from Albert's life in recent years, including the enthronement but also his 2006 Arctic expedition, in which he was the first acting head of state to personally visit the North Pole.

Another personal highlight was his wedding to the former South African swimmer Charlène Wittstock (42). Albert II married the ex-sportswoman in summer 2011, making Charlène princess of Monaco. Of course, the children together should not be missing in the clip. At the end of 2014, Charlène gave birth to the five-year-old twins Gabriella and Jacques.

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