Monaco entered a new era when Prince Albert II assumed the throne on 12 July at a lavish accession service in the cathedral where his father, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, was buried three months earlier.
The night before his coronation, in an interview with French television, the Prince declared the need for Monaco to free itself of the canard “that Monaco equals laundering”. This statement, together with his expressed commitment to further developing research, medical care and environmental and charitable works in Monaco, suggest Prince Albert’s commitment to carrying forward the legacy of his father, ‘The Builder Prince’.
