Prince Albert's achievements


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I don't think we can really answer that question honestly until Albert's reign is over and he is no longer with us, only then can we judge the scope of the man's impact as sovereign.

On that score, I think Prince Rainier III's 55 year reign as sovereign ranks up there as one of the very best, if not thee best. What he did during his reign of power is remarkable, the least of which was to marry the movie star Grace Kelly and turn everything to gold, she alone put Monaco on the map. Her presence is still felt today, most recently in the British Royal Wedding, wherein her timeless classic wedding dress was the first thing people noted when they saw Kate Middleton's. ;)

That said, I also feel that Charles III was also greatly influential, being the original founder of the famous casino in Monte Carlo, at the same time maintaining a strong marriage, the same way his great-grandson, Prince Rainier III, did. :)
 
In the modern era, I would also rank Prince Pierre who was a respected member of the Grimaldi clan. Otherwise, the Fondation Prince Pierre would not have endured half a century or so.
 
I've just noticed that I have not included the Olympics in my "list" of PA's achievements.
Whatever one may feel about PA, he seems genuinely interested in the whole Olympic idea, and he probably does not treat them as a rich man's plaything.
 
PA has heard stories about his grandfather and Uncle Kell since birth. People forget, besides the medals, Kell was made President of the US Olympic committee. Quite an honor. Unfortunately, he died 2 weeks after his appointment. PA takes his Olympic job very seriously. He also did respectably for a little country with no snow as a bobsledder.
 
Well said, FanofMonaco :)) I had forgotten about the lack of snow....

You're right of course ... to be President of the US Olympic committee must indeed be a great honour - I hadn't seen it from that perspective. I suppose I thought of it as having to attend lots of meetings to far-flung places.

You being American, how does being President of the US IOC compare with being President of the USA ?
 
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President of USA is definitely the tougher job, but Americans expect their Olympians to win lots of medals. We put tremendous pressure on our Olympic President and the athletes. The press is brutal. The women figure skaters are considered failures if they win a silver medal. This winter though something changed. The press got much nicer and I think we won the most medals ever during the winter. Summer is our forte. Some new training center opened in Salt Lake City, Utah and it sounds like they may work on the mental aspect of sports. I also noticed for the first time that the Olympics itself started pushing the idea of personal bests rather than medals. There was also alot of complaining because Chicago didn't get the next summer Olympics. In fact , we came in last in the final round. I was very happy for Rio and S. America because it's their first time to host an Olympics in S. America. I think the USA has probably hosted more Olympics than any other country so we shouldn't complain. The gossip is that S. Africa may get the next summer Olympics. That would be a first for Africa and mean that every continent will have hosted at least one Olympics.
 
Not to take anything from Kell's accomplishments...but being President of the USOC now is a lot different than it was 20, 30 or 50 years ago.

Now its like being a CEO of a major international company. As FanofMonaco stated, we expect a lot. Its a big budget and we (Americans) expect a big return in regards to medals. A couple of the former USOC Presidents have gone on to run for political offices and major corporations. Its a very prestigious job.

That being said, it says a lot that a Kelly also held the position.

Yes, Monaco does have a great presence in the Olympics to be such a small country. And Albert certainly had a lot to do with that. I keep forgetting that they have no snow!
 
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Thanks to both of you. I'm in Scotland which has 5 million inhabitants :->
 
One thing I would like to add is that the US Olympic Committee receives no government funds. It is totally privately funded.
 
I just read the PA wedding thread, and it occurred to me that, in terms of the Olympics, the "Royal" Princess Anne is on the same level as the "only Serene" Prince of Monaco.

How much "clout" does PA have, compared to Princess Anne?
 
Another of PA's achievements is his regard for the towns and villages surrounding the Principality. This is evidenced by his choice of some local young people to act as Attendants at his wedding.
 
Good point, I concur. :) And apologize for my bad attitude when it was first announced. :angry:

Now I see what Albert's intentions were, as I recall Rainier was always viewed by the people of Monaco as a father figure, someone they looked up to, and as a father figure Albert is inviting his family, which of course includes the littles ones from Monaco. :monacoflag: :hug: :heart1:

WTG, ALBERT, WTG!!!! :cheers:
 
Yes, PA is very much "le patron", but he doesn't throw his weight around.

I'm thinking of starting a thread about the Princely Family and their links to the French communities which surround Monaco.
 
Monaco Collectif Humanitaire is a Monegasque NGO (non-governmental organisation).

It was started by PA on his 50th birthday in March 2008.

Eighteen Monegasque charities and associations, working in humanitarian aid and development, formed a joint project:

to perform surgery in Monaco on children from developing countries whose medical problems could not have been treated in their own countries.

One year after its launch, 1,200,000 euro had been raised, and a hundred youngsters had been treated.

Last week, PA visited the Centre Cardio Thoracique de Monaco, to visit Basim, a five year old Syrian refugee, who had just recovered from two consecutive heart operations.

The charity Rencontres Africaines looks after the children from arrival to departure.

Another charity, Aviation Sans Frontières, look after them during their journey.

It was the 128th such operation .... so far...

Below is an article outlining the whole project

Monaco Collectif Humanitaire : le Prince Albert en visite

...and weblinks....

Association humanitaire Rencontres Africaines

Aviation sans frontières - Wikipédia

Aviation Without Borders


http://www.cooperation-monaco.gouv.mc/315coop/wwwnew.nsf/1909$/d67752669597609fc12575ae00475dc9gb?OpenDocument&6Gb
 
Further to my post #161 in this thread, the Prince has achieved another positive action which will help the many transalpine travellers close to the Principality.

The Italian and Monégasque governments have reached an accord by which the Social Security payments (CCSS) will be paid by Monaco.

The Monaco Telecom article is quite dense. Suffice it to say, the Monegasques have righted a wrong vis-a-vis the Italian transalpines, and possibly other "communautés limitrophes"...

Pendulaires italiens : se soigner à Monaco, è possibile !
 
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Further to my posts # 160 and 161, another of PA's achievement(s) is his liking for the people and places around Monaco.

Some years ago, I saw a photo of PA on the occasion of him having been made an honorary citizen of Beausoleil (France) - next door...

I think it was Melina who mentioned some days ago that it's now Charlene's turn to become an honorary citizen of that village.

Another instance of PA being thoughtful towards his neighbours was the inclusion of seven young dancers on his wedding day - each one from one of the "communautés limitrophes".
 
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