Princess Caroline of Monaco’s husband, Prince Ernst August of Hannover, is currently on trial in Germany for the January 2000 beating of a Kenyan hotel owner.

This trial, a retrial of a 2004 verdict, is expected to last 11 days and may include testimony by Princess Caroline, a witness to the reported beating. Although the reported attack occurred in Kenya, the trial is being held in Germany under special laws for foreigners.

More information from the Associated Press report is available here and discussion of Their Royal Highness’ current events are here.

Sg1Fan German Royals, Monaco Royals Hanover, Legal Matters, Prince Ernst August, Princess Caroline

Click photo for gallery at IBL

Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover (Princess Caroline of Monaco) was in Paris on May 14 to preside over the annual gathering of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.  The Annual Meeting, convened by the UN Director-General, brings together a large number of international personalities, from the worlds of art, film, music, literature, charity and public affairs.

Her Royal Highness has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador since 2003 and uses her role in the forum to promote education and training for young women.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945. Its stated purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the UN Charter.

More information on Her Royal Highness’ current events can be found in this thread.

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Monaco’s annual Garden Club event opened today to much fanfare.

The Garden Club, begun in 1968 by Prince Albert and Princess Caroline’s mother, the late Princess Grace of Monaco, holds the show annually in Monaco to “promote the art of flower arrangement.”

Click for 2009 photos from Belga

Princess Grace’s interest in arrangement started when she arrived in Monaco and assumed approval authority for the Palace’s arrangements.  During the first few years, the Princess’s few arrangement blunders lead her to depend heavily on Prince Rainier’s skills in the area.  In support his wife and of the annual event, Prince Rainier often entered his own creations in the contest, under assumed names, winning several prizes for his efforts.  After Princess Grace’s tragic death in 1982, Princess Caroline became President of the Club.

Click for past photos at Getty

The annual show, held in the “Rêveries sur les Jardins” had entries in more than 8 categories. Opening the show were His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, his sister Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline and the Princess’s husband Prince Ernst of Hanover.  This particular appearance is Prince Ernst’s first since missing the annual Rose Ball after a fall requiring emergency knee surgery.

More information and photos are available in this thread.

Sg1Fan German Royals, Monaco Royals Hanover, Prince Albert II, Prince Ernst August, Princess Caroline

Her Royal Highness of Hanover as the Foundation’s President, presided over awards for her grandfather’s memorial foundation, the Prince Pierre Foundation (Fondation Pronce Pierre in French) in Paris on May 7.

His Serene Highness Prince Pierre, born  Count Pierre de Polignac of Guidel, Morbihan, Brittany, France, assumed the surname Grimaldi and the title Prince of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois on his arranged marriage to Princess Charlotte of Monaco, the illegitimate daughter of the Prince Louis II of Monaco. Although the couple later divorced, they had two children – Princess Antoinette and Prince Rainier III.

Click for More at Corbis

After his divorce from Princess Charlotte, Prince Pierre remained close to his children and became a patron of the literary arts by providing prizes. His son, Prince Rainier III created the Prince Pierre foundation in early 1966 from the earlier work as a memorial tribute to his father who died in 1964.

According to the Prince Pierre Foundation website, “Her Royal Highness Princess of Hanover is The President of The Foundation. Each year, it organizes a distribution of Prizes awarded by three Councils, or jurys, who gather world famous personalities.”

The Prizes include “The Literary prize and Discovery Prize,” “The Prize of Musical Composition,” and “The International Prize of Contemporary Art,” “The Rainier III Grand Prize” all of which award 15,000 Euros and the “Princess Grace Foundation Prize,” which awards 8,000 Euros.

A News video (in French) from event is available as is a Monaco news article, also in French.

More information on the event can be found in this thread.

Sg1Fan German Royals, Monaco Royals Prince Pierre Foundation, Princess Caroline

Click to see the gallery from WENN

HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover and her sister HSH Princess Stephanie of Monaco, in their roles as President of AMADE and Fight Aids Monaco respectively, renewed the 2008 agreement between the organizations to assist AIDS orphans in Burundi.  The signing took place during the 46th Annual AMADE Assembly in Monaco which took place April 2 and 3 and included a benefit dinner in the Empire Room of the Hotel de Paris on April 2.

AMADE, (Association mondiale des Amis de l’Enfance) was founded in 1963 by Princess Grace of Monaco to help children throughout the world. HRH Princess Caroline was elected to the Presidency in 1993.  Fight Aids Monaco, began in 2004 from two smaller organizations after Princess Stephanie became alarmed about the high rate of AIDS infection in Monaco.

Today’s agreement continues an ambitious three year work agreement that continues to support both organization’s goals to help more than 830,000 Burundi orphans with basic services like medical care and prevention campaigns.

More photos and information can be found in this thread.

Sg1Fan Monaco Royals AMADE, Children, Fight AIDS Monaco, HIV/AIDS, Patronage, Princess Caroline, Princess Stephanie

Click the image to see the gallery at Getty

The annual ‘Bal de la Rose’ (Rose Ball) was held Saturday evening in a lavender, yellow and black decorated Salle des Etoiles – Sporting in Monte Carlo.  This year’s theme, “Rock’n Roll,” featured an appearance by members of the Harley Davidson Club of Monaco on motorcycle in ‘traditional riding costume,’ placemats made to resemble classic records and live entertainment by The Fratellis, a Scottish alternative rock band, and Chuck Berry.  As the start of the Monaco social season, the event is always well attended by celebrities and socialites alike, even with a 1,500 US ticket cost for the black tie event.

Prince Albert II presided over the event and shared the first dance with his sister, the Princess of Hanover, who was dressed in a floor length Chanel white gown with a short bust length black jacket. The Princess was presented with a unique ‘bouquet’ in keeping with the theme.  It was a motorcycle helmet filled with roses with a pair  of goggles attached.

As in previous years, former South African Swimmer Charlene Wittstock accompanied the Prince.  This year, she was perfectly coifed for the occasion with a tall ’80s hairdo and dressed in a floor length strapless black gown with a sparkling left bust and a black “rock’n roll” style fingerless, sparkling glove on her left hand. Read more…

Sg1Fan Monaco Royals Charlene Wittstock, Charlotte Casiraghi, Pierre Casiraghi, Prince Albert II, Princess Caroline, Princess Grace Foundation, Rose Ball

Monaco’s annual Rose Ball (Bal de la Rose), benefiting the Princess Grace Foundation Monaco, is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 9:00 PM at the Salle des Etoiles – Sporting in Monte-Carlo.

Click the image to see the gallery at Zimbio

Monaco’s annual Rose Ball (Bal de la Rose), the primary fund raiser held to benefit the Princess Grace Foundation, is believed to be first held in 1964.  The Ball exclusively benefits the Monaco branch of the foundation as opposed to the US branch which is supported by the Princess Grace Awards Gala. Multiple published and official sources report that the late Princess Grace originally arranged the event to support her own philanthropic efforts and to help fund the American Hospital in Paris.

Both Prince Albert and Princess Caroline assumed the arrangements for the Ball from their Mother and are quite active in choosing the music, the theme and even the menu for the evening.  Each year’s theme is unique.  While this year’s theme is “Rock’nRoll,”  past themes have included “Pop,” “Movida,” “Latin America,” “Caribbean,” and “Africa.”

Members of the Soverign family traditionally attend the ball after age 17. Princess Stephanie made her first appearance in 1982 (the last Ball before her Mother’s tragic death) and Princess Caroline’s children first attended in 2006. Prince Albert’s aunt HSH Princess Antoinette, her surviving daughter and a granddaughter regularly attend with the family.

This year’s ball attendance will not include Princess Caroline’s husband, the Prince of Hanover after doctors announced that he needed to stay in the hospital for a few days after a fall and subsequent surgery on Thursday.  Princess Caroline’s attendance has not been confirmed.

A photographic retrospective of the ball is available here while pictures and information about this year’s ball will be posted in realtime here.

Sg1Fan Monaco Royals Prince Albert II, Prince Ernst August, Princess Caroline, Princess Grace Foundation, Rose Ball

Click the image to see the photo at AMADE's website

It has been announced that HRH The Princess of Hanover undertook a solo observation trip to Niger from February 05 through February 07, 2009, as part of her duties as President of AMADE Mondiale (Association Mondiale Des Amis De L’enfance).

AMADE was founded in 1963 by the late Princess Grace of Monaco as an organization to direct her personal efforts to help children in need.  Her Royal Highness of Hanover was elected to the chairmanship in 1993 and has undertaken several trips for the organization in recent years, while actively fundraising for the organization’s efforts.

During this trip, Her Royal Highness visited a health and research centre on sickle-cell disease funded by AMADE, met with school children, and laid the cornerstone for a set of school rooms to encourage education.

More photos available here.

Sg1Fan Monaco Royals AMADE, Niger, Princess Caroline