| Prince Albert of Monaco Meets...Prince Albert?! |
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| Written by Joanne Leyland | |||||||
| Wednesday, 17 May 2006 | |||||||
 Further to our earlier story, perhaps Prince Charles should take Prince Albert of Monaco's lead by firmly staying on the opposite side of the canvas!The rule of the tiny Principality has come face to face with himself during official enagements in France in a week which has seen him go from a ball to boules. If this past week is anything to go by then nobody can say Prince Albert is shirking his duties as head of the Principality he inherited following the death of his much loved father, Prince Rainier III, on April 6th 2005. On Saturday night one of the world's most eligible bachelors was the focus of attention as he and his team of seven celebrated their achievements in trekking 60-miles to the North Pole.  The four-day, dog-sled expedition which concluded on April 17th this year saw the 48-year-old Prince proudly plant Monaco's national flag, as well as the flag of the International Olympic Committe (of which he is a member), at the North Pole.Albert, who is known as "the green Prince" thanks to his involvement in environmental causes, undertook the arduous trek to help raise awareness of the worrying speed with which the ice cap is melting. However, aside from wanting to study the effects of climate change, the Prince also harboured a desire to retrace the footsteps of his ancestor Prince Albert I. The modern Prince's namesake made the very same trip one hundred years ago. As the eldest and only son of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace explained prior to setting off on the expedition before Easter: "It's a way of closing the circle."  Such is his commitment to protecting the environment, the man who is worth billions thanks to the money-rich state drives a Toyota Prius hybrid electric/petrol car and spends much of his time promoting solar energy and better recycling facilities.The Prince doesn't even own a private yacht, saying: "Oh, I'd feel really bad taking up a space that could be used by our visitors." Bearing no ill effects the morning after the night before, on Sunday the sporting Prince, who is a keen tobogganist and even competed at the Winter Olympics, got into the spirt of a far less taxing sport when he enjoyed a traditional French game of Petanque (boules) in aid of the Red Cross in Monaco. Then it was on to neighbouring France for a series of official engagements which saw him today presenting twelve pieces of Monaco art work to the Strasbourg European Council headquarters in eastern France. Let's hope the Grimaldis of Moncao continue to make the headlines for all the right reasons — their good works — instead of the scandals which have so often enveloped Albert and his glamorous sisters, Caroline and Stephanie. Comment on this article
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