The tiny Principality of Monaco concluded its National Day celebration on Friday, November, with the traditional gala evening.
Once again, Prince Albert was surrounded by his family throughout the evening, as he was all through the day’s events, in the absence of Princess Charlene.
By his side were Princess Caroline, and her children Charlotte and Andrea, the latter accompanied by his wife, Tatiana.
Throughout his years as a single man, and whenever Princess Charlene was away on official duties, Princess Caroline has acted as the country’s First Lady for her brother, as she had done for her father before, following the tragic loss of Princess Grace.
All of the ladies opted for dark tones, mostly black, perhaps a sign of the difficult times the principality and the family are going through.
The gala evening had a Spanish flavour, with world-famous tenor Plácido Domingo presenting his piece Nuit Espagnole (Spanish Night in French) accompanied by the Antonio Gades ballet company and tenor Ismael Jordi and soprano Saioa Hernández.
The event was held in the Princes Hall of the Grimaldi Forum, a structure inaugurated in April of 2000 by Princes Rainier III and Albert. It houses one theatre, three auditoriums, 22 conference rooms and three dining halls, all within its 70,000 square metres. The structure is often the background for many of the Princely Family’s events, regularly hosting the Ballet of Monte Carlo festival and the Festival de television de Monte Carlo, both of which see regular attendance by members of the Grimaldi family.
From the structure, it is possible to admire what made the principality so famous: the Mediterranean sea, in all of its glory, is visible from every room in the structure.
Throughout the night, the Grimaldis enjoyed the music and the spectacle offered by the artists performing, a perfect ending to a special day in the small Mediterranean country.
