Monaco Royals Celebrate National Day

The princely family of Monaco gathered Thursday, November 19th to observe National Day. 

Prince Albert II, his sisters Princesses Caroline and Stephanie, Caroline’s husband Prince Ernst of Hanover, and all four of Caroline’s children were present for the day’s events.

Those events included mass of thanksgiving at the tiny principality’s cathedral, appearing on the palace balcony to greet Monaco’s citizens, followed by a night at the opera and fireworks at Monaco’s harbor.

While National Day is a time Monaco’s 30,000 citizens celebrate patriotism and get a chance to view their royal family united, it is also a time for those royals – particularly the females – to get dressed up. Dark colors were the style of the day, with Caroline and Stephanie sporting black and gray coats on the cool November day. Caroline’s fashionable eldest daughter, Charlotte Casiraghi, wore black from head to toe. Her outfit included a hairband and a miniskirt.

Even Princess Caroline’s youngest daughter, Princess Alexandra of Hanover, displayed some fashion sense, as she wore a black dress with red stockings.

Monaco’s National Day kicked off a day earlier, when Prince Albert II and Princess Stephanie went to the Red Cross to give out gifts to the principality’s needy senior citizens. Many of the 145 elderly who met the royals were delighted.

“I love them as though they were my children,” said 78 year old Renata, an Italian who has lived in Monaco for 50 years. “They are adorable. With them, it was always satisfactory.”

Noticably absent from National Day was the reigning Prince’s longtime girlfriend, Charlene Wittstock. She had been present during many of Monaco’s high profile events this year. But as this was a day especially for the royal family, it was not needed for Wittstock to participate.