Monarchy of Monaco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sovereign Prince of Monaco |
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Arms of His Highness the Sovereign Prince of Monaco
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| Incumbent | |
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| Albert II since 6 April 2005 |
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| Details | |
| Style | His Serene Highness |
| Heir apparent | Jacques |
| First monarch | Honoré II (as prince; previous rulers were called lords until 1612) |
| Formation | 29 November 1604 |
| Residence | Prince's Palace |
| Website | Monarchy of Monaco |
The sovereign prince is the ruler and head of state of the Principality of Monaco. All reigning princes and princesses have been part of the House of Grimaldi. This family has ruled Monaco for eight centuries, making them Europe's longest-ruling royal family.
When Prince Rainier III passed away in 2005, he was the longest-reigning monarch in Europe. The current reigning prince is Albert II, who became prince in April 2005.
Powers of the Prince
Monaco is one of only three countries in Western Europe where the monarch still plays a big role in daily politics. The other two are Liechtenstein and Vatican City.
The Prince of Monaco uses his power according to the country's Constitution and its laws. He represents Monaco in dealings with other countries. Any changes to the Constitution must be agreed upon by both the prince and the National Council.
The power to make laws is shared. The Prince suggests new laws, and the National Council votes on them. The Prince keeps the power to carry out laws. He can also stop any law proposed by the National Council.
The minister of state and the Government Council report directly to the Prince. They are in charge of running Monaco.
The Prince also has power over the courts. The Constitution says that the prince has full authority in the courts. Justice is carried out in his name.
People in Monaco are very loyal to the princely family. Few residents want to say anything negative about the monarchy.
Compensation
The princely family gets money from Monaco's yearly budget. In 2015, they received €43.5 million.
Titles and Styles
The Prince is formally called His Serene Highness. The Prince also holds many other traditional titles. Some of these titles are sometimes given to his relatives or their spouses.
Many of these titles became part of the Crown of Monaco when the Grimaldi family gained control of different lands. These titles no longer mean the prince owns or rules those lands. However, the princes of Monaco have long owned a lot of land and castles in France. Most of these titles were given or recognized by the Kingdom of France or the Papal States. They could only be passed down through the male family line. Because of this, many of them ended as French titles when Prince Albert's great-grandfather, Prince Louis II, died in 1949. After that, some of these titles were re-created as special Monegasque titles.
Here are some of the Prince's main titles:
- Sovereign Prince of Monaco
- Duke of Valentinois
- Duke of Estouteville
- Duke of Mazarin
- Duke of Mayenne
- Prince of Château-Porcien
- Marquis of Baux (This title is now used by Hereditary Prince Jacques)
- Marquis of Chilly-Mazarin
- Marquis of Guiscard
- Marquis of Bailli
- Count of Polignac
- Count of Carladès (This title is now used by Princess Gabriella)
- Count of Ferrette, Belfort, Thann and Rosemont
- Count of Torigni
- Count of Longjumeau
- Count of Clèdes
- Baron of Calvinet
- Baron of Buis
- Baron of La Luthumière
- Baron of Hambye
- Baron of Altkirch
- Baron of Saint-Lô
- Baron of Massy (This title is now used by Christian Louis de Massy, son of Princess Antoinette)
- Lord of Issenheim
- Lord of Saint-Rémy
- Sire of Matignon
In official palace letters, pronouns referring to the prince are always capitalized.
A tradition in Monaco was that the flag on the tower above the prince's office would be raised when he was in Monaco. The current prince flies the flag all the time, whether he is there or not. He prefers to keep his location private.
Monaco is officially protected by France. This was set out in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
See also
In Spanish: Príncipe de Mónaco para niños
- List of Monégasque consorts
- List of rulers of Monaco
- Succession to the Monegasque throne
