The sovereign prince () is the
monarch
A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...
and
head of state
A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
of the
Principality of Monaco. All reigning princes and princesses have taken the name of the
House of Grimaldi. When
Prince Rainier III died in 2005, he was Europe's longest reigning monarch.
The Grimaldi family, which has ruled Monaco for eight centuries,
is Europe's longest-ruling royal family.
The reigning prince is
Albert II, who ascended in April 2005.
Powers of the prince
Monaco, along with
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
and
Vatican City
Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...
, is one of only three states in Western Europe where the monarch still plays an active role in day-to-day politics.
The Prince of Monaco exercises his authority in accordance with the
Constitution and laws. He represents the principality in foreign relations, and any revision, either total or partial, of the Constitution must be jointly agreed to by the monarch and the
National Council.
Legislative power is divided between the Prince who initiates the laws, and the
National Council which votes on them. Executive power is retained by the monarch, who has veto power over all legislation proposed by the National Council.
The minister of state and the Government Council are directly responsible to the Prince for the administration of the principality.
Judiciary powers also belong to the monarch. The present Constitution states that the prince has full authority in the courts and tribunals which render justice in his or her name.
Pursuant to Article 16 of the 1962 Constitution, the Prince confers
orders,
titles and other distinctions (see
Awards and decorations of Monaco) as the ''
fons honorum'' of the Principality of Monaco.
In 2005, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported that loyalty to the princely family is fierce; few residents of Monaco want to be quoted saying anything negative about the monarchy.
Compensation
The princely family receives annual allocation from the budget of Monaco, €43.5 million in 2015.
Titles and styles
The Prince is
styled His Serene Highness.
Although used only formally, the Prince also bears several other hereditary titles, some of which are occasionally bestowed on his relatives or their spouses. Some of these titles have merged with the Crown of Monaco as a result of the Grimaldi family's acquisition of various
fief
A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...
s;
they no longer imply ownership or territorial authority, although the princes of Monaco have long been substantial owners of land and in France. Most were granted or recognised by the
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
or the
Papal States and could only pass through the male line; they therefore became extinct as French dignities on the death of Albert's great-grandfather
Prince Louis II in 1949. Thereafter, some of these titles were implicitly re-created as distinctly Monegasque titles.
The Prince's complete titles and styles are, in precedent order of rank:
* Sovereign Prince of Monaco
*
Duke of Valentinois
*
Duke of Estouteville
* Duke of
Mazarin
*
Duke of Mayenne
*
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
of
Château-Porcien
*
Marquis of Baux (Title now used by
Hereditary Prince Jacques)
*
Marquis of
Chilly-Mazarin
* Marquis of
Guiscard
* Marquis of
Bailli
*
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
of
Polignac (Title now used by
Princess Stéphanie)
* Count of
Carladès (Title now used by
Princess Gabriella)
*
Count of Ferrette,
Belfort,
Thann and
* Count of
Torigni
* Count of
Longjumeau
* Count of
Clèdes
*
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
of
Calvinet
* Baron of
Buis
* Baron of
La Luthumière
* Baron of
Hambye
* Baron of
Altkirch
* Baron of
Saint-Lô
* Baron of
Massy (Title now used by
Christian Louis de Massy, son of
Princess Antoinette)
* (Lord) of
Issenheim
* ''Seigneur'' of
Saint-Rémy
*
Sire of
Matignon
All palace correspondence features capitalized pronouns when referring to the prince.
The tradition of the monarchy of Monaco was that the flag flying from the staff on the tower above his office be hoisted when the prince was present in Monaco.
The current prince flies the flag whether he is present or not, preferring to keep his location private.
Monaco is officially protected by France, according to terms set forth in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
See also
*
List of Monégasque consorts
*
List of rulers of Monaco
*
Succession to the Monegasque throne
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince of Monaco
Monegasque titles
Politics of Monaco
Political organisations based in Monaco
Monarchy of Monaco