A Monaco policeman was killed in a tragic road accident early Tuesday after his motorbike collided head-on with a car on the Moyenne Corniche.
The accident happened at around 9am on the Moyenne Corniche, according to a report by Monaco Matin. The police commander, identified late Tuesday as Christophe David, was riding his motorbike between Villefranche-sur-Mer and Eze when he was struck.
There is speculation the driver of the vehicle was unlicensed and took the turn too wide, leading to the collision, however an investigation is yet to determine the exact cause of the tragedy.
The policeman reportedly died on the scene, while the driver was taken to hospital together with another scooter driver who was following and unable to avoid the collision.
Traffic on the Moyenne Corniche was disrupted as the investigation was conducted and the scene cleared.
The tragedy comes just weeks after the deaths of two Monegasque firefighters who were killed while riding their motorbikes near Puget-Théniers.
Louise-Hippolyte, Anne-Marie Campora and Joséphine Baker have all been given the distinction of having spaces in Monaco named after them in honour of the impact each made on the history of the Principality.
Three new spaces in Larvotto have been dedicated to celebrate the lives and achievements of three women who had attachments to Monaco.
In a ceremony that took place on Saturday 25th September, Prince Albert II and Caroline, Princess of Hanover were present for the naming of these new public spaces, namely the Promenade Princesse Louise-Hippolyte, Place Anne-Marie Campora and Place Joséphine Baker.
Mayor Georges Marsan, Minister of State Pierre Dartout, Monseigneur Vicar General Guillaume Paris, representing the Archbishop of Monaco, and Stéphane Valeri, President of the National Council, welcomed the Prince and Princess along with high-ranking representatives from Monegasque institutions to celebrate the inaugurations. Members of both the Campora and Baker families were also on hand to witness the symbolic event.
“The Communal Council wished that three new Larvotto spaces pay tribute to three exceptional women,” said the Mayor in his speech.
The Louise-Hippolyte Promenade is named for the only sovereign Princess in the history of the Principality. Upon the death of her father, Prince Antoine I, in 1731, she ascended to the throne where she sat for only 10 months before her untimely death from smallpox at the age of 34.
Monaco’s first and only female mayor has been given her own square also, the Place Anne-Marie Campora, to mark her 12 years in office which spanned from 1991 to 2003. Prior to becoming mayor, she served on the Municipal Council for eight years. She is described as a woman “entirely devoted to her city, her country and its culture” and she was known to have worked tirelessly to improve daily life for all the people of Monaco. Some of her achievements included developing support services for the elderly and creating day and childcare options for children, such as mini clubs and drop-in centres.
Last but not least, Place Joséphine Baker has been dedicated to an internationally recognised multi-talented artist and the first black woman to become a star in France. Baker was more than just a talented star, though, she also served as a counterespionage agent, at great risk to herself, during World War II and played a part in the French Resistance efforts. Later in life, she became a vocal advocate for racial equality. She is the only American-born woman to receive full French military honors at her funeral, and she is interred in Louis II Cemetery in Monaco as a result of her close ties to Princess Grace and the Principality.
Plaques were unveiled at each of the locations by the Prince and Princess, followed by a blessing from Monseigneur Paris. Music accompanied each presentation. Municipal music was played at Place Anne-Marie Campora, a piece played on the harpsichord by a professor from the Rainier III Academy on the Promenade Louise-Hippolyte, and a piece depicting the Charleston was performed by the professors of the Conservatory of Jazz at the Place Joséphine Baker.
To finalise in the mayor’s words, “to attribute the names of these remarkable women to public spaces is to guarantee that they will continue to exist in memories (…) It is also to affirm the link between the history of Monaco and its future, between roots and modernity. Let us hope that these places maintain and nourish the memory of these great women, who were deeply attached to the Principality.”
On Wednesday night, the Monte-Carlo Casino will roll out the red carpet for the premier of the latest 007 film ‘No Time To Die’. But there is more to this glitzy evening than a celebration of Monaco’s connection to the iconic Bond franchise.
The film premier on Wednesday evening is highly anticipated for a number of reasons. Originally scheduled for 2020, the event had to be postponed twice because of the Covid pandemic. The film is also Daniel Craig’s final stint as the diabolically independent spy James Bond, a character he has played for 16 years. But more importantly, the entire event – including the red carpet film premier and after party at the famed Casino de Monte-Carlo – is raising money for the new Sir Roger Moore Award, to be presented by the Princess Grace Foundation USA.
“One of the many reasons why I am excited about this event is it pulls together so many things that are core to the Foundation’s mission,” Brisa Carleton, CEO of the Princess Grace Foundation USA, tells Monaco Life. “Firstly, we are celebrating Cary Fukunaga, director of the film, who won his Princess Grace Award and will be one of the first to say it was a pivotal moment in his early career. He credits the award with why he is now able to have this incredible career directing James Bond movies.
“We’re also celebrating the fact that Grace Kelly brought Hollywood to Monaco, and to be able to organise a big film premier here feels very true to her values. We feel so proud to be able to bring a little bit of that Hollywood sparkle back on behalf of her Foundation.
Brisa Carleton, CEO Princess Grace Foundation USA, and Christian Moore, son of Sir Roger Moore
“But the Roger Moore connection is really special because he was a resident here, he was so much a part of the community, and he was a very good friend of Princess Grace. Actually, he was one of the original founding members of this foundation… so it just feels like the coming together of so many things.”
Sir Roger Moore was the third actor to portray James Bond in the film series, playing the character in a remarkable seven feature films between 1973 and 1985. The Sir Roger Moore Award will be given annually to an emerging film maker at the Princess Grace Awards starting from 2022. Outside of film making, Moore devoted much of his time to being a goodwill ambassador for Unicef; it was for this humanitarian work that he was knighted in 2003.
His son Christian Moore, who is also part of the Bond event’s production team, tells Monaco Life: “As my father was one of the founders of the Princess Grace Foundation USA and was very much involved in that, to be recognised by the foundation and actually have this film come to Monaco as a premier is a very special thing for the family.
“The whole evening is supposed to be very Bondesque, so we are hoping that people will dress up and be in the flavour of the moment. This is unprecedented, it has never happened before in Monaco, so it is very exciting for all, including the Prince.” Roger Moore as 007 character James Bond, credit: Entertainment Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo
Grace Kelly and Roger Moore first met at a dinner in Hollywood and the pair apparently hit it off instantly. After Princess Grace made her home in Monaco, Moore began to visit her and the Princely family, with whom he and his children remained life-long friends even after Princess Grace’s passing.
“Monaco is all about family, and to be able to celebrate Princess Grace and Sir Roger Moore, with Prince Albert and Christian Moore, with the people who were shaped by these iconic people, is such an important part of everything we’re doing,” says Carleton.
The Princess Grace Awards were held virtually last week, with the aim of supporting and elevating extraordinary early career artists in theatre, dance and film through game-changing grants. Award winners are also nurtured and supported by the Foundation throughout their careers. This year, there were 18 award winners and 12 honoraria recipients.
Follow Monaco Life on social media as Editor in Chief Cassandra Tanti and Publisher Eric Brundage join guests for the exclusive ‘No Time To Die’ film premier and after party!
Just 18 months after being announced, the government has revealed the latest upgraded terminals for electric vehicles through the Monaco ON network.
On Wednesday 22nd September, the new Monaco ON network was unveiled by the Department of Equipment, Environment and Town Planning.
Scheduled as part of European Mobility Week, the event took place with the other players helping to build the new network, including Mission for Energy Transition, Department of Urban Planning, and the Public Parking Service, as well as the network’s operator, Société Monégasque de l’Electricité et du Gaz (SMEG).
The upgraded terminal units, the government says, are now more efficient, subscription and cost-free and more readily identifiable due to their cheery yellow colour. They’re objective has been to gradually replace self-service outlets with electric service stations grouping together several terminals to make electric vehicle charging ever more efficient and accessible to as many people as possible.
There are currently 113 Monaco ON terminals installed in seven car parks around Monaco. Three new car parks will also be equipped with terminals by year’s end, equalling 80 new stations. On public streets there are an additional 17 terminals that can accommodate two vehicles each. Twelve new street-side terminals will be added by the end of 2021 and will include seven with four spaces and five with two.
As maintenance can also be an issue, the government’s partnership with SMEG has insured clients have 24/7 support and assistance.
It is estimated that 10% of vehicles in the Principality will be electric, hence the response by the government over the past year and a half to supply so many additional electric charging stations.
Photo from left to right: Natacha Roux (Société Monégasque de l’Electricité et du Gaz), Régis Fontanez (Department of Urban Planning), Virginie Hache-Vincenot (Mission for the Energy Transition) and Gilles Manera (Department of Public Parkings) by Stéphane Danna – Communication Department
Take a step back in time to an era where lords and ladies in the ultimate finery gathered together for spectacular parties, where every wish was possible, and every command was obeyed…
The Grand Masked Ball, coming to the Hôtel de Paris on 23rd October, is a chance for everyone to be royalty, if only for the night. Held in the same tradition as masked galas of old, guests are asked to don fabulous costumes and wear elaborate face masks, for once not of the Covid-kind, to add an air of mystery to what is sure to be an already dazzling event.
Attendees will promenade by candlelight, along the way meeting harlequins, jesters, dancers and perhaps even seducers, such as Casanova, to sweeten the already honeyed pot. It’s a chance to get lost in the entertainment and the step back in time before the days of mobile phones or even electricity, where intrigue and glamour were the calls of the day and night-time events were often places of secret rendez-vous.
A cocktail pre-party and dinner will be served to all those who attend, and the entertainment part of the evening will include international artists, in full period costume who will sing, dance and charm their ways into the hearts of guests.
Noble Monte-Carlo, who organised the Grand Ball of Princes and Princesses in 2020, is behind the event.
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