Princess Charlene is in a “reassuring state” after being admitted to hospital in South Africa and later released, the Palace has confirmed.
Just days after saying goodbye to her husband Prince Albert and children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella who were in South Africa for a brief visit, Princess Charlene was rushed to hospital on Wednesday night after collapsing.
Following widespread media reports of the late-night dash to the emergency room, the Prince’s Palace issued a statement Friday evening confirming the Princess’ health situation:
“On the night of September 1, Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco was taken to hospital after becoming unwell due to complications from a serious ENT infection. Her Highness is closely followed by Her medical team who have affirmed that Her condition is reassuring.”
Chantell Wittstock, director of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, told AFP that Princess Charlene has since been discharged from the hospital in Durban.
The hospitalisation is the latest in a series of medical interventions for the Princess as she battles a serious ear, throat and nose infection. On 13th August, the Palace revealed that the 43-year-old had undergone a four-hour surgery.
Afterwards she was joined for a brief visit by Prince Albert and their children. It was the families’ first reunion since June. The three returned to Europe at the end of August and on Friday the Prince and the twins were on an official visit to Dublin, Ireland.
The World Health Organisation has published a report declaring that a new “variant of interest”, which they are calling Mu, may be able to sidestep the vaccine.
Move over Delta, there’s a new Covid variant in town and the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns this one may be able to resist current vaccines. Called the Mu variant, it is being closely monitored by the world health watchdog who has found the strain increasingly prevalent in America, Columbia and Ecuador but has also seen outbreaks in Europe.
The global prevalence of this mutation remains relatively low at 0.1%, though it’s on the rise in the two South American nations, accounting for 39% of new cases in Columbia and 13% in Ecuador. The agency cautions that the reports on the prevalence should be “interpreted with due consideration” given the low sequencing capacities of most countries.
Mu is the WHO’s fifth variant of interest since March, which has found in preliminary data that the strain has shown a reduced effectiveness of vaccines, much like in the case of the Beta variant. The WHO said it would be monitoring “the epidemiology of the Mu variant in South America, particularly with the co-circulation of the Delta variant…for changes.”
The variant has also been detected “sporadically” in France since May, according to Public Health France. As of 25th August, 105 detections had been recorded. But its level of circulation remains very low, with a prevalence of “0.3% or less”. By comparison, 98.1% of positive tests concerned the Delta variant on 26thAugust, according to the latest epidemiological figures.
The Espace Léo Ferré returns this autumn giving audiences an excellent range of entertainment options from music to comedy.
As the chill returns to the air after a long, hot summer, the Espace Léo Ferré will be heating up with a line-up of musical and comedic events sure to please any crowd.
First up on 24th September will be a musical tribute to the works of Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel entitled ‘Don’t Give Up’. Based on the song title from the hit duet performed by Bush and Gabriel in 1986, fans will be able to walk down memory lane and hear all their favourites from these two inspiring artists. The show starts at 8:30pm and tickets are €18.
Next, on 15th October, Gaspard Proust will hit the stage with his special brand of dark, biting comedy. The Slovenian-Swiss humourist returns to the Principality after first wooing back in 2007, and his career has skyrocketed becoming a columnist for Le Point as well as co-host of the popular talk show Salut les Terrienson Canal+. His shows, always filled with a deeply cynical and hilarious tone, are sure to have audiences rolling in the aisles. The fun starts at 8:30pm and tickets are on sale for €36. The event is for those aged 16 and over only.
Finally, on 5th November, comedian Maxime Gasteuil comes to Monaco with his new show ‘Maxime Gasteuil Comes to Town’. The comic, originally from Saint-Emilion, uses auto-biographical material about his life in Paris to tickle funny bones, poking fun at everything from Parisians and the metro to organic markets and Starbucks. His plain-spoken look at daily life for 30-somethings in the capital makes for great comedy and a great night out. Tickets are going for €24 and the show starts at 8:30pm. The event is appropriate for those 10 years of age and older.
Espace Léo Ferré also has a new website in order to check out all the latest info on the happenings, which can be found at www.especeleoferre.mc.
When students in Monaco return to school on Monday, little will change in terms of health protocol, says the government, especially when it comes to the health pass.
Commissioner General in charge of the Department of National Education, Youth and Sports, Isabelle Bonnal, who is overseeing her 11th rentrée, held a press conference Thursday regarding the upcoming return to classes, saying, “I am confident, we have put in a lot of work for back-to-school as you can imagine, for six months in advance for the 5,715 students who with be returning Monday morning.”
The new regulations for this school year will be familiar as the health protocols remain similar to last year. According to Ms Bonnal, “the measures having demonstrated their effectiveness” in the past will, by and large, be carried into the future.
Masks will be obligatory for pupils starting in first grade, and hygiene rules will continue. Hand washing several times per day, use of anti-viral gel, limited mixing, respect for social distancing and frequent cleaning of ventilation systems are some of the main features highlighted for the year.
But one of the biggest differences in Monaco from neighbouring France is the health pass. “The government has decided that access to schools will not be conditional on the presentation of a health pass, both for students and for staff,” Ms Bonnal said.
Kindergarten classes will be immediately sent home with a single positive case as they are not required to wear masks. For older students, if three pupils from the same class test positive, then the class will be sent home. “If a person is considered to be a high-risk contact case, they will be evicted whether or not they are vaccinated,” said the Commissioner.
Catering will follow last year’s protocols, and mask wearing will be necessary for indoor sport, though “the establishments will do everything in their power to ensure that the vast majority of sports lessons are given outdoors, in playgrounds for example,” said Ms Bonnal.
On the non-health front, there will be some changes to the national education curriculum with regards to language. From the beginning of the school year “second year students of the European and international sections of the Albert I Lycée will be able to follow, on an experimental basis, optional teaching in English in mathematics and / or physics and chemistry,” said Ms Bonnal, adding, “This is in order to meet the expectations of students who, after the baccalaureate, move towards scientific studies in foreign universities.”
Other new additions will be the offer of learning Greek, in addition to Latin, from 8th grade.
The Adapted General and Vocational Education Section (SEGPA) students will continue to benefit from the use of laptops distributed by the schools, before then giving access to laptops to the students of Albert I during the first semester. New state financial aid services will also go online in 2022. “We would like to facilitate the procedures and reduce the processing time even if the paper process will remain possible,” said Ms Bonnal on this point.
2022 marks the 100-year anniversary of the death of Albert I and students will benefit from several activities such as musical events put on by the Monaco Philharmonic Orchestra, film screenings at the Audio-Visual Institute, and workshops at the Oceanographic Museum.
Ms Bonnal also made clear her pride in the students and teachers of the Principality who achieved excellent results last year, despite the hardships, but reminded them that they need to keep working hard. “Let’s not forget, there is no easy success.”
Key to the success of the Monaco Yacht Show are the guys that shake down the deals and act as the bridge between the buyer and the seller – The Brokers.
Patrick Coote is Managing Director, Europe, for the yacht broker firm Northrop and Johnson. With 25 years in the business, he has headed up operations at Fraser Yachts, the Azimut Benetti Group, Blohm+Voss and Vripack. He’s also been involved in initiatives such as setting up The Superyacht Show, Superyacht TV and the Explorer Yachts Summit.
Coote is upbeat and realistic as the Monaco Yacht Show (MYS) 2021 looms into view. “The MYS has become an annual celebration of the latest and greatest yachts and innovations from across the superyacht world,” he tells Monaco Life. “It brings together brokers, shipyards, designers and suppliers for four intense days of networking and socialising. This year, more than ever, we can sense that there is a strong appetite among the industry players to get out and about again and interest levels from professional visitors seems high. Conversely, we don’t really expect to see hordes of buyers on the quayside. Travel restrictions and health concerns are still a big factor and unnecessary trips are not exactly high on people’s priorities at the moment. That said, I think we’ve all pretty much given up trying to second-guess things given the current state of world affairs!” Da Vinci will be presented by Northrop and Johnson at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show
For the professionals involved in the sector, the MYS is always a good opportunity to catch up with industry colleagues and strategic partners from other luxury sectors. The yachts are like honey, attracting interest from various fields such as wealth management, private aviation, automotive, high end jewellery and real estate. “The show effectively becomes the global epicentre for UHNW advisors for four days. It’s therefore a hive of activity for a wide range of stakeholders from the luxury world,” says Coote.
The last 18 months have seen record numbers of yacht sales and it is fast becoming a seller’s market. Good quality, well-priced yachts are not staying on the market for long at all. According to Coote, if marketed properly, yachts really should sell relatively fast. “The inventory we are promoting at the moment is extremely high quality and will not be available for long,” he reveals. “We are bringing a good number of qualified buyers to Monaco in September and have no doubt that a number of sales will be achieved.”
That said, Coote expects footfall to be lower than previous years, not only because of the pandemic restrictions, but a general lack of good quality second hand yachts will not draw the big crowds. Northrop and Johnson, however, have several yachts for sale this year and are expecting very strong interest, particularly in the Feadship Gitana (48m) as well as Liberty (50m) by shipyard ISA. Inside Gitana, which will be presented by Northrop and Johnson at the MYS
For obvious reasons, the Covid era boosted interest and sales in superyachts and ignited a Carpe Diem attitude among new buyers with a thirst for escape, adventure and good times, all of which a yacht can deliver in abundance. Coote adds, “The charter world has battled with its own frustrations due to travel problems, re-scheduling and positive cases among crew and guests but many charter yachts have still been booked and busy this summer.”
On the whole, shipyards are busy and order books are filling fast, so for the majority of key industry players the last 18 months could have been a lot worse. Beyond the horizon Coote believes there are strong signs that demand for large yachts will stay high through 2022 and possibly into 2023. Nothing suggests a major slow down at the present time. “Life is short and we’re living in uncertain times. If you’re thinking of buying a boat, why wait?” The 48-metre Feadship Gitana
A stronger interest in new builds is gratifyingly matched with an increased interest in sustainability and green technology. Power generation systems are the big focus these days. “Large yachts are designed to travel the globe, give their owners access to every corner of the world’s oceans. It makes sense therefore that all stakeholders in the industry want to ensure the marine environment both above and below the water is maintained to be as clean and healthy as possible,” says Coote. Owners are also becoming more adventurous and there’s a rise in expeditions to the Artic or Antarctic regions and extensive world cruises becoming increasingly popular too.
A keen focus on super-responsible cruising is the key to the oceans’ fragile future.
Close Quarters with Patrick Coote:
What’s your advice to someone looking to break into a career like yours?
Any and all experience in the yachting industry is valuable. It doesn’t matter whether you work as crew, in a shipyard or as an office intern for a broker, just get started as it is all valuable. Your worst career moment?
I have little or no regrets. Most difficult part of your job?
Juggling both work and family life. They just seem to blend into one these days. Best part of your job?
Seeing smiles on the faces of yacht owners and their children having the time of their lives onboard. What are you most proud of?
Pursuing and realising my childhood dream of doing what I do today. Favourite meal?
I’m making a sincere effort to become vegetarian but my favourite meal is still a juicy steak! A figure you admire?
Nobody more than my own father. If you weren’t a yacht broker what would you be?
A property developer Hobbies?
Polo and riding motor cycles. Favourite Monaco restaurant?
Quai des Artistes. What’s yours called?
MY If Only!
Photos courtesy Northrop and Johnson
Alberto Giacometti exhibition draws 32,500 visitors
