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Month: March 2026

The Australian couture brand behind Alexandra Leclerc’s wedding gown

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/03/2026

When Alexandra Leclerc married Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc in Monaco on Saturday, the dress she wore had been made not in Paris or Milan, but in a quiet atelier on the southern coast of Australia.

The gown was the work of Paolo Sebastian, the Australian couture house whose presence on the international fashion circuit has grown considerably since its founder, Paul Vasileff, showed his first collection at the age of 17. Vasileff launched the label in 2007 after studying locally before completing his training at Milan’s Istituto Europeo di Design, graduating with honours. He then made a decision that ran against the conventional wisdom of an industry that typically demands designers relocate to one of the major fashion capitals — he went home to South Australia, and built his house there.

For Alexandra’s wedding day, Vasileff created a French Chantilly lace fishtail gown with a scalloped neckline, three-dimensional floral and butterfly embellishments, and bespoke embroidered initials alongside the couple’s wedding date — a detail that places the piece firmly in the tradition of heirloom couture. The gown was paired with an elegant chignon and a bouquet of white flowers, the overall effect precise and quietly considered.

From Australia to the world’s biggest stages

Every Paolo Sebastian piece is handmade in Adelaide by Vasileff and a team of specialised seamstresses, with private consultations and fittings tailored to each individual client. The house’s signatures — intricate hand-embroidery, delicate French lace, elegant draping, and romantic silhouettes — have remained consistent even as its profile has expanded far beyond Australia. Collections are frequently inspired by fable and fairy tale, lending Paolo Sebastian a distinctly poetic sensibility that sits apart from much of mainstream couture.

In 2016, Vasileff brought the house to Paris for the first time, presenting private showings that marked the beginning of a sustained international push. Paolo Sebastian has since returned to Paris Haute Couture Week, debuted at Dubai Fashion Week as the first Australian couture house to show there, and built a following across multiple continents. On the red carpet, the label has been worn by Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, Heidi Klum, and Anya Taylor-Joy, appearing at the Academy Awards, the Met Gala, and the Golden Globes.

 

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A post shared by Paolo Sebastian (@paolo_sebastian)

A designer with an early start

Vasileff was born in Adelaide in 1990 and learned to sew under the guidance of his grandmother, completing his first dress design for a childhood friend at the age of 11. He launched Paolo Sebastian at 17, and despite considerable pressure from within the industry to relocate abroad, chose to keep his atelier — and his team of local artisans — in South Australia. In 2017, he was named Young Australian of the Year and won Best Australian Evening Wear Designer at the Prix de Marie Claire Awards.

That a gown conceived and stitched together in Australia should find its way to the streets of Monaco for one of the most closely watched weddings in the principality’s recent memory is, by any measure, a significant moment for the country’s fashion industry.

For the bride, the verdict was simple. “My dream dress,” Alexandra wrote on Instagram — three words that said everything.

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Inside Charles Leclerc’s private Monaco wedding as couple release first images

Main photo source: @alexandramalenaleclerc on Instagram, photographers: @germanlarkin, @gregfinck

 

Inside Charles Leclerc’s private Monaco wedding as couple release first images

by: Cassandra Tanti
02/03/2026

Charles Leclerc and Alexandra Saint Mleux were married on Saturday in Monaco, exchanging vows during a civil ceremony held in the strictest privacy. The wedding took place at the Mairie de Monaco on the Rock, with only close friends and family in attendance.

True to the couple’s desire for discretion, news of the nuptials was kept under wraps until Monday afternoon, when Leclerc shared a series of vintage-style videos and photographs on Instagram. Another subtle confirmation came as Alexandra updated her social media name to Alexandra Malena Leclerc.

Leclerc also hinted that the celebrations are far from over, telling fans on Instagram that this was only “part 1”, adding that “part 2 will be next year with all of our close ones”.

A vintage Ferrari and timeless elegance

The newlyweds were filmed driving down from the Rock through Monaco’s streets in a rare Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, a nod to both heritage and glamour.

Alexandra wore a Paolo Sebastian couture gown for her wedding day. The Australia-based fashion house, known for its intricate bridal work, dressed the bride in a French Chantilly lace fishtail gown featuring a scalloped neckline and three-dimensional floral and butterfly embellishments. The piece was finished with bespoke embroidered initials and their wedding date — a personalised detail that placed the gown firmly in the realm of heirloom.

Charles, meanwhile, opted for a white and cream suit paired with a grey tie.

Their beloved dog, Leo — dressed in a tuxedo — was very much part of the celebration.

 

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A post shared by Charles Leclerc (@charles_leclerc)

Photos at Villa La Vigie

Following the ceremony, the couple moved to Villa La Vigie for their wedding photographs. The historic property, perched on the headland of Cap Martin just beyond Monaco’s eastern border, provided an appropriately grand backdrop for the occasion. Built at the turn of the twentieth century and once home to Karl Lagerfeld, the villa is one of the most distinguished private residences on the Riviera.

The marriage comes less than four months after an engagement that had been anything but understated. Leclerc’s candlelit proposal, complete with rose petals arranged in a heart shape and a striking diamond ring, drew an enthusiastic response online, including from members of Monaco’s Princely family, with whom the driver shares a close and well-documented bond.

Racing resumes in Melbourne

As for a honeymoon, it may be brief. The opening Grand Prix of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place in Melbourne in a matter of days, meaning Leclerc will be swapping wedding celebrations for the cockpit as the new season gets under way.

The high-profile nature of the wedding — coupled with the couple’s strict secrecy — prompted a wave of fabricated images and speculation across social media over the weekend. With their own posts now shared publicly, the newlyweds have put rumours to rest and officially confirmed their marriage.

Monaco Life wishes Charles and Alexandra every happiness for their future together.

 

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A post shared by Charles Leclerc (@charles_leclerc)

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Photo taken from Charles Leclerc instagram

Powher to spotlight sport and health for this year’s International Women’s Day

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
02/03/2026

Monaco’s Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights will host its annual Powher event on 6th March at the Espace Léo Ferré, ahead of International Women’s Day on 8th March.

For its eighth year, the event will focus on inequalities in sport and healthcare, tracing them through the different stages of a woman’s life.

Since its creation in 2018, the committee has run 15 awareness campaigns, supported seven laws passed by the Conseil National, published 14 studies through the IMSEE statistics institute, and trained 1,159 people in areas ranging from receiving victims of violence to preventing sexism in the workplace.

“The inequalities remain in these areas,” said Céline Cottalorda, the Interministerial Delegate for Women’s Rights. “And that’s what we wanted to put in the spotlight this year, because these 8th of March events are also there to take into account, to understand, and to move these issues forward collectively.”

Visitors will be able to move through eight interactive workshops, each representing a life stage from childhood to old age, and also take part in a treasure hunt, collecting clues at each station to unlock access to a centrepiece installation on the main stage.

The event will open at 11am, with members of Monaco’s women’s football and rugby teams present, alongside club representatives.

During the press conference, photo credit: Monaco Life (From left to right, Corinne Lorenzi, Mr One Teas, Céline Cottalorda, Chloé Boscagli, and Aurelie Montet).

Mr One Teas artwork as the centrepiece

At the heart of the stage will be an original artwork by artist Anthony Alberti, better known as Mr One Teas. The piece takes the form of a finishing-line arch, through which visitors who complete the trail are invited to pass.

“The idea is that when we pass through the curtain together it means we will have covered a few more miles towards equality between women and men,” he said.

A photo exhibition by photographer Le Turk, featuring local sportswomen from six disciplines including judo, athletics, gymnastics, football, basketball and rugby will also be displayed throughout the venue.

The workshops will be run in partnership with the Mairie de Monaco, the CHPG hospital centre, and a number of local associations including Pink Ribbon, Zonta Club and the Red Cross.

The hospital will focus on medical conditions affecting women, such as endometriosis and cardiovascular disease, which are the leading causes of death among women worldwide, though frequently under-diagnosed.

Gender equality in sports

On the issue of sport, Cottalorda noted that inequalities begin early. “There are sports that still remain gendered, some aimed more at girls, others more at boys, when fundamentally nothing prevents a boy from doing dance or a girl from doing boxing or football.” She added that the gap in media coverage also has knock-on effects: “Less coverage means less sponsorship, and therefore lower salaries.”

She also pointed out to the broader picture. According to the United Nations, women currently hold just 64 per cent of the legal rights than men do worldwide. At the current rate of progress, the UN estimates it will take another 286 years to close the gap in legal protections. “The road is still very long,” Cottalorda said.

The Powher event runs from 11am to 5pm at the Espace Léo Ferré on 6th March. It is also set to close with a youth eloquence competition at the Conseil National from 6pm. Entry is free and open to all ages.

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Main photo credit: Monaco Life

Melting ice, fraying alliances: Monaco’s Polar Symposium brings polar world together to find answers

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
02/03/2026

Prince Albert II of Monaco closed last week’s Monaco Polar Symposium with a personal call to action, delivering a video address to scientists, policymakers and Indigenous representatives gathered at the Oceanographic Museum for three days of talks on the future of the Arctic and Antarctic.

Speaking to delegates, the Prince urged the international community to not waste this the moment. Cooperation on polar science, he said, must move beyond discussion and translate into real impact — and the countdown to the Fifth International Polar Year, due in 2032–33, had already begun. “Let us seize this momentum to deepen cooperation,” he said. “The fifth international polar year begins right now.”

Held from 25th to 27th February, the third edition of the biennial symposium brought together more than a hundred participants from the Arctic and Antarctic communities under the theme ‘Enabling the Legacy: Translating Polar Research into Action’.

The event mainly grappled with a harsh reality: scientific knowledge about the poles is moving fast, but turning it into policy and action is proving harder than ever.

During Friday’s plenary session, photo credit: Monaco Life

The Tara Ocean Foundation

Among those attending for the first time was Pierre Meinville, advocacy officer at the Tara Ocean Foundation, which is preparing to deploy a new scientific platform, the Tara Polar Station, in the central Arctic Ocean.

“The most important challenge, the main roadblock, is how international collaboration is deteriorating – not just in recent months, but over recent years,” Mienville told Monaco Life. “I’m strongly convinced that we need to keep on believing in it, keep on working on it, fostering participation with all Arctic states and non-Arctic states that are committed to Arctic protection.”

The Tara Polar Station, unlike conventional research vessels, is designed to drift freely through the Arctic for two years at a time, carrying scientists from around 40 laboratories across the world. Its missions are planned to continue for the next two decades.

Pierre Meinville, advocacy officer at the Tara Ocean Foundation. Photo credit: Monaco Life

“We’re going to be a bit like the International Space Station,” Mienville explained. “The objective is to study how the central Arctic Ocean is going to evolve in the next decades, and how, in return, that will affect the rest of the world — because everything that happens in the Arctic is linked to climate, to ocean circulation.”

For now, according to Mienville, the Polar Symposium identified key priorities, but concrete results remain to be implemented.

The symposium was co-organised by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the International Arctic Science Committee, and the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco.

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Main photo credit: Monaco Life

Monaco promotes free colorectal cancer screening during awareness month

by: Cassandra Tanti
02/03/2026

March is colorectal cancer awareness month, and in Monaco the campaign takes on added significance this year as the Principality marks two decades since the launch of its organised screening programme.

Introduced in 2006, the initiative targets insured residents aged between 50 and 80, who are invited every two years to complete a free, home-based test designed to detect traces of blood in stools before symptoms appear. Health officials say early detection remains the most effective defence against the disease, with survival rates reaching nearly nine out of 10 cases when cancer is identified at an early stage.

Figures released as part of this year’s Mars Bleu campaign show that more than 26,000 tests have been carried out in Monaco over the past 20 years, with 852 positive results leading to further medical investigations, including colonoscopies where required.

Colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men and the third in women, underlining the importance of sustained participation in screening programmes. The government maintains that prevention continues to form a central pillar of Monaco’s healthcare strategy, alongside organised campaigns for breast, cervical and bronchopulmonary cancers, as well as osteoporosis.

Residents aged 50 to 80 can obtain a screening kit free of charge from the Centre Monégasque de Dépistage at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace, through the Office de la Médecine du Travail, or via their general practitioner.

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Photo credit: Louis Reed, Unsplash

Middle East airspace closes and flights cancelled worldwide

by: Cassandra Tanti
02/03/2026

Thousands of flights have been cancelled and major international airports shut across the Middle East as the outbreak of war between the United States, Israel and Iran brings aviation across the region to a near-standstill. Meanwhile, 60 Monegasque nationals have registered with the Princely Government to confirm they are currently in the region.

A wide corridor of airspace over the Middle East remained closed on Monday, with the skies over the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain and Iraq virtually empty, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24. The closure has triggered a cascade of cancellations that is being felt across the globe, with millions of passengers transiting through the region’s major hubs now stranded or facing severe disruption.

The airlines affected

The impact has fallen hardest on three of the world’s largest carriers. Emirates and Etihad, based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively, suspended all flights to and from their hubs. Qatar Airways, operating from Doha’s Hamad International Airport, has also grounded services following the closure of Qatari airspace. Both Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport have sustained damage from Iranian retaliatory strikes.

The consequences extend well beyond the region. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are among the world’s busiest transit hubs, with tens of millions of passengers routing through them annually. German carrier Lufthansa has suspended flights to and from Dubai until 4th March and has extended suspensions on services to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Dammam and Tehran until 8th March.

More than 20,000 travellers have been affected by cancellations since UAE airports closed on Saturday, according to reports, with the numbers continuing to rise.

What travellers should do now

Airlines are offering rebooking and refund options, though passengers are reporting significant difficulty reaching customer service teams due to high call volumes.

Emirates is allowing passengers booked to fly on or before 5th March to rebook for travel on or before 20th March, or to request a full refund. Etihad is offering free rebooking onto its own operated flights up to 18th March for tickets issued on or before 28th February with travel dates up to 7th March. British Airways is allowing passengers on affected routes up to 15th March to change their flight date free of charge for travel on or before 29th March, with full refunds available for those travelling up to 8th March.

Travellers are advised to contact their airline or travel agent as soon as possible.

Government warnings

Multiple governments have issued urgent travel advisories, including the Monaco Government which, on Saturday, urged all nationals to register their presence. As of Sunday evening, 60 made their presence within the conflict region known.

The UAE has announced it will cover food and accommodation costs for stranded travellers unable to leave the country, with hotels asked to extend the stays of affected passengers. Several countries with large migrant worker populations in the region, including Thailand, are also preparing repatriation options by military or charter flight.

For Monaco residents

The Princely Government advises all Monegasque nationals in the Middle East to limit their movements, follow local security instructions and remain in protected locations. Those in the region are asked to contact the Princely Government on +377 93 15 30 15 and to register with France’s Fil d’Ariane system for real-time security updates.

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Photo credit: Tim Dennert, Unsplash