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Month: July 2026

Smithsonian to honour Princess Grace with permanent National Mall tribute

by: Cassandra Tanti
16/07/2026

Princess Grace of Monaco will be honoured with a permanent tribute on Washington D.C.’s National Mall this September, as the Smithsonian Institution celebrates her enduring cultural legacy with a special public programme marking the 70th anniversary of her marriage to Prince Rainier III.

Hosted by Smithsonian Associates in collaboration with the Embassy of the Principality of Monaco and Smithsonian Gardens, Princess Grace: Celebrating an Enduring Legacy will take place on 1st September at the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building.

The event will begin with a private dedication ceremony in the Smithsonian’s Kathrine Dulin Folger Rose Garden, where four reproductions of a historic swan bench will be unveiled, including one dedicated to Princess Grace. The bench will be permanently installed on the National Mall alongside a Princess Grace rose, creating a lasting public memorial to the former Hollywood actress turned Princess of Monaco and celebrating the longstanding friendship between Monaco and the United States.

The blush-pink Princess Grace rose reflects one of the Princess’s lifelong passions. An avid gardener, she was particularly fond of roses and spent time tending the gardens at her homes in Monaco.

The evening programme, which is already fully booked, will explore Princess Grace’s remarkable life and lasting influence through a presentation by a historian followed by a panel discussion featuring experts on her legacy. Discussions will examine her transition from Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly to Princess of Monaco, her commitment to the performing arts and her enduring influence on fashion, film and philanthropy.

The event will also highlight the continuing work of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, established by Prince Rainier III in 1982 to honour his late wife’s commitment to nurturing emerging talent in theatre, dance and film. Since its creation, the Foundation has supported generations of artists who have gone on to become some of the most recognised names in the performing arts, including playwright Tony Kushner, filmmaker Jon M. Chu, actors Oscar Isaac and Leslie Odom Jr., and choreographer Kyle Abraham.

Guests attending the evening reception will be invited into a space decorated with a bespoke rose installation by Smithsonian Gardens, alongside a commemorative display inspired by To Catch a Thief, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 classic that was filmed on the French Riviera and remains one of Princess Grace’s most celebrated performances.

The celebration coincides not only with the 70th anniversary of the marriage of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, but also the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Monaco’s Embassy in Washington, D.C. Organisers say the event will recognise the enduring diplomatic, cultural and artistic ties between Monaco and the United States, while celebrating Princess Grace as an enduring symbol of international friendship and cultural exchange.

The programme forms part of Smithsonian Associates’ Enduring Power of International Exchange series, an initiative exploring the role diplomacy, culture and international partnerships have played in shaping relationships between the United States and countries around the world.

Although tickets for the public event have sold out, those wishing to attend can join a waiting list through Smithsonian Associates.

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Photo source: Palace Archives

 

Near-perfect results for Monaco’s graduating students

by: Virginia D’Umas
16/07/2026

Monaco’s schools have recorded another exceptional year of examination results, with a 99.5% pass rate in the 2026 Baccalauréat and a 100% success rate across all Brevet de Technicien Supérieur (BTS) programmes.

The results, released by the Department of National Education, Youth and Sports on Tuesday 14th July, also show a 98% pass rate in the Diplôme National du Brevet, continuing the Principality’s consistently strong academic performance.

Lycée Albert Ier and Lycée François d’Assise – Nicolas Barré both achieved 100% pass rates in the general and technological Baccalauréat streams. At Lycée Rainier III, students in the professional stream recorded a 97.3% success rate.

More than 70% of candidates in the general stream graduated with honours, including 53 students awarded the highest Très Bien distinction. Six of those also received the jury’s congratulations.

At higher education level, every student enrolled in Monaco’s BTS programmes passed their examinations. Two students also topped the regional Academy rankings: one in the Management Support programme with a final average of 19/20, and another in Accounting and Management with 19.14/20.

Among middle school students, 401 candidates sat the Diplôme National du Brevet examinations, with 98% passing. More than 86% received a distinction, while 29 students earned the jury’s congratulations.

Following the publication of the results, the Prince’s Government congratulated the students on their achievements and thanked teachers, school staff and families for their continued support throughout the academic year.

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Photo Credit: Manuel Vitali, Direction de la Communication

 

Vadym Iermolaiev breaks silence after Monaco bombing: “Our survival was nothing short of a miracle”

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/07/2026

Vadym Iermolaiev has spoken publicly for the first time since the bomb attack that seriously injured him, his partner and their teenage son in Monaco, describing the explosion outside their home as “an attempted murder” and calling for “the truth, protection and justice”.

The Ukrainian businessman released an open letter on Tuesday through his long-time legal advisers, the Ukrainian law firm Dynasty Law & Investment, which said it has represented the Iermolaiev family for many years. Addressed to Prince Albert II of Monaco, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the residents of Monaco and the media, the statement was issued, he said, because his medical condition prevents him from speaking publicly.

Recalling the attack of 29th June, Iermolaiev says an explosive device detonated outside the entrance to his family’s Monaco residence with the intention of killing him, his partner Anna and their 13-year-old son.

“This was not a warning. It was an attempted murder,” he says.

He writes that Anna suffered “extremely severe injuries with irreversible consequences”, while their son sustained burns, fractures and severe trauma. Iermolaiev says he remains in intensive care and faces a lengthy recovery. “Our survival was nothing short of a miracle,” he says.

According to Iermolaiev, the force of the blast tore away metal railings and shattered the stone steps outside the family’s home. He also alleges that those responsible detonated the device despite seeing that a woman and child were standing beside him.

“We know that those responsible for the attack saw a woman and a child standing beside me before detonating the explosion. They acted with the intention of killing all three of us, without regard for age or gender,” he writes.

The letter comes one week after the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine announced that a serving officer of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) had confessed to murdering Anastasiia Berezovska, the woman suspected of carrying out the Monaco bombing. Ukrainian and Monaco prosecutors said investigators are continuing to establish who ordered the attempted murder and whether others were involved.

Referring to information communicated to him during the investigation, Iermolaiev says he believes serving HUR officers were involved in the attempted assassination and that the operation may have extended beyond those who carried it out directly.

“I fully appreciate the seriousness of these allegations. I am making them public because I believe they must be the subject of a complete, independent and transparent investigation,” he says.

He argues that, if those allegations are substantiated, the implications extend far beyond his family’s case.

“If serving members of an intelligence service use their positions, their resources or their networks to organise the attempted murder of a family on European soil, then this is no longer simply a crime against my family. It is a matter of international security and trust in public institutions,” he says.

At the same time, Iermolaiev stresses that his criticism is directed at individuals rather than Ukraine itself.

“This statement is directed neither against Ukraine nor against the Ukrainian people,” he writes, adding: “Ukraine depends on the trust of its allies. No institution, no intelligence service and no public official can be placed above the law.”

Iermolaiev also thanks Prince Albert II, Monaco’s emergency services, investigators and medical teams, as well as President Emmanuel Macron and the French authorities, for their support following the attack. He also expresses gratitude to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying his personal attention to the case had been significant to his family.

The businessman says he and his legal team will continue cooperating with authorities in Monaco, France and Ukraine while calling for protection for his family, witnesses, his lawyers and everyone involved in the investigation until those responsible — including those who ordered the attack — are identified and brought to justice.

Reflecting on the long recovery still ahead, he writes: “Today, my family is fighting to rebuild our lives… We ask for only three things: the truth, protection and justice.

See also: 

Ukrainian intelligence officer confesses to killing Monaco bomb suspect

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Monaco stands with France on Nice attack anniversary

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/07/2026

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene joined French President Emmanuel Macron and thousands of mourners in Nice on Tuesday for a solemn national tribute marking the 10th anniversary of the 14th July 2016 terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 86 people and injured more than 400.

Held in Place Masséna, the commemorative ceremony brought together victims’ families, survivors, emergency responders, elected officials and national dignitaries to honour those killed when Tunisian extremist Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a 19-tonne truck nearly two kilometres through crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais before being shot dead by police.

The Princely Couple attended alongside President Macron, former French Presidents François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, senior government officials and representatives of the institutions that responded to one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in modern French history.

In a poignant opening to the ceremony, the names of all 86 victims were read aloud as 43 children from Nice and 43 adults who had responded on the night of the attack—including police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors and municipal workers—each placed an olive branch on one of 86 iconic blue chairs, modelled on those that line the Promenade des Anglais and engraved with the name of each victim.

French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the large crowd gathered in Place Massena for the ceremony. Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger, Prince’s Palace

Addressing the gathering, President Macron paid tribute to those who lost their lives and to the first responders whose courage helped save countless others.

“We have forgotten no name, no face, no story,” he declared, praising those who rushed to help amid the chaos. “They were, in the barbarity of that night, the worthy children of French fraternity.”

Macron also reaffirmed the Republic’s commitment to those still living with the consequences of the attack.

“Ten years on, the Republic stands beside you. It remembers, it supports, it protects and it fights,” he said, while promising that efforts to establish the full truth surrounding the events of that night would continue as judicial investigations into security failings remain ongoing.

Representatives of victims’ associations reflected on the long road to recovery, stressing that resilience does not mean forgetting.

“One never turns the page after losing a child, a parent, a friend or a part of oneself,” said Patrick Prigent, president of Life for Nice.

As night fell, nearly 20,000 people gathered once again on the Promenade des Anglais for a moving public tribute. A drone show involving 2,016 illuminated drones filled the sky, spelling out the words Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité to the music of Calogero’s Les Feux d’Artifice. The display concluded with 86 blue beams of light projected into the night sky as the names of the victims were read once more.

Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger, Prince’s Palace

The youngest victim was just two years old; the oldest was 79. Nearly half were foreign nationals and around 30 were Muslim, a reminder of the diversity of those whose lives were taken that evening.

The anniversary was also observed beyond Nice. Before kick-off in the Women’s Football World Cup semi-final between France and Spain in Arlington, Texas, players and spectators observed a minute’s silence while the stadium’s giant screens displayed the heart-shaped emblem created from the names of the victims.

Throughout the day, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene spent time speaking with the families and friends of victims who had gathered for the ceremony, offering their personal support and sharing a moment of remembrance with those whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy. Their presence underscored the close ties between Monaco and Nice, and the Principality’s continued commitment to standing alongside its neighbour in honouring the victims of one of the Riviera’s darkest days.

Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger / Prince’s Palace

A symbolic sky: 2016 drones mark 10th anniversary of Nice terrorist attack

by: Virginia D’Umas
15/07/2026

On the evening of Tuesday 14th July, the skies above the Promenade des Anglais were transformed into a canvas of light and memory. To mark the 10th anniversary of the 2016 terrorist attack, the city of Nice held a fitting tribute, replacing traditional fireworks with a sophisticated drone display.

The commemorative event featured 2,016 drones, a number chosen specifically to represent the year of the tragedy. Accompanying the drones, 86 beams of light pierced the night sky, each one a dedicated symbol honouring the 86 lives lost in the attack.

“We wanted to pay tribute to the victims, the city, and the nation,” said Caroline Constantin, who led the mission’s artistic design. “Working alongside victims’ associations since mid-December, our goal was to focus on resilience. We wanted to move away from the drama and instead offer a moment of hope and reflection on life continuing.”

Returning to the Promenade

For the survivors and families of the victims, the evening was deeply personal. Many, for whom returning to the site of the attack had been an insurmountable challenge, found that this year offered a necessary, gentle space for closure. The decision to move away from traditional pyrotechnics provided a quieter, more ethereal environment for the city to remember, a shift that many residents welcomed after a decade of avoiding the Promenade on this date.

A significant city investment

The display, which saw the city coordinate closely with four victims’ associations, represents a change in how Nice approaches its annual commemorations. With costs estimated between €100,000 and €200,000, the project was a deliberate choice by city leadership, including former mayor Christian Estrosi and current Mayor of Nice Éric Ciotti, to provide a respectful alternative to the fireworks that were customary before 2016.

A collective act of remembrance

For the large crowds gathered along the shoreline, the performance was more than a visual display; it was a collective act of remembrance. As the drones formed symbolic shapes and the 86 beams of light anchored the horizon, the city of Nice demonstrated a profound capacity for resilience, proving that the memory of those lost remains central to the heart of the community.

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Main photo by Virginia D’Umas, Monaco Life

 

Le Méridien Beach Plaza celebrates 50 years of marine conservation with new photography exhibition

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/07/2026

Le Méridien Beach Plaza is marking the 50th anniversary of the Monegasque Association for Nature Protection (AMPN) with a new photography exhibition celebrating five decades of marine conservation in the Principality.

Running from 15th July to 15th October, the exhibition, 50 Years of Commitment to Biodiversity, takes over the hotel’s Méridien Hub, offering visitors a visual journey through the history of Monaco’s Marine Protected Areas and the people who have worked to preserve them.

Founded in 1976 at the request of Prince Rainier III, the AMPN was established to help Monaco play a meaningful role in protecting the Mediterranean Sea. The association has since become a driving force in marine conservation, managing the Larvotto Marine Protected Area since its creation in 1976 and extending its stewardship to the Spélugues Marine Protected Area a decade later. Today, these sites are recognised internationally as models for urban marine conservation.

Over the past five decades, the association has led pioneering scientific research, ecological restoration programmes and long-term monitoring of marine habitats, while also introducing innovative conservation initiatives, including the world’s first 3D-printed artificial reefs in 2017. Alongside its scientific work, the organisation has placed education and public awareness at the heart of its mission, believing that inspiring future generations is essential to protecting the world’s oceans.

A visual journey through Monaco’s marine heritage

The exhibition is organised around six themes—Protect, Develop, Restore, Study, Innovate and Inspire—and combines archive material with contemporary photography to chart the evolution of Monaco’s marine conservation efforts.

Visitors will discover the creation and management of the Principality’s protected marine areas, major scientific discoveries, restoration projects and technological innovations that have helped safeguard one of the Mediterranean’s richest coastal ecosystems.

A longstanding partnership

Hosting the exhibition reflects Le Méridien Beach Plaza’s long-standing collaboration with the AMPN. As Monaco’s only hotel with a private beach directly bordering the Larvotto Marine Protected Area, the hotel has worked alongside the association on numerous environmental initiatives, including beach and underwater clean-ups, educational activities for children, awareness programmes for guests and staff, and support for conservation projects.

The Larvotto Marine Protected Area, which covers 33 hectares of Monaco’s coastline, is home to extensive Posidonia seagrass meadows and a remarkable diversity of marine life, including groupers, moray eels, octopus and spiny lobsters.

The exhibition forms part of Le Méridien’s global Unlock Art™ programme, which aims to connect guests with the cultural identity of each destination through exhibitions, artistic collaborations and exclusive cultural experiences. In Monaco, hotel guests can also enjoy complimentary admission to exhibitions at the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco by presenting their room key.

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Photo taken from exhibition panel.