In a Washington residence that once belonged to a US president, Monaco quietly made history last month. On 28 April, the Principality signed a formal partnership with America250 — the bipartisan congressional commission overseeing the United States’ 250th independence anniversary celebrations — becoming one of a select group of international partners contributing to what will be one of the most significant commemorations in American history.
The signing took place at the Monaco Embassy, a building with its own slice of American heritage: the Ambassador’s residence was once the home of President Warren G. Harding. It was an apt setting for an agreement rooted in the idea that the relationship between Monaco and the United States runs deeper than diplomacy.
A room full of transatlantic heavyweights
The evening, organised by Ambassador Maguy Maccario Doyle alongside America250 President Rosie Rios, drew a guest list that reflected the breadth of Monaco’s American connections. Charles Rivkin — President and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and a former US Ambassador to France and Monaco — was present, alongside René Augustine, Vice President of Public Policy at Paramount, and Bill Nelson, the former NASA Administrator, US Senator and astronaut who will visit Monaco in the coming days to speak with students about space exploration.
Also in the room were J.B. Kelly, President of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation–USA, and Ginna Levine of the Princess Grace Foundation–USA — a reminder that Monaco’s ties to America are bound up as much in culture and personality as in formal relations.
Grace Kelly, Hitchcock and Hollywood
The cultural dimension of the partnership will be celebrated with a private screening of To Catch a Thief — Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 thriller filmed on the French Riviera, which starred Grace Kelly in what would be one of her final Hollywood roles before she became Princess of Monaco. Organised by the Motion Picture Association, the screening serves as both a tribute to Grace Kelly and a reflection on the extraordinary thread that runs between a small Mediterranean principality and the world’s most powerful film industry.
Ambassador Maccario Doyle said the partnership “reflects not only a shared history, but also a shared will to build the future together.” Rosie Rios emphasised the importance of international voices in America’s anniversary — and Monaco, it seems, has plenty to say.
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Photos source: Monaco Government Communications Department