After spending a day touring key Grimaldi heritage sites in Brittany with his family, Prince Albert II continued his tour of northern France, crossing over to La Manche to explore local towns and villages with historic connections to the Principality’s dynastic Grimaldi family.
After visiting Matignon, Plévenon, Moyon Villages and Saint-Lô the day prior, the schedule for 10th April took Prince Albert first to Percy-en-Normandie, where he was welcomed by Mayor Charly Varin.
The Prince then attended a ceremony to bless a recently restored 16th-century bell at the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, which had been honoured with the patronage of Prince Honoré III of Monaco in 1751. It had originally come from the chapel of Mesnil-Céron, a former Grimaldi stronghold, before being moved to the church in Percy during the French Revolution.
Prince Albert later inaugurated a new local market, where he looked very much at home meeting artisans and producers from the region.
See more: Photos: Princely Family explore ancestral roots in the Côtes-d’Armor
Next came Torigny-les-Villes, where the Prince visited the Château des Matignon, which now serves as the town hall. Here, Prince Albert attended a conference about Jacques III de Matignon, Count of Torigny, who died in 1725. With this year marking the 300th anniversary of his death, Prince Albert paid tribute to his ancestor – the father of the future Prince Jacques of Monaco – acknowledging the impact and influence the military man had on the region.
Later, the family visited the Church of Saint-Laurent, where many of their northern French ancestors are buried, before viewing restoration work at the former Hôtel-Dieu chapel, an effort supported by Prince Albert.
The final stop of the tour took Prince Albert to Saint-Martin-des-Besaces in Calvados, which was merged with the town of Souleuvre-en-Bocage in 2016.
During the visit, the Prince commemorated the legacy of his ancestor, Prince Honoré V, who lived in the town in the early 19th century. Honoré V introduced innovative agricultural and social reforms, benefiting as many as 40 surrounding communities. Prince Albert unveiled a plaque welcoming Saint-Martin-des-Besaces to the Grimaldi Historic Sites Network, before touring the Musée de la Percée du Bocage, a site dedicated to the Normandy landings of 1944.
Throughout the visit, the Prince was warmly received by local dignitaries, including mayors, prefects and regional officials, all of whom celebrated the deep historical and cultural connections between Monaco and the region.
To see more photographs of Prince Albert’s visit to Normandy, click on the images below:
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Photo credit: Eric Mathon / Palais Princier de Monaco