Standing side by side with a host of French dignitaries in the Forest of Compiègne, Monaco’s Prince Albert II joined the solemn commemorations of the signing of the Armistice that heralded the end of WWI on 11th November 1918.
Earlier this week, Prince Albert travelled to the city of Compiègne in the Oise region of northern France in anticipation of Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day or Veterans Day, on 11th November.
The city, along with the nearby town of Rethondes, is historically linked to the signing of the Armistice by the Allies of World War I and Germany. It was in a railway carriage between the two communes that French military leader and Allied supreme commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch, the Allied delegation and the German plenipotentiaries met to sign the document.
Prince Albert, who was accompanied by his nephew Pierre Casiraghi, began his day with lunch at the Compiègne town hall before travelling out to the Glade of the Armistice for the more formal remembrance ceremony.
The ceremony was conducted in the presence of Philippe Marini, mayor of Compiègne and Honorary Senator of the Oise; Marie-Claire Carrère-Gée, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister of France for Government Coordination; Catherine Séguin, prefect of the Oise; and Renaud Girard, a journalist and geopolitics expert who was the event’s guest of honour, as well as numerous civilian and military figures from across the country and 400 children from surrounding towns and cities.
All had gathered to pay tribute to the soldiers and victims of the Great War, which ended 106 years ago.
Following the ceremony, Monaco’s Prince Albert paid a visit to the Armistice Memorial war museum, where he signed the tribute books of the city and the site. Fifty-one years ago, Princess Grace of Monaco, Prince Albert’s mother, had signed the same treasured pages of the Armistice Memorial book.
Writing in the Memorial’s book, Prince Albert penned: “In the wake of my centenary-year visit on 6 December 2018, and as a sign of family loyalty and personal attachment to the memory of the Great War, the crucible of the 20th century, I wished to attend an 11th November commemoration in the clearing of Rethondes. The significance of the date undoubtedly enhances the symbolism of this place of remembrance.”
His words in the book dedicated to Compiègne read: “To the city of Compiègne, which history has shaped as one of the great symbols of France, from the monarchy to the Republic, through the Second Empire. With my gratitude for its continued hospitality, which allows us to remember the centuries-old shared destiny that binds the Principality of Monaco to your country.”
Prince Albert’s day concluded with a ceremony at the Memorial of Internment and Deportation, located at the Royallieu Camp, where he laid a wreath in tribute to the victims of internment.
In a statement released by the Palais Princier de Monaco, the Prince’s team noted that the visit would have been deeply personal to Prince Albert, whose great-grandfather, Prince Louis II, voluntarily joined the French army in 1914 and distinguished himself as a liaison officer on the General Staff of the 5th Army, notably during the battle of Chemin des Dames, one of the deadliest episodes of WWI.
To see more photographs from Prince Albert’s visit, click on the images below:
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Photos credit: Michaël Alesi / Palais Princier de Monaco