Monaco Prince Takes Pole Position
More used to Grand Prix cars than dog sleighs, Monaco's Prince
Albert's forthcoming trek to the North Pole has been greeted
with surprise by many.
But the Prince is fairly accustomed to the cold, in contrast to
the Mediterranean warmth of Monaco where he became
ruler last July following the passing of his father Prince
Rainier, who had ruled the tax haven for over 50 years.
Albert represented Monaco at the last five Winter Olympic Games
in their Bobsleigh team. And he is going to face some cold and
hostile conditions on his seven day trip to bring to the
attention of fellow world leaders the environmental damage to
the arctic regions that global warming is having.
Speaking at a recent news conference in Monaco, Albert explained
his thinking behind the trip to assembled journalists.
'If in our modest way, by this action we are able to bring
environmental problems to the forefront and force some leaders
to take stronger actions, this expedition will have achieved its
objectives'.
Environmentalists have welcomed Albert's expedition, and his
image in the world's media is changing from that of a playboy
millionaire to a responsible leader.
In 2002 47 year old Prince Albert agreed to a DNA test to show
whether he was the father to a boy born to a former air hostess
he had had a relationship with, and more recently has been
linked by the press with 23 year old South African swimming
champion Charlene Wittstock.
But one of the first actions he took after succeeding to the
throne was to sign the Kyoto Protocol, taking Monaco outside of
the small group of countries that had failed to ratify the
treaty, designed to reduce the world's emissions of greenhouses
gases.
Monaco Grand Prix
The Monaco Prince Albert inherited from his father is now the
world's best known tax haven, and the ultimate European
destination for luxury hotels, including the Hotel de Paris,
frequently quoted in guides as among the top ten in the world.
Local on-line travel guide http://www.yourmonaco.com comment
that Prince Albert's interest in the world's environment sets a
different agenda than that of his father, who transformed the
principality in his reign into an economically safe country for
the world's wealthy to live and invest.
Residents of the principality enjoy a zero rated income tax.
As well as being a tax haven, Monaco hosts the best known
Formula 1 Grand Prix of the year around the streets of Monte
Carlo and Fontveille in May. Over recent years Monaco has also
become a destination of choice for the super-rich in September,
when it hosts the Monaco Yacht Show.
And while the Grand Prix and Yacht Show fill the hotels in Monte
Carlo and Monaco each year, and on an everyday basis every
second car seems to be an Aston Martin or Ferrari, locals hope
that Prince Albert doesn't look too close to home when it comes
to his concern for the environment. Cancelling the Monaco Grand
Prix in 2007 to show his concern for the environment would
certainly grab world headlines, but might not be a popular
decision among his subjects.
YourMonaco.com feel that there is little danger of this though -
Albert is after all the son of Hollywood star Grace Kelly, and
future media appearances could just as well be in celebrity
magazines as environment campaign ones.