Prince Albert of Monaco Goes To The North Pole
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 sunshine 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.
Prince Albert represented Monaco at the last five Winter Olympic
Games in their Bobsleigh team. But even that is unlikely to
compare as he faces cold and hostile conditions on his seven day
trip, to highlight the environmental damage to the arctic
regions that global warming is having.
At a recent news conference in Monte Carlo, Albert explained his
thinking behind the trip to 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'.
Environment campaigners 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 28 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.
One local on-line travel guide comments 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 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.
Locals 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 environmentally friendly ones.