Prince Albert II pays tribute to his mother during visit to Ireland
© Ed Reid / Prince's Palace
The Sovereign unveiled a statue of Princess Grace, an image of Grace Kelly from one of her famous films.
On Thursday 16 March, Prince Albert II travelled to Newport in Ireland to unveil a statue of his mother, Princess Grace, whose grandfather (John Henry Kelly) was born on the outskirts of the town. Alongside the Sovereign were his cousin John B. Kelly and members of his family, as well as representatives of the Republic of Ireland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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The Sovereign was involved in the creation of the sculpture by the artist Mark Rode, personally choosing the image that would represent his mother: from the Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief. It was an emotional and proud moment as he sat down next to her on the bench.
A quick detour to the Irish bookshop in Monaco
Before leaving on Wednesday 15th March, the Sovereign ‘popped in’ to the Princess Grace Irish Library with his children, to celebrate St Patrick’s Day a little ahead of time. Every 17 March, this Christian feast day celebrates the patron saint of Ireland, with music featuring strongly. The library therefore asked students from the Rainier III Academy to perform a Celtic harp concert.
On Friday, the Prince’s Palace was lit up in green, the colour of the shamrock, symbol of Ireland. The Prince made a subtle nod to this during his visit, by way of a lapel pin and his tie.
