#Beatrice princess principal

[tofumaple]

Sketches

[bloodraven55]

in all seriousness the princess principal dub is 100% worth watching if only for this one absolutely perfect line delivery 💀

[gachagachaart]

[artotto1235]

Beatrice

May 21, 2022

[animemakeblog]

“Princess Principal: Crown Handler Movie 3” The Movie and Trailer

The third installment's trailer for the Crown Handler movie series was made available on the Princess franchise's official website. The movie made by Actas will debut in Japan on April 7, according to the video.

[houseofbrat]

All the way back on 20 May 2024, Rebecca English attempted to give proof of life for Kate, when she published a story about Kate & "The Early Years." The general public hasn't seen Kate since her CANCER! announcement video on 22 March 2024, but Rebecca has the inside scoop on how Kate is still the "driving force" behind her Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood! [archive link]

And wouldn't you know it, Rebecca's story, which was an attempt to quell rumors of "where is Kate?", has only increased in the scrutiny!

The next day, 21 May 2024, William hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace with Peter Philips, Zara & Mike Tindall, Beatrice, and Eugenie, and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. As Rebecca English noted,

During the garden party William will meet guests from a number of both his own and his wife's patronages, military affiliations and passion projects including his Homewards initiative to combat homelessness, RAF Valley (the Welsh base where the prince worked as an RAF Search and rescue pilot), Swim England and tenants across the Duchy of Cornwall sites. The inclusion of those with links to the Princess of Wales suggests that when planning for the garden party began last year it had been expected that Kate would attend. [archive link]

On the 22 May 2024, Buckingham Palace announced to the press that there would be a reduction in royal engagements due to the election on 04 July 2024. William had to cancel an engagement previously scheduled for 23 May 2024 due to the now upcoming election.

Also on 22 May 2024, El Nacional in Spain, published an article stating that Kate is lonely, home alone with her "three children," and has marriage difficulties with William.

Cut to the next day, 23 May 2024, Richard Eden of the Daily Mail has suddenly gotten info from Kate's friends about her recovery! We won't see Kate "until the autumn."

She has not undertaken any public engagements this year and friends I spoke to in the past few days suggest we might not see Catherine again until the autumn – and only then if she has recovered fully. [archive link]

Continuing on, 24 May 2024, Tom Sykes of The Daily Beast, publishes that Kate "will probably 'not appear in public for the rest of the year.'"

One source said they do not expect to see Kate back in any kind of public-facing role in the medium term, adding it was possible she would remain absent from public life for the rest of the year. The source said: “Lots of people involved in planning need to know what all the principals are doing a long way in advance. I am told that Kate’s diary for this year is empty. There is nothing planned. She may not appear in public for the rest of the year.” [...] The friend said that Kate has preferred to lean on and confide in her family rather than her and William’s circle of friends, many of whom will be at the Duke of Westminster’s wedding next month (along with her husband, who is best man). [...] The Daily Beast has been told by fellow parents at the smart private school which Kate’s children attend that she has not been seen at the sports matches and the other school events she and her husband usually attend. However, she is understood to have done occasional school runs, one parent said, but while keeping a low profile. “There have been rumors she has done drop-off, but I haven’t seen her since the video,” said one. [archive link]

Subsequently, the next week, on Monday, 27 May 2024, Rebecca English published an EXCLUSIVE! in the Daily Mail about how Kate "has been inundated with ‘tens of thousands’ of get well soon cards and gifts."

But the outpouring of support for the princess continues- and palace staff have received thousands and thousands of cards, letters and gifts from members of the public offering their support and good-wishes. The sheer volume of correspondence has at times been difficult for the team to cope with. But staff do aim to reply to all the writers, eventually. [archive link]

Amazingly, the Kensington Palace communications team decided not to film a short video--or even a photo!--visually documenting Kate with said influx of "cards, letters and gifts." How hard would have been--at Kate's leisure!--to pose for a single photo or video documenting all the "support and good-wishes" she has received? Kate apparently is unable to pose for a single photo, even with the aid of photoshop.

Then the very next day, Tuesday, 28 May 2024, Tatler (UK) posts an article about Kate being seen "out and about" via Rebecca English's (27 May) article about Kate receiving "thousands and thousands of cards, letters and gifts."

US Weekly also posts an "exclusive" article on 28 May 2024 that Kate "has been seen out and about more with her family in recent weeks" by using Rebecca English's reporting on the "get well soon cards and gifts." [archive link]

Concurrently on 28 May 2024, Katie Nicholl posts in Vanity Fair that "reports claiming that Princess Kate is unlikely to be back at work until next year are inaccurate." Yet, her statement that "reports that Kate Middleton has been seen out and about with her family in recent days," comes straight from People magazine.

People magazine's EXCLUSIVE! reporting on Kate being "spotted out with family" seemingly originates from Rebecca English's article published one day earlier, on the 27th.

The Princess of Wales, 42, has remained out of the public eye since publicly announcing her cancer diagnosis in March as she undergoes chemotherapy. However, Kate has recently been spotted out with her family and solo running errands, sources tell PEOPLE. Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace has received "tens of thousands" of well-wishes for the royal via letters and gifts, the Daily Mail reports.

Not so EXCLUSIVE! was it, People?

Wednesday, 29 May 2024, Eastern Daily Press (UK), EXCLUSIVELY revealed that Will & Kate were seen shopping in Holt, England.

An eyewitness who was in the shop at the time said "it was nice to see the couple shopping together" and noted that William had purchased some chocolate.  [...] A spokeswoman from Bakers & Larners said: “We are always honoured to be visited by the Royal Family and Tuesday was no different- we look forward to seeing Their Royal Highnesses in Holt again soon." [archive link]

Oh, so Will & Kate were spotted on Tuesday?

The day after Becky English's EXCLUSIVE! story?

Convenient in that no one bothered to snap a photo of the two of them in Holt. At. All.

And where is Holt in relation to Anmer Hall, which is in Norfolk?

Continuing on, Thursday, 30 May 2024, Kensington Palace confirms Kate will not take part in the Colonel's Review on 08 June 2024.

Also on 30 May 2024, Newsweek reported:

The British royals have been urged to come up with a plan to manage press and public expectations about Princess Kate's health and return to duties if her absence continues beyond the summer and into the fall. "They're going to have to come back from the August break with a plan for how to manage public opinion," Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston, told a British news show on Wednesday. [archive link]

Richard Eden reports on 31 May 2024 that Kate "could" take a role at the Royal Thames Yacht club.

Just as hearteningly, they learned that its next most senior honorary position, that of Commodore, which Charles held for 12 years while Prince of Wales, would remain unfilled — fuelling hopes that it will be taken by the Princess of Wales when her own battle with cancer is safely behind her. [...] A friend of the Princess of Wales tells me: 'Decisions about her patronages are on hold until doctors give her the green light to return to public engagements.' [archive link]

How hard would it be to give a "no" if she's not interested in that patronage altogether? It could be done very easily privately, instead of letting the Daily Mail's pearl-clutcher-in-chief drone on about Kate following in King Charles's footsteps.

Finishing out the week, on 01 June 2024, Natasha Livingstone of the Daily Mail reports that Scotland Yard still is not investigating the alleged "breach" of Kate's medical records at The London Clinic.

Staff at the prestigious hospital at the centre of a data breach over the Princess of Wales's private medical records may have had to contend with a 'decoy' trap set by managers, experts believe. The MoS can reveal that, three months on, The London Clinic remains under investigation and the case has not yet been referred to Scotland Yard, despite Health Minister Maria Caulfield stating in March that police had been asked to look at it. Bosses at the hospital launched a probe after it was claimed at least one staff member had attempted to access personal details about Kate following her planned abdominal surgery in January. [...] Now several data specialists have told this newspaper that, if the breach occurred, staff could have been caught through a 'decoy' tactic used by private hospitals that often have high-profile clients. To protect the health data of VIP patients, hospitals often store it in a file under a fake name. A 'decoy' file is then created under the celebrity's real name. This contains false information and is regularly checked by bosses to see if any wayward staff have opened it without permission. If a breach is suspected, hospitals are required to launch their own inquiry while the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) investigates whether management did anything wrong. But this process is laboriously slow. [archive link]

Looks like another round of

Because The Mirror's Russell Myers conveniently published the EXCLUSIVE! scoop about the alleged "breach" of Kate's medical records on 19 March 2024, THREE DAYS before everyone watched the video of Kate sitting on a bench saying the word "CANCER!" on 22 March 2024.

And then there was that now missing Daily Mail story from 01 April 2024 about how Kate's CANCER! video announcement "rushed out" after her diagnosis was "leaked."

The Princess of Wales’s video announcement detailing her cancer treatment was rushed out by Kensington Palace aides after her diagnosis had been leaked, the Mail can reveal. Kate Middleton confirmed she had been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing 'preventative chemotherapy’ for the disease in a video message on March 22. However, a well-placed source has revealed the timing of the video nothing to do with the speculation that would have come from her missing church on Easter morning, but instead because someone had knowledge of her health condition. Kensington Palace had been contacted about Kate’s diagnosis, leaving no option but to hurry to get ahead of the story, the insider told the Daily Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle column.  It is unclear as to whether the leak came from within The London Clinic, where the Princess underwent abdominal surgery in January, or from elsewhere.

However, given that Kate's records may not have been breached AT ALL--if the alleged violators didn't see her actual record but a fake record--then there was no real reason why KP & Kate had to "get ahead of the story." KP didn't "get ahead" of the medical records story; they leaked the story. To Russell Myers.

American media outlet, Forbes, had an article on 17 March 2024 with the headline, "Claims About BBC Being On-Alert For Kate Middleton News Remain Unconfirmed." (Kate's CANCER! announcement video was filmed by BBC Studios on 20 March 2024.) When rumors of a future announcement are circulating on social media days before a story is actually published, you aren't attempting to "get ahead" of the story. You're priming the audience and setting the stage for your announcement. That is a PR tactic. Plain and simple.

Which brings us back to this week, with US Weekly's cover story this week with this quote about Kate's future royaling career:

According to the second source, Kate’s team is “reevaluating what she’s going to be able to take on when she comes back,” noting, “She may never come back in the role that people saw her in before.”

And Will & Kate's marriage:

The reprieve is a welcome one for the couple. “The announcement that the royals won’t be able to work as much has been unexpected, but it will allow Kate and William to spend more time together,” says the second source. “They’ve been reconnecting and are closer than ever.”

But let's not forget that Tom Sykes pointed out KP's attempt to micromanage the press:

In remarks likely to displease the palace, which has sought a blackout on reporting about Kate’s health apart from official updates, the outlet added that Kate has been spotted out and about with family and on her own.

Which sounds like the press knows more than they've published so far. Wonder how long that is going to last? It probably isn't going to work out in the long run.

Everyone over at KP seems to be unaware of the phrase "Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus."

Looks like the BRF will be managing their "Charlene situation" for a long time. A "situation" that didn't begin in April or March, but early January 2024. As in, before 15 January 2024.

Or unless some other news clarifies the situation that KP has been hiding.

[gardenofkore]

Et quia solum Guilielmum Capuanorum Principem habebat superstitem, veritus ne eumdem conditione humanae fragilitatis amitteret, Sibiliam sororem Ducis Burgundiae duxit uxorem, quae non multo post Salerni mortua est, et apud Caveam est sepulta. Tertio Beatricem filiam Comitis de Reteste in uxoris accepit, de qua filiam habuit, quem Constantiam appellavit.

Chronicon Romualdi II, archiepiscopi Salernitani, p. 16

Beatrice was born around 1135 in the county of Rethel (northern France) from Gunther (also know as Ithier) de Vitry, earl of Rethel, and Beatrice of Namur.

On her mother’s side, Beatrice descended from Charlemagne (through his son, Louis the Pious), while on the paternal side she was a grandniece of Baldwin II King of Jerusalem (her paternal grandmother Matilda, titular Countess of Rethel, was the King’s younger sister). The Counts of Rethel were also vassals of the powerful House of Champagne, known for its successful marriage politics (Count Theobald IV of Blois-Champagne’s daughter, Isabelle, would marry in 1143 Duke Roger III of Apulia, eldest son of King Roger II of Sicily).

In 1151, Beatrice married this same Roger. The King of Sicily was at his third marriage at this point. His first wife had been Elvira, daughter of King Alfonso VI the Brave of León and Castile and of Galicia, who bore him six children (five sons and one daughter). However, when four of his sons (Roger, Tancred, Alphonse and the youngest, Henry) died before him, leaving only William as his heir, Roger II must have feared for his succession. In 1149, the King then married Sibylla, daughter of Duke Hugh II of Burgundy. She bore him a son, Henry (named after his late older brother), and two years later died of childbirth complications giving birth to a stillborn son. As this second Henry died young too, Roger thought about marrying for a third (and hopefully last) time.

It is possible that Roger’s choice of his third wife had been influenced by the future bride’s family ties with the Crusader royalties as Beatrice was related with both Queen Melisende of Jerusalem and the Queen’s niece Constance of Hauteville, ruling Princess of Antioch. Constance was also a first cousin once removed of Roger, who had (unsuccessfully) tried to snatch the Antiochian principality from her when her father Bohemond II was killed in battle 1130, leaving his two years old daughter as heir.

Beatrice bore Roger only a daughter, Constance, who was born in Palermo on November 2nd 1154. This baby girl (who would one day become Queen of Sicily) never knew her father as he died on February 26th.

Nothing certain is known about her widowed life, although we can suppose she took care of her only daughter. Beatrice died in Palermo on March 30th 1185, living enough to see  Constance being betrothed to Emperor Frederick Barbarossa’s son, Henry.

The body of the Dowager Queen was laid to rest in the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, together with her predecessor, Elvira, and her step-children, Henry, Tancred, Alphonse and Roger. Through her daughter, Beatrice would become Emperor Frederick II’s grandmother.

Sources

Cronica di Romualdo Guarna, arcivescovo Salernitano Chronicon Romualdi II, archiepiscopi Salernitani Versione di G. del Re, con note e dilucidazione dello stesso

Garofalo Luigi, Tabularium regiae ac imperialis capellae collegiatae divi Petri in regio panormitano palatio Ferdinandi 2. regni Utriusque Siciliae regis

Hayes Dawn Marie, Roger II of Sicily. Family, Faith, and Empire in the Medieval Mediterranean World

Houben Hubert, Roger II Of Sicily: A Ruler Between East And West

SICILY/NAPLES: COUNTS & KINGS

Walter Ingeborg, BEATRICE di Rethel, regina di Sicilia, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, vol. 7

[thebeatrice]

Fan song for "Princess Principal - Crown Handler" in the Beatles' style 😉

[bbbutterfingers]

does my girl beatrice princess principal have a last name yet

[curestardust]

Dust Watched: Princess Principal: Crown Handler 3

Genres: Mystery, Action // 1 movie (1h) // S01 (x) | M01 (x) | M02 (x)

“I’m expecting good things from the 3rd movie! Hope I’ll still remember the plot, though!“ I, in fact, did not!

✧  story  ✧

Besides a few details that I managed to fish out from the very recesses of my brain, the previous movie’s plot has been erased from my (rapidly declining) memory. So I’ll actually write down the ending of this movie for myself when the 4th one comes out a year from now but I’ll mark it as spoiler.

I’ve realized at this point, that I’m not rating movies in this case but more arcs. And this arc of “Crown Handler” was definitely a bit on the slower side for the most part, using the political situation and character relations to climb in intensity, finally concluding in the only true action scene of the movie. The ending definitely had me on edge and the ultimate conclusion surprised me just as it surprised our protagonists. If you’re invested in the story, this was a tense and (at times) hard watch. 

✧  characters  ✧

While all the girls (besides Beatrice) get to do their spy work in the story, the intrigue revolves around Charlotte and the members of the royal family, the second-in-line Princess Mary, the third-in-line Prince Richard, and the Duke of Normandy. Mary is essentially a victim of circumstance while the the Dukes are trying to accomplish their own goals with no concern for anyone else. Charlotte is caught in the crossfire of all this; her goals more align with Richard’s but his methods are completely against her own but the Duke of Normandy would work to keep up the status quo which she also doesn’t want. In the end, everything comes crashing down... and the decision is made for her.

✧  art  ✧

Considering how little action there was here, I wish the final sequence had a bit more oomph to it but besides that I don’t have any complaints.

✧ sound ✧

The music always goes above and beyond in this franchise, holy hell. Spotify when?

✧  overview ✧

This is for future me:

<SPOILER> (Read the summary for the set-up) Ending: The Uncle is a sly fucking dog, what the hell! He caught all of them while they were trying to smuggle Mary and Olivia out of the Kingdom, had Richard arrested AND is making Charlotte become reverse agent for the Kingdom to save her friends. I hate him!! <SPOILER>

My Rating: 7/10

[therubyreader]

My Review of American Royals by Katharine McGee

See a full list of my book reviews here

Review Word Count: 1,195

I know this is usually where I put my spoiler warning for my reviews but since I have decided that based on the nature of this book there aren't any major plot points that I want to talk about so this review will be spoiler free.

I will give this disclaimer though, if you're a die hard fan of this book then this review isn't for you. That isn't to say I'm going to drag this book through hell and back, but it honestly wasn't my cup of tea. I will be talking about the things in this book that I personally didn't like so if you don't want to see your favorite book besmirched by some random bitch on tumblr dot com then please keep scrolling.

On to the review!

American Royals gives all of us history nerds a peek into an alternate reality where George Washington became the king of the United States instead of its first president and how that would look in modern day. In this reality we also see how the peerage system works in the States and also how many monarchies in other parts of the world have survived. For example the French and Russian monarchies and the German principalities are alive and well in this book which was a very interesting touch that I enjoyed.

The book centers around the lives of the modern royals, Crown Princess Beatrice who is set to be America's first queen regnant, her younger sister Princess Samantha who is the exact opposite of Beatrice and suffers from an extreme case of middle child syndrome coupled with spare syndrome, and Samantha's twin Prince Jefferson a.k.a. Jeff (side note I think the name Jeff is gross and I agree with Daphne on calling him Jefferson) who is quite literally just there, chilling.

Now while I was intrigued with the concept of an alternate reality where the United States is a monarchy I honestly did not expect the book to go the way that it did. I know that just writing what life would be like with an American monarchy wouldn't sell and would be extremely boring, but let me tell you I didn't not expect to essentially get into a written telenovela. You get all of the classic traits of a novela, three (or maybe four, depends on how you count it) love triangles stacked on top of each other, betrayal, romance, dramatics, and then someone just randomly dying to advance the plot. What more can you want?

I say that but in reality I wasn't really a fan of it. Sure if you like soap operas and reality tv this book is for you, but I'm not really a fan of either so I honestly got to a point at the end where all of the plot points converged and it all just got so overwhelming for me that I struggled to finish the last, like 10% of the book. That being said I'm not going to keep reading this series, though I did Google if Beatrice ended up with my favorite boy Connor just because he was my favorite and I needed to know.

Speaking of characters I actually enjoyed all of them, I was just kind of annoyed with the insane amount of love triangles happening to them. I honestly didn't hate Daphne, I don't condone literally any of her actions because she was evil but I sympathized with her motives. In the words of a wise man, "cool motive, still murder," (no she didn't murder anyone btw, but that would've been a great plot point).

Though if you read my Gods of Jade and Shadow review you might expect my favorite character to be Nina, in Latina solidarity, but she might've actually been my least favorite character. Actually her and Daphne are tied in that spot. Main reason being how they're both juxtaposed in their endeavors to win over Jefferson, and I really want to tell them it is quite literally not that serious. We get some not very feminist differences between them, Nina is "not like other girls" and a normal girl while Daphne is the embodiment of femininity and has the makings of a princess. Also Jeff fully cheated on Daphne and then broke up with her over the phone the next day and then tried to get at Nina. And then he proceeded to play with both of their emotions and yet both of these girls were fighting over him? Those are some serious red flags, I'm going to need these girls to get up, they deserve better.

I did honestly like the relationship between Beatrice and Sam, you get to see how they're opposites for the same reason, if that makes sense. Beatrice is meant to be the next queen so she has to be perfect and because Sam is the spare she wants to be the opposite of Beatrice and a party girl who's impulsive and puts herself first. I genuinely enjoyed their dynamic and how they play off of one another.

I didn't like Jeff at all, which honestly he might be my least favorite character and Nina and Daphne get the spot right above him. Literally this dude contributes nothing to the plot besides being there for two girls to fight over him and have their own character growth because of him. It's not very feminism or Bechdel test of them (though they do have a conversation which might pass if I remember correctly). The author even tells us in the story that Sam and Jeff are supposed to be very close but we don't see it, there's only maybe two instances where you can see their close bond but really nothing beyond that. Also there is literally no interactions between Jeff and Beatrice despite them being siblings, and I get that part of the plot is that they're not super close with her and they haven't been since they were kids but like come on, they couldn't have had at least one conversation in the whole book.

I do feel like the book was definitely marketed more towards a teen audience which is partially what I get for being a grown ass adult (I'm only in my early 20s so like technically I'm closer in age to a 19 year old than a 30 year old) reading YA fiction. But either way even if I was still a teen I don't think I would've enjoyed the book more than I do now, partially due to me being a weird kid who liked to consume media that was action heavy rather than romance heavy, which honestly still holds true to this day. I will say the book isn't bad, it's just honestly not for me, I can appreciate the writing and imagination that comes with creating this alternate reality, which major props to author for committing to doing that. Overall rating, not for me but for someone else out of ten. Even though I said I wouldn't continue to read the series if someone has a really good pitch I'll perhaps give it a shot but you have to do some serious convincing.

[newsssc]

From her relationship with her mother-in-law Carolina of Monaco to her connection with fashion outside the Principality

Many know her as the wife of Pierre Casiraghi, the discreet youngest son of Princess Caroline of Monaco. However, Beatrice Borromeo (39 years old) It’s much more than that. Journalist and aristocratthe Italian one She has been working as a filmmaker and producer for some time now.He has already signed several documentaries, including one about the women of the Italian mafia and another, released…

[gachagachaart]

[hexedrosel-arts]

Now I'm thinking, would Beatrice be spoiled because she's Cindy's daughter or is she Cindy's daughter because she's spoiled? But seriously, Cindy would probably spoil her a lot and give her a princess life that unfortunately she couldn't have, and if she got bad grades or went to detention/suspended, Cindy would probably be kind and attentive to her "little angel", and if Cindy got called into the principal's office because Beatrice is bullying Nugget and Lily's daughter (this seems very canon, lol, I'm going to call Nugget and Lily's Daughter Nyllet) she probably wouldn't give a shit, and Buggs would probably raise Beatrice like a little princess too, and wouldn't care if Beatrice fought at school (if she doesn't get hurt) and Beatrice would probably grow up thinking she's different and special than everyone else and have an ego bigger than my forehead

It's most likely a mix of both, she's spoiled because she is Cindy's daughter and that's what makes her spoiled

Yeah, Buggs and Cindy are good parents in the sense of caring for their kid, but by god these two can not give her consequences. That's Cindy's little angel and Buggs' little princess and she has never faced a consequences in her life.

[m2024a]

Il Ballo di Charlène, la principessa scende in pista (e i Grimaldi sono più uniti che mai) MONTECARLO — Il Ballo della Rosa è stato il Ballo di Charlène. Scatenata in pista nella notte di sabato 23 marzo, con una tuta di paillettes dorate e un nuovo caschetto biondo. Sandali a terra per ballare agile sulle note di Gloria Gaynor. In una sala delle stelle, allo Sporting, riempita nonostante i 1.200 euro a persona e una lunga lista di attesa. E’ stata lei, la princesse de Monaco tornata più energica che mai, la star del Ballo che segna il mezzo secolo di glamour dello Sporting a Montecarlo trasformato per una sera in discoteca, da Christian Louboutin. Il principe Alberto è arrivato con Charlène, dal viaggio di coppia in Alsazia a Feldbach per svelare una nuova targa dei siti storici dei Grimaldi (dopo esser stato a Parigi per esequie di Philippe, figlio del generale De Gaulle scomparso a 102 anni). E con loro la principessa Carolina, sempre magnifica, in nero: lei la madrina del ballo. Se in passato qualcuno ha azzardato divergenze tra lei e Charlène il messaggio della presenza delle due donne attorno al principe ieri sera era chiaro: la famiglia è più unita che mai. Carolina, Charlène e Charlotte al Ballo della Rosa 2024 E poi Pierre Casiraghi e la moglie italiana, Beatrice Borromeo. Con la piccola di Carolina, Alexandra di Hannover al braccio il suo amore, Ben Sylvester Strautmann che da anni ormai affianca l’ultimogenita di Carolina. Nel Principato tutti si aspettano un fidanzamento, in fondo Ben è stato invitato anche alla riunione di famiglia a palazzo per i 66 anni di Alberto. E c’era Charlotte, sola, dopo che la sua strada sentimentale si è divisa da quella del produttore Dimitri Rassam sposato proprio al Rocher, con la benedizione dello zio Alberto, una manciata di anni fa (e fotografata di recente con lo scrittore Nicholas Mathieu, un Prix Goncourt e un figlio). Assenti Andrea Casiraghi e la moglie Tatiana. Poco più in là dello Sporting, oggi è già emersa dall’acqua la nuova isola galleggiante, MareTerra con la firma di Renzo Piano (e nelle profondità del mare è stato fatto un grande lavoro ingegneristico per far lievitare la superficie del Principato come ieri con il terrapieno di Fontvieille), che potrebbe essere consegnata a novembre-dicembre 2024. In tempo, anzi in anticipo, per festeggiare il ventennale di Alberto. E il Grimaldi Forum avrà all’inizio del 2025 più di 6 mila metri quadrati di superficie in più. Sulla nuova isola galleggiante gli appartamenti sono in vendita a 100 mila euro il metro quadro, e 11 ville sul mare a 250 mila euro al metro. Un record anche per Monaco che dopo la pandemia nel 2023 ha macinato affari e profitti. «E mia figlia Gabriella avrà una piazza tutta sua, la Place Princesse Gabriella e anche il gemello Jacques avrà una via tutta sua: ci sarà una Promenade Prince Jacques», come ci ha detto il principe che ha scelto l’architetto italiano per l’uso della luce: «Per un Paese affacciato sul mare come il nostro, la luce è tutto». Nel salotto del Carré d’Or davanti al Casinò, sulla terrazza del nuovo Café de Paris, ad aprile aprirà il ristorante Amazonico e a tagliare il nastro sarà ancora lei Charlène. Gli hotel del Principato non sono mai stati così pieni con il grande ritorno degli americani, seguiti da francesi, mediorientali, asiatici, molti cinesi, inglesi e italiani. Nella primavera di Monaco, nella Season mondana del Principato inaugurata ogni anno dal Ballo della Rosa, l’unico cruccio: i veleni dell’ex contabile del principe, rimosso dal suo incarico. Mesi fa Alberto ha infatti deciso il più radicale rimpasto da quando salì al trono nel 2005 alla morte del principe Ranieri. «Dopo vent’anni quasi bisogna rinnovare, avere il coraggio di cambiare. Ma certo non avrei voluto farlo in questo modo, però in circostanze difficili devi avere il coraggio di agire con decisione», ci ha spiegato il principe che alla vigilia del suo compleanno il 14 marzo scorso ha nominato Pierre-André Chiappori come nuovo Conseiller de Gouvernement-Ministre des Finances et de l’Economie. Un tecnico passato per l’Università di Chicago e la Columbia a New York per affrontare una fase di espansione dell’economia del Principato dopo i problemi della pandemia che aveva gelato il business alberghiero cuore del Principato. Monaco aspetta la decisione del Gafi e di Moneyval per sapere se dovrà rassegnarsi alla lista grigia nonostante il fatto che il Governo monegasco abbia fatto molto per rispettare le regole europee nell’ambito della lotta contro il riciclaggio. Il responso è atteso per giugno. «Ogni giorno ha le sue spine, piccole o grandi, ma non ho avuto sin qui le stesse difficoltà nella guida del Principato di mio padre Ranieri», ci ha detto il principe che anzi mai come adesso guida una famiglia unita e pronta a mettersi al servizio del Rocher. Il 14 marzo, compleanno del principe, l’associazione Objectif Monaco ha lanciato un flash mob vecchio stile: tutti in piazza per dare sostegno dopo gli attacchi ad Alberto. L’avevamo già fatto ai 50 anni del principe. «Tutta Monaco è con Alberto che in questi quasi vent’anni di regno il principe ha saputo guardare al futuro ed ha appena festeggiato i 66 anni in semplicità, dopo i festeggiamenti ufficiali ha riunito la famiglia in un piccolo ristorante sul mare a Eze», racconta Lia Riva, la Lady dei motoscafi che conosce bene anche la principessa Carolina che l’ha appena nominata mecenate onorario del Nouveau Musée National de Monaco voluto dalla principessa. «Carolina? E’ una donna di carattere, è lei l’anima del Bal de la Rose — continua Riva — in fondo la passione per i fiori l’ha ereditata dalla madre Grace e poi Carolina è presidente del Garden Club dove ha voluto come sua vice Cecilia Casiraghi (moglie del fratello di Stefano, il marito di Carolina vittima della tragedia in mare)». Appassionata di arte, balletto, musica e pure letteratura italiana «Carolina ha un debole per Leopardi. Ed è lei, la primogenita di Grace e Ranieri che alla nascita il principe Ranieri salutò con una goccia di champagne posata sulle sue labbra, è l’anima del Ballo della Rosa che dà il via alla stagione della mondanità a Monaco con il Gran Prix , adesso pure il Gran Prix elettrico, il Tennis dove quest’anno si aspetta Sinner e il Riva Trophy a giugno prima del via alla grande mostra d’estate al Grimaldi Forum dedicata quest’anno a Turner (dopo il sold out della mostra con cento Monet nel 2023). E Carolina porta lo stesso nome della madre di Carlo III affidò a Francois Blanc, l’imprenditore che aveva rilanciato le località turistiche tedesche, l’incarico di inventare un futuro nuovo per il Principato. Nasceva la Societé des Bains de Mer et cercle des étrangers, nasceva Monte-Carlo (dal nome del principe), con la salle Garnier e il Casinò la cui costruzione fu affidata all’architetto dell’Opéra di Parigi, Charles Garnier. E con la Sbm, oggi guidata da Stephane Valeri Il profumo di cento rose e il suono di cento violini, era stata l’intuizione mondana di Henry Astric direttore artistico della Sbm, la Société des bains de Mer et cercles des étrangers, cassaforte turistica del Principato alla cui tolda ora è arrivato Stéphane Valeri nuovo presidente e amministratore delegato. Era il 1954 e serviva rilanciare le sorti turistiche di Monaco. Voluta dal principe Carlo III nell’800 è stata Sbm che ha creato il mito di Monte-Carlo con il suo casinò, gli hotel di lusso la fama glamour che attrarrà nei secoli divine del teatro come Sarah Bernhardt, il coreografo Serge Lifar e danzatori come Diaghilev, scrittrici come Colette. Lo stesso principe che con l’Ordinanza datata 1869 assicurò ai sudditi l’esonero al tempo da «contributi fondiari, personali e mobiliari come l’imposta sulle patenti». Nasceva così nel dopoguerra, il Ballo più glamour della Costa Azzurra, il Bal de la Rose che dal 1974 ha la sua cornice nello Sporting di Monaco, sul lungomare dedicato alla principessa Grace (con il ballo ogni anno si raccolgono fondi a favore della Fondation Princess Grace creata nel 1964 per aiutare bambini e studenti con progetti culturali: 350 mila euro nel 2022 per aiutare 62 ospedali pediatrici, 300 mila alla ricerca pediatrica, 250 mila alla biblioteca irlandese e molto altro). E in mezzo secolo di balli il jet set globale è passato per questa sala con il soffitto che si apre per far entrare la notte con le stelle. Da Frank Sinatra a Liza Minelli e Josephine Baker. Merito di Grace che aprì la porta al jet set di Hollywood. «C’era sempre un viavai di attori e star invitate da mamma: Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant o David Niven», come ha ricordato il principe Alberto incontrando il Corriere. Sotto la volta celeste, negli anni ’70 per il Giubileo del principe Ranieri come per il Ballo 2024, Gloria Gaynor chiamata dalla principessa Carolina al gran finale anche del Ballo di sabato 23 marzo intitolato “Disco”: con mille luci e disco ball da discoteca, Shangela e Chad Michaels, drag queen provenienti direttamente dagli anni ‘80 e i 48 ballerini guidati dal coreografo Sadeck Berrabah. La regia del mago della moda Christian Louboutin al quale Carolina ha chiesto tre anni fa di reimmaginare la serata che apre le danze della stagione dei grandi appuntamenti a Montecarlo. «Lo spettacolo, il music hall è sempre stato la mia passione, in fondo ho iniziato lì quando lavoravo alle Folies Bergères a Parigi — come ci ha spiegato Louboutin — e la principessa Carolina, lei è la mia seconda “fata”, mi ha sostenuto e ispirato». Negli anni ’60 «scendeva» a Monaco Winston Churchill con Lady Churchill, il segretario Montague Browne e...il fedele pappagallino Toby. E il conte e la contessa di Barcellona, gli ex reali di Spagna, la principessa Maria Gabriella di Savoia, la Bégum Aga Khan e Monsieur Dior. Il 1956 con il matrimonio del principe Ranieri con la diva premio Oscar, Grace Kelly, portò infine Hollywood alla corte dei Grimaldi. Tutti (o quasi) i grandi divi approdano sul palco di Monaco, da Ella Fitzgerald a Sammy Davis Jr. Liza Minnelli, Elton John, Tina Turner e Lionel Richie, Joe Cocker e Stevie Wonder. Proprio su questo palcoscenico nel 1974 la principessa Grace portò a esibirsi Josephine Baker: ormai avanti negli anni la bellezza esotica delle notti di Parigi ebbe qui i suoi ultimi applausi (Grace l’aiutò e sostenne fino alla fine).Ma anche i francesi Charles Aznavour e Sacha Distel. Sensibile alle fragilità del mondo, era stata la principessa Grace a legare la bellezza del Ballo ai progetti benefici, quelli della Fondation Princess Grace che porta il suo nome dal 1964 che ha per missione l’aiuto a persone in difficoltà e ai bambini svantaggiati. Così Grace con il suo sorriso ha ispirato il Ballo sin da quel finire degli anni ’50, accompagnandolo fino alla prematura scomparsa nell’incidente del settembre 1982. Poi dal 1983 è la figlia Carolina, principessa di Hannover, a guidare le danze al Bal de la Rose con il fratello Alberto. Aiutata dal 1999 fino alla scomparsa dello stilista, dal suo amico Karl Lagerfeld e adesso da Louboutin. Nel marzo 2013, per il 150° anniversario della Sbm, il Ballo della Rosa era stato ribattezzato “Ballo della Rosa della Rocca”. E Karl Lagerfeld con il suo talento artistico aveva trasformato la Salle des Etoiles in una sala da ballo «Belle et Pop». Eppure nonostante la mondanità sia la chiave del successo del mito Montecarlo da secoli, Alberto ci ha confessato che «Papà, Ranieri, in realtà non amava molto la mondanità, adorava invece i momenti di tranquillità in famiglia». Come la principessa Charlène che adora il rifugio sopra Monaco di Roc Agel. Ma ieri notte si è lasciata andare sulle note della disco dance.

[a-titty-ninja]