Life carries on royally in Monaco
PINK PALACE
The entire country of Monaco is less than two square kilometres and, when I was there, it was one big smelly racetrack. The Grand Prix was in town. Or, to be precise, the town was the Grand Prix. You can hear the roar from one end of the country to the other. The meticulously clean public elevators that help the rich and lazy get around the mountainous nation are packed with tourists. The English- style pub is overflowing with Americans. Even the public jogging path, a strip of sidewalk with a special cushion covering, is clogged with people standing still and hooting as the cars whip past. Monaco is not spacious at the best of times. It is sometimes called Manhattan on the Mediterranean because of the astounding number of skyscrapers crammed into the tiny independent country. Around 30,000 people live here, 5,000 actual citizens and 25,000 happy tax dodgers. The country is surrounded on three sides by France, and on the fourth side by perfectly manicured beaches that tickle the edge of the Mediterranean. There is no escape from the Bentleys, Rolexes and yachts. But Monaco is very misleading. It is not the decadent den of iniquity that it pretends to be. At least, not always. There are actually two Monacos. The world of casinos, call girls and cocktail parties, enjoyed by, among others, the expats. And the world of churches, family dinners and secrets lived in by the citizens. The country is run by the prince and his team for their own benefit ( as with many countries); but also, remarkably, for the benefit of the citizens. To be a Monegasque is to be charmed. They get subsidized housing, first crack at jobs, and excellent health care and education. They are well looked after and, in return, don’t fuss too much about living under a system of government that went out of style in the rest of Europe more than a century ago. Most Monegasques looked on the last prince, Rainier III, as a father figure. He was generous but also stern. Yes, Monegasques have a cushy life, but they are also banned from gambling in the country’s casino. And, while all Monegasque children are invited to the Pink Palace at Christmas, every public centimetre of the country is thought to be constantly monitored by closed circuit TV. ( Prince Rainier used to like to say: “ It is a place where a woman can walk home in her best jewels, should she so wish.”) Most citizens approve, having decided long ago to trust their government to know what is best. The government of Monaco has launched a range of megaprojects, many taking on the characteristics of the monarchs who instituted them. Prince Rainier’s great- grandfather was a marine biologist, hence the country’s excellent oceanographic museum located conveniently near the palace.
Rainier’s grandfather was a military man. The result? A Napoleonic museum actually within the palace. Rainier’s wife, Princess Grace (the ex-movie star Grace Kelly) created a doll museum and an institute of Irish studies. All this in a place with a population that could fit into the Rogers Centre.
Rainier himself had a thing for circuses and fireworks (there are big festivals for both), but his main fixation was with Monaco itself. He made sure the country grew but brought the citizens along with it. He weaned the economy off the casinos and made the nation into a pharmaceutical and banking power. He defended Monaco’s independence against a very grumpy France. And he reclaimed huge swaths of land from the sea, while making sure environmental concerns were taken into account.
In fact, thanks to him, it seems like every building has a roof garden. Every available inch of public space is planted. And the country even has a botanical garden with a world- class collection of cacti. It turns out that if you want to build in Monaco you have to devote 45 to 65 per cent of the surface of the land to green space. This mini- Manhattan is blooming. Grand Prix weekend aside.
Prince Rainier III died in April 2005 after reigning for 56 years. The question now is how will the new royals remake Monaco in their image.
Rainier was succeeded by his 47- year- old son, Olympic bobsledder Albert II. Famous party boy Albert never married but recently admitted to having a child with a French- Togolese stewardess. The child is not in the line of succession, so unless something changes Albert will probably be succeeded by one of his sisters or their offspring.
Princess Caroline has been married three times, currently to a German prince. Princess Stephanie has several children out of wedlock and has been married and divorced twice. The citizens of Monaco can’t help but be a bit nervous about their new father figure, but so far Albert is doing fine. There is a real love for the country that permeates the entire family. They are linked to it forever. If it fails, they have failed. They may have problems, but the royal family of Monaco truly wants what is best for their domain.
It may seem feudal; in fact, it may be feudal, but on this small scale it works. So far. Good luck Albert. ‰ For more information on Monaco: visitmonaco. com; www. gouv. mc Cleo Paskal is a Montreal-based freelance writer.