In the refined setting of the Salon Bleu of the Palais Princier, Monaco marked its Fête Nationale on Tuesday, November 18, with a ceremony honoring excellence in the arts and cultural life. Presided over by S.A.S. le Prince Albert II, the event highlighted the Principality’s enduring commitment to celebrating those whose work sustains and elevates its cultural identity.
This year, S.A.S. la Princesse Stéphanie was elevated to the grade of Commandeur de l’Ordre du Mérite Culturel. She received the distinction from S.A.R. la Princesse de Hanovre, joined by her children, Louis Ducruet and Camille Gottlieb. The honor recognizes her decades-long dedication to Monaco’s cultural and associative landscape, notably through her unwavering support of the circus arts and her many initiatives on behalf of the community.
In her remarks, the Princesse de Hanovre underscored culture as a vital bien commun, a shared good that both shapes and reflects the Principality. The Fête Nationale, she noted, offers a moment to bring forward those who, through talent, passion, or devotion, contribute to Monaco’s artistic and intellectual stature.
Six additional honorees were celebrated this year, representing a broad spectrum of disciplines—from circus arts and visual arts to music, heritage conservation, patronage, and cultural mediation. Described as “poets of gesture and material, bearers of emotion and meaning,” they collectively sustain a cultural dialogue rooted in history, attentive to nature, and open to modernity.
The Princesse de Hanovre also paid tribute to Joséphine Baker, for whom Monaco was an ultimate patrie de cœur, and to Pierre Boulez, a towering figure of artistic modernity whose legacy remains deeply intertwined with the Principality.
Photo credits: Frédéric Nebinger / Palais princier