Monaco: Prince Rainiers Funeral
12 April 2005
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A host of foreign royals have confirmed their attendance for the funeral of Monaco's Prince Rainier this week.Royal aides have drawn up an extensive list of overseas dignitaries expected to attend Friday's service (15.04.05), which will be held in the city's 19th century cathedral.Neighbouring French President Jacques Chirac was the first to confirm his attendance at the ceremony. He announced yesterday (12.04.05) that he and wife Bernadette, who met the late monarch on a sting of occasions, would be travelling down to the principality where Rainier will be interred in the royal tomb alongside his Hollywood actress wife, Grace Kelly, who died in a car crash in 1982.Other royals expected at the service include Denmark's newly-single Prince Joachim, who this week finalised his divorce from his 40-year-old wife and Britain's Prince Andrew.The Duke of York will represent the British royal family after Buckingham Palace officials said the 45-year-old prince, who is Queen Elizabeth's second son, will travel in place of his older brother, Prince Charles who will still be honeymooning in Scotland.Last week, a palace spokeswoman said the queen would not force Charles - who would usually represents the family at such high-profile events - to interrupt his break after he was forced to delay his wedding last week so he could attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II.Instead, it has been agreed that the Duke of York can make the trip, because his 78-year-old mother no longer travels overseas for funerals.Meanwhile, more than 1,000 police officers have been drafted into oversee the ceremony from land, sea and air to protect the high-profile guests and huge crowds expected to gather in the capital.
In recent days steady stream of visitors have been filing into Monaco's Palatine Chapel to pay their respects to the popular royal who died last week aged 81 from respiratory problems and are expected to stay on for Friday's funeral.
Royal well-wishers have had four days to mark the passing of the popular royal, known as 'The Builder Prince'- after his body was laid out last Sunday (10.04.05).
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