H.S.H. Prince Albert II
HSH Prince Albert II is the son of Prince Rainier III (1923-2005) and Grace Kelly (1929-1982), an American actress of international renown. HSH Prince Albert II is also the grandson of three-time Olympic rowing champion John Kelly Sr (Summer Olympics 1920 and 1924). His uncle was John Kelly Jr, an Olympic bronze medallist of the 1956 Summer Games. To date, HSH Prince Albert II is the only Sovereign who has both a grandfather and an uncle as Modern Olympics medallists.
H.S.H. Prince Albert II's biography
HSH Prince Albert II is the son of Prince Rainier III (1923-2005) and Grace Kelly (1929-1982), an American actress of international renown. HSH Prince Albert II is also the grandson of three-time Olympic rowing champion John Kelly Sr (Summer Olympics 1920 and 1924). His uncle was John Kelly Jr, an Olympic bronze medallist of the 1956 Summer Games. To date, HSH Prince Albert II is the only Sovereign who has both a grandfather and an uncle as Modern Olympics medallists.
On April 6, 2005, He succeeded his father, thus becoming Head of State. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II is strongly committed to the protection of the environment and the promotion of sustainable development. He pursues his father’s will to set Monaco as an international example in the protection of the environment. For that reason, in June 2006, he created The Prince Albert II Foundation.
HSH Prince Albert II is an avid sportsman. He participates in numerous sporting disciplines, from athletics to football, tennis, judo, rowing, sailing, skiing, squash, swimming, bobsleigh and modern pentathlon. He competed for Monaco in the bobsled event at every Winter Olympics from 1988 to 2002. He also took part in the Paris-Dakar rally in 1985 and in 1986. Since 1987, He is the founding President of The Bobsleigh, Toboggan and Skeleton Federation of Monaco (Fédération Monégasque de Bobsleigh, Luge et Skeleton).
In 2001, He won Monaco’s Modern Pentathlon games for celebrities (the “Pro-Célébrités de Pentathlon Moderne”) while competing alongside Joël Bouzou.
His Serene Highness has been member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1985. He has also chaired the Monaco Swimming Federation from 1983 onwards. Since 1984, He has also been Chairman of the Monaco Yacht Club and the Monegasque Athletics Federation. In 1994, He became President of the Monaco Olympic Committee.
He has been Honorary President of the International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) since 1997. In addition, He is a member of the Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Honorary President of the International Athletics Foundation.
Since 2012, He has been a member of the Administration Council of the International Olympic Truce Foundation (IOTF).
From 2007, Peace and Sport, “l’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport”, has been placed under His Patronage. This international organization is based in the Principality of Monaco. It aims at promoting peace and social stability by using the power of sport. The organization is taking concrete actions in post-conflict zones of extreme poverty, or areas at risks of a breakdown in social cohesion.
In 2011 HSH Prince Albert II also became Patron of the World Olympians Association (WOA). He has been Chair of The IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission since 2015.