80th anniversary of the Liberation of Monaco

On Tuesday 3 September, H.S.H. Prince Albert II took part in the ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Monaco, marking the end of the Italian and then German occupation during the Second World War.

During the event, the Sovereign Prince emphasised the crucial importance of the contribution made by the American army. On 15 August, the advance of units of the 1st Airborne Task Force, commanded by General Robert Frederick and airborne in Provence, forced the German troops to withdraw, enabling local resistance fighters to come out of hiding.

In tribute to General Frederick, H.S.H. the Prince invited his grandson, Bradford Hicks, to take part in the festivities organised for the occasion. The day began at the end of the morning with a visit to a military camp set up on the Place du Palais, followed by lunch at the Prince’s Palace in the presence of Mr Andrea Casiraghi, H.E. Mr Jean d’Haussonville, the French Ambassador to Monaco, and H.E. Mrs Denise Campbell Bauer, the US Ambassador to France.

At 5.00 pm, the Sovereign, accompanied by H.E. Mrs Denise Campbell Bauer, H.E. Mr Jean d’Haussonville and the highest Monegasque authorities, attended a military ceremony at Monaco cemetery, in front of the Monument to the Dead from the World Wars of the 20th Century. Four uniformed military units performed the honours: the Prince’s Carabinieri, the fire brigade, the Monegasque Sûreté Publique, as well as a detachment from the École d’Infanterie de Draguignan and a detachment of American soldiers from the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force – Africa (SETAF-AF). The ceremony concluded with a tribute at the graves of René Borghini and his liaison officer Esther Poggio, Monegasque Resistance fighters executed by the German army on 15 August 1944.

After laying flowers on the commemorative plaque in their memory, located on the façade of the National Council, the Prince inaugurated the exhibition ‘Monaco liberated! 3 September – 28 December 1944’, prepared jointly by the Mission de Préfiguration des Archives Nationales, the Archives of the Prince’s Palace, the Audiovisual Institute and the Media Library of Monaco. This exhibition, which will run until 31 January 2025, will give visitors the opportunity to relive this significant period in Monegasque history.