Prince Albert's enthronement delights Monaco

Prince Albert of Monaco, son of Prince Rainier and Hollywood actress Grace Kelly, ascended the throne yesterday in ceremonies that delighted the principality after months of mourning and revelations about his love life.

The 47-year-old prince's admission that he had an illegitimate son with a French flight attendant of Togolese origin had threatened to overshadow his enthronement after a three-month mourning period for his father, Prince Rainier.

But the scandal did not dampen spirits in Monaco where several hundred people attended a Roman Catholic Mass celebrating Prince Albert's enthronement and many others watched on special screens erected outside the cathedral.

Red and white national flags fluttered on buildings and lampposts across the principality. A fireworks display and an open-air ball were held later yesterday and Monaco's mayor gave Prince Albert the city keys in a symbolic handover.

"We're very proud of our prince, our little prince," said one middle-aged woman attending Mass at the cathedral where Prince Rainier's marriage to Princess Grace in 1956 brought glamour to the tiny Mediterranean state.

French President Jacques Chirac congratulated Prince Albert in a letter which said: "Your reign marks the start of new relations between our two countries, marked by trust and the re-establishment of the strong links that bind us."

Yesterday's ceremonies officially installed Prince Albert in power although he has carried out duties as head of state since his father's death on April 6.

The Grimaldi dynasty that has ruled for more than seven centuries is all too familiar with tragedy and bad publicity - and Prince Albert is no exception.

Soon after Prince Rainier's death, Paris Match magazine reported that Prince Albert had fathered a boy called Alexandre and published photos of him with the child, now aged two. The prince, who had previously kept a lower profile than his much photographed sisters, publicly acknowledged the boy's existence last week and discussed him in a rare television interview on Monday.

Asked by France's TF1 channel whether he might face similar paternity claims in the future, Prince Albert made it clear he expected other people to come forward with such stories now that he is in the public eye and added: "We will respond when the time comes."

He said he was shocked the media had published stories about the child before mourning ended for Prince Rainier, but promised to meet his duties towards the child.

The boy will not succeed Prince Albert because under Monaco's Constitution only a child born in wedlock can become monarch.

Prince Albert's sisters Caroline and Stephanie have often made headlines mainly for their marriage problems and love lives, and Prince Albert has sometimes been portrayed as a playboy.

Prince Rainier's marriage to Grace, who was killed in a car crash in 1982, wedded Hollywood to one of Europe's oldest dynasties.

The prince led Monaco into an age of skyscrapers and big business, but he faced accusations that the principality turned a blind eye to money laundering.

"We absolutely must get out of this equation - Monaco = money laundering. I will take this on and devote all my strength to it so that we are irreproachable in this area," Prince Albert told TF1. He also said he would promote environmental and humanitarian projects.

Prince Albert, who has been called one of Europe's most eligible bachelors, was born on March 4, 1958. Educated in Monaco and the United States, where he studied political science, he then worked in Paris and New York and served in the French Navy.

He dreamt of a career in soccer, took part in the Paris-Dakar rally in 1985 and is a judo black belt. He represented Monaco at the Olympic Games in the bobsleigh four times and finished seventh in the world championships. He is a member of the International Olympic Committee.