President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron will embark on a rare state visit to Monaco on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8, a high-level diplomatic affair poised to celebrate Franco-Monegasque friendship with all the pomp and protocol the Principality can muster.
It’s the first official state visit by a French head of state to Monaco in decades — and the first time Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene will jointly host a French presidential couple. Announced by the Prince’s Palace just ten days ahead of the occasion, the visit is being hailed as a landmark moment in the longstanding relationship between the two neighbours.
Kicking off on Saturday, June 7, Macron will meet HSH Prince Albert behind closed doors at the Palace, where the two leaders — who already share a warm rapport — are expected to discuss a range of bilateral and global topics. The meeting will be followed by a grand state dinner in the Palace’s Throne Room, attended by a select guest list of high-level figures. While the Elysée remains tight-lipped on the presidential couple’s overnight plans, speculation is swirling that they’ll stay at the legendary Hôtel de Paris overlooking Monte-Carlo’s Casino Square. SBM chairman Stéphane Valeri called it “not unthinkable” — though, predictably, refused to confirm.
It’s not the first time Macron has been in Monaco, but his last visit was far from festive: he attended the funeral of Monaco’s Minister of State Didier Guillaume in January. A more celebratory visit had originally been pencilled in for spring 2020, but like so much else, it was shelved due to COVID.
The programme resumes the next morning with a nod to the sea — Monaco’s eternal backdrop and a growing focus of international diplomacy. Macron will visit SeaWergie, a local firm pioneering thalassothermal energy, which harnesses the Mediterranean’s temperature differences to provide sustainable heating and cooling. Just nearby, Brigitte Macron will team up with Princess Charlene for the Princess Charlene Foundation’s Water Safety Day, an awareness campaign focused on preventing drowning and promoting lifesaving skills among young people.
Marine matters will continue to steer the agenda. The visit coincides with the Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF), where Macron and Prince Albert II will wrap up proceedings on Sunday with a closing lunch attended by heads of state, government leaders, and royals. The palace says more programme details are still to come — but the symbolism of the timing is already clear.
After the Monegasque leg wraps up, Macron and Prince Albert will travel together to Nice for the official opening of the third United Nations Ocean Conference, which runs from Monday, June 9 to Friday, June 13. The message? Oceans matter — and the French and Monegasques are putting their diplomatic weight behind that cause.
While Monaco may be the second-smallest country in the world, this visit suggests that when it comes to international influence, size isn’t everything — and that the ties between Paris and the Principality are not just surviving, but evolving in a time of climate urgency and shifting geopolitical tides.
Image by Jack Brodie
