Monaco’s public prosecutor has opened an investigation after videos showing a couple having sex in public at Port Hercule were widely circulated on WhatsApp, as reported by Monaco-Matin…
The incident reportedly took place at around 04:00 on the night of Saturday, August 29 to Sunday, August 30, on Quai Antoine-Ier, beneath the illuminated Stars of Monaco arcades. Several passers-by encountered the couple, who were reportedly accompanied by at least three other people.
Videos of the incident subsequently began circulating through WhatsApp groups across the Principality, prompting the authorities to act.
Monaco’s public prosecutor’s office told Monaco-Matin that an investigation was opened on Monday, August 31, for “sexual exhibition”, citing the disturbance to public order caused by such behaviour. Authorities are now working to identify those involved.
Under Article 260 of Monaco’s Penal Code, sexual exhibition imposed on others in a publicly accessible place, or made accessible to the public through electronic communication, can be punished by three months to one year in prison and a fine of between €9,000 and €18,000, or either penalty individually.
It is not the first time an intimate encounter in or around Monaco has unexpectedly attracted a large online audience. In 2018, footage of a couple on a Monte-Carlo hotel balcony circulated widely during Grand Prix weekend, while in 2023 a rally car’s onboard camera inadvertently captured another couple beside the route of the Monte-Carlo Rally.
The latest investigation remains ongoing, with no identities publicly confirmed.