Social Diary 8/20/03 - Monte Carlo Red Cross Ball


	August is the height of the Season in Monte Carlo

Salle des Etoiles

The Hotel de Paris under the direction of the debonair Francois Longueve and his assistant director Pierre Bord put out the red carpet for the international glitterati who keep the place buzzing. In the front of the Belle Epoque style establishment the Rollses, Bentleys, Jaguars along with the Ferraris and Alfas, Maseratis and Aston Martins are glistening, lined up parallel parking.

Décoration Salle des Etoiles

There were a thousand guests at the annual Red Cross Ball that brings out the entire royal family of this tiny yet pulsating principality including Prince Rainier, his heir Prince Albert; Rainier’s sister Princess Antoinette, his daughter Princess Caroline and her husband HRH Ernst August of Hanover, and Elizabeth de Massey, the daughter of Princess Antoinette. Noticeably missed this year was Gant Gaither, a longtime friend of the late Princess Grace, who has attended every Red Cross Ball since Grace and Rainier were married in 1956. Mr. Gaither opted to spend his summer at home in Palm Springs, California.

Before the Ball, M. Longueve for cocktails in the lobby of the Hotel de Paris before heading to the Sporting Club for the Ball.

At the Ball, guests were entertained by Michael Flatley, the first American to win the Irish dance world championships, and star of the highly successful “Riverdance.” Then when the roof of the Sporting Club was rolled back, opening up to the evening sky and stars over the Mediterranean, there were fireworks.

Robert Gamba, the Sporting Club chef served 300 kilograms of Iranian caviar, 150 kilograms of langoustines, 500 kilograms of poulardes, 50 kilograms of ceps, 1000 artichokes, 60 kilos of foie gras, not to mention a glorious Monagesque dessert.

S.A.S le Prince Héréditaire Albert, Melle Lisa Murphy, M. Michael Flatley, S.A.R la Princesse de Hanovre, S.A.S le Prince Rainier III

Among the glittering crowd, that Texas gal who summers at her very own villa on the Riviera every year, Lynn Wyatt; Virginia Gallico, another very old friend of the Grimaldis, widow of the writer Paul Gallico. Mrs. Gallico has served as both lady-in-waiting to Princess Grace and the Dames de Palais for Rainier. Family is what she is called, and indeed she lives in Monaco, as well as Antibes, along with a country house in England. Also: Karl Lagerfeld, the monsieur dieteer of Haute Couture, Sir Roger and Lady Moore, Helga and Yves Piaget, Miss World 1997, Sallie Touissant, Miss USA 1997, Mme. Gio Repossi, Miss Europe 2002, Diana Hayden; Shirley Bassey, Elodie Gossuin, Mme. Isabel Kristensen with Kim Worsoe, Lisa Murphy, M. et Mme. Bernard Larmbert, Director General of the Societe des Bains de Mer (think Casino and Hotel de Paris, plus much of Monte Carlo), Caroline Scheufele and Fawaz Grousi, Dr. et Mme. al Rashid, he the owner of the most fabulous yacht in the world (with a crew of one hundred and interiors done by Viscount Linley), the Lady Mora, which is now in the Monaco harbor. And: Marianne Brandstetter, Thierry Fritsch, President of Chaumet, Marie-Christine Cappa, Directrice of Chaumet in Monte Carlo; New York’s Jimmy Mitchell, the sculptor Arman, S.E.M. le Ministre d'Etat et Mme. Patrick Leclerq, Baron et Baronne Detlev Wangenheim, M. Marco Vittorelli, M. Patrick Roeser, Lt. Colonel Bruno Philliponnat, Colonel Serge Lamblin, M. et Mme. Frank Biya, James Coleman, Tasha de Vasconcelos, Mlle. Emmanuelle Paolozzi and M. Francesco Bongiovanni.

Spectacle Lord of the Dance

Following the Ball, everybody left town. Prince Rainier immediately left for his castle in northern France near the Belgium border. Princess Caroline, Prince Ernst and their children Andrea Charlotte, Pierre, Alexandra and Ernst’s two sons, Christian and Ernst, left on their yacht Pacha 111 for a cruise for the rest of the month of August. Princess Stephanie and her children left for her house in the Swiss Alps. And Prince Albert stayed, probably relieved to have a little peace and quiet around the palace, wouldn’t you?

Although ... Albert does take his little trips here and there during August. St. Tropez and then on to Southampton where he sees a lot of his old American chums. Everyone else heads for Capri and Sardinia and Corsica and the Greek isles, the Dalmatian coast and all those other inevitable paradisical enclaves around the Mediterranean. Green with envy? Blue, like the glorious Mediterranean is more like it for me anyway. And we should be; we’re missing something, don’t kid yourself.

In Monte Carlo, Carmen Saint is celebrating the birth of her great grandson Alexander. You read about Alexander’s ma and pa’s wedding here just last year: the Count and Countess Charles Morant. Time flies. The Countess is Daphne, daughter of Betty and Francois Catroux, of the chicest of the chicest. The Morant wedding was held at the Catroux villa in Provence.

Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance

Otherwise, for those who stayed not strayed in Monaco, there were lots of dinners. Micheline and Jean Pierre Simeon’s dinner at their hotel Metropole in Beaulieu, Lady Florence Packer’s dinner for her daughter-in-law Roz Packer (wife of the Australian publisher/high roller, Kerry Packer). Pierre Sprenger from Antwerp was at his apartment in Monte Carlo. What, you don’t know Pierre? Well, how many people do you know in Antwerp, I ask. Countess Mira Cittadini had her dinners at the Monaco Yacht Club. Vera and Herve de Bainville’s were at their beautiful apartment. Julia Amory of Palm Beach was here, having just returned from a cruise with her sister Lourdes and Lourdes’ husband Joe Bernstein, who live in Monte Carlo much of the year.

The Mediterranean is full of fun and festivity this August. You name them and they’ve been there – the rich, the chic and the shameless – Annette and Robert Berge, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Jeanne Moreau, Eddy Barclay, Natty and Jean Paul Belmondo, Laeticia and Johnny Hallyday, Michele Morgan and her children, Sarah and William Marshall. And George Clooney, and Trudie Stylerwith her rock singer husband, the one with the one name; and Donatella (Doh-NA-TAY-luh!) Versace et al. Heidi Klum is having a romance or something or other with Flavio(FLAH-vyo!) Briatore, the Formula One boss and former lover of Naomi Campbell. Heidi got the diamond (given on the yacht) to prove it.

But don’t fret about La Campbell: she’s got a new romance over in Capri – Matteo(ohhh MUH-tay-OH!) Marzotto, whose Matteo Group is behind the fashion labels of Hugo Boss, Missoni and Gianfranco (oh Zjan-FRANG-ko!) Ferre. Linda Evangelistais also having a new romance, and she’s got another Italian to prove it, Ugo (Oooo-goh!) Brachetti Peretti. Ugo is in Oil and loves fast cars, motorbikes and helicopters (don’t forget to pack your helmet Linda). Naomi Campbell was the matchmaker.

Also vacationing in the south of France: Princess Victoria (the future Queen of Sweden) with her parents, King Carl Gustav and Queen Sylvia. The Princess has a new romance, Daniel Westling. Also: Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark are at their chateau in France. Crown Prince Frederick of Denmarkand his fiancée Mary Donaldson are vacationing in Denmark. Andrea Casiraghi, the handsome son of Princess Caroline is in Ibiza with Spanish actress Maria Jurado. Athina Roussel, the granddaughter of Aristotle Onassis was off to South America with her boyfriend Doda Miranda for the wedding of his sister Anna Luiza Moranda. The kings of Greece and Spain, Constantine and Juan Carlos and their queens, Anne Marie and Sophia were in Barcelona for the christening of Princess Alexia and her husband Carlos Morales second child, Ana Maria.

And everyone was so very hot, just like over here, of that you can be sure. So maybe it was better to stay stateside and close to your a/c, or as it is in my case, a big fan.