Princess Stéphanie considers Prince Rainier III “saved the circus”
Princess Stéphanie spoke to Monaco Info about the 50th anniversary of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival. © Communication Department
The 46th edition of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival, from 14 to 28 January, will mark the end of the Prince Rainier III centenary commemorations.
And there’s great news for circus enthusiasts: the exhibition about Monaco’s International Circus Festival has been extended until 11 February. Created inside the former Prince’s Car Collection, the exhibition is the result of combing through fifty years of archives to present clowns, acrobats, costumes, props and models to the general public. Along with Charlotte Gray, a former student at the Pavillon Bosio, Princess Stéphanie is co-curator of the exhibition, “Le Prince au Coeur du Cirque” (The Prince at the Heart of the Circus), which is “inevitably linked to the man who saved the circus,” she said in tribute to Prince Rainier III.
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The festival, which is one of the biggest of its kind in the world, was founded by two men: Prince Rainier III and Dr Alain Frère, who is still the event’s artistic advisor today. “A Festival pioneer. Together with Prince Rainier, he took a gamble on creating this Festival. He was with him from the start. He’s a historian, we call him the circus bible,” said Princess Stéphanie, in an interview with Monaco Info. Many of the archives on display on the Terrasses de Fontvieille are from his private museum at his home in Tourettes Levens.
He wanted to show the whole world the supremacy of the circus, the best circus acts that it was possible to see
The end of the centenary commemorations of the birth of Prince Rainier III and the 50th anniversary of the Festival’s creation will both feature in the upcoming edition. An opportunity to remember the involvement of the “Builder Prince ” in the circus world. “He knew the Festival down to the last detail. Everything was planned, he selected the acts, oversaw the set-up and was there when the artists and the animals arrived. He was very demanding,” added Princess Stéphanie, who is “driven by the same passion.” “He wanted to show the whole world the supremacy of the circus, the best circus acts that it was possible to see.”
As for the tributes that are planned at the upcoming Festival, Princess Stéphanie said she couldn’t give everything away. “It will be like a big thank you from the circus world, for having taken that gamble, for having fought for the circus to be recognised and respected. I’m carrying on that fight, because the battle’s not over,” she said in conclusion.