U.S. Mission to Monaco
Prince Albert II and Ambassador Charles H. Rivkin
U.S. - Monaco Relations
The United States and Monaco enjoy excellent relations, which both countries seek to maintain and strengthen. From 1956 until her death in 1982, the American-born Grace Kelly was married to Prince Rainier III, Prince Albert's father.
On June 1, 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Charles H. Rivkin of California to be U.S. Ambassador to France and to Monaco. Ambassador Rivkin was sworn in on August 3, 2009, in Washington, D.C.
On October 29, 2009, Ambassador Charles Rivkin presented his credentials to Prince Albert II of Monaco and was officially welcomed by the Prince as U.S. Ambassador to Monaco. Ambassador Rivkin is the second U.S. Ambassador to be accredited to the Principality of Monaco. During his meeting with the Prince, Ambassador Rivkin congratulated him on his recent acceptance of the Teddy Roosevelt Medal, presented by the U.S. Congress in acknowledgement of the Prince’s outstanding contribution towards environmental protection. While in Monaco, the Ambassador and his family also visited the Oceanographic Institute and Museum. The Museum, inaugurated in 1911, is one of the world’s premier oceanographic facilities, with 90 aquariums, 350 species from the Mediterranean, and collections of natural history, the history of sea exploration, and ethnography.
On April 15, 2011, Consul General Diane E. Kelly met H.S.H. Prince Albert II, following her accreditation to Monaco.
History
Founded in 1215 as a colony of Genoa, Monaco has been ruled by the House of Grimaldi since 1297, except when under French control from 1789 to 1814. Designated as a protectorate of Sardinia from 1815 until 1860 by the Treaty of Vienna, Monaco's sovereignty was recognized by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. The Prince of Monaco was an absolute ruler until a constitution was promulgated in 1911. In July 1918, a treaty was signed providing for limited French protection over Monaco. The treaty, formally noted in the Treaty of Versailles, established that Monegasque policy would be aligned with French political, military, and economic interests. A new constitution, proclaimed in 1962, abolished capital punishment, provided for female suffrage, and established a Supreme Court to guarantee fundamental liberties. In 1993, Monaco became an official member of the United Nations with full voting rights. It joined the Council of Europe in 2004. Three months after the death of his father, Prince Rainier III, on April 6, Prince Albert II formally acceded to the throne on July 12, 2005.