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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox monarchy
| royal_title        = Sovereign Prince
| realm              = Monaco
| coatofarms         = Great coat of arms of the house of Grimaldi.svg
| type               = other4
| coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of Monaco
| image              = Prince Albert II of Monaco at the Enthronement of Naruhito (1).jpg
| incumbent          = [[Albert II, Prince of Monaco|Albert II]]
| incumbentsince     = 6 April 2005
| his/her            = His  
| heir_apparent      = [[Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco|Jacques]]
| first_monarch      = [[Honoré II, Prince of Monaco|Honoré II]] (as prince; previous rulers were called lords until 1612)
| date               = 29 November 1604
| residence          = [[Prince's Palace of Monaco|Prince's Palace]]
| website            = [http://www.palais.mc/en/index.html Monarchy of Monaco]
}}
{{Politics of Monaco}}
The '''sovereign prince of Monaco''' ({{langx|fr|prince de Monaco}}) is the [[monarch]] and [[head of state]] of the [[Principality of Monaco]]. All reigning princes and princesses have taken the name of the [[House of Grimaldi]]. When [[Prince Rainier III]] died in 2005, he was Europe's longest reigning monarch.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=2005-04-06|title=Prince Rainier of Monaco Dies at 81|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/06/international/europe/prince-rainier-of-monaco-dies-at-81-2005040690415666730.html|access-date=2021-04-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Grimaldi family, which has ruled Monaco for eight centuries,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Conaway|first=James|date=17 February 1984|title=The Monarch Alone|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/02/17/the-monarch-alone/75a8e2b4-7845-4f0c-a28d-b384498ca6a1/}}</ref> is Europe's longest-ruling royal family.<ref name=":0" />

The reigning prince is [[Albert II, Prince of Monaco|Albert II]], who ascended in April 2005.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Smith|first=Craig S.|date=2005-04-10|title=Monaco Adjusts to a Bachelor Prince Without Heirs|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/10/world/europe/monaco-adjusts-to-a-bachelor-prince-without-heirs.html|access-date=2021-04-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Powers of the prince==
Monaco, along with [[Liechtenstein]] and [[Vatican City]], is one of only three states in Western Europe where the monarch still plays an active role in day-to-day politics.

The Prince of Monaco exercises his authority in accordance with the [[Constitution of Monaco|Constitution]] and laws. He represents the principality in foreign relations, and any revision, either total or partial, of the Constitution must be jointly agreed to by the monarch and the [[National Council (Monaco)|National Council]].<ref name="monacosite1">{{cite web| url=http://www.gouv.mc/Gouvernement-et-Institutions/Les-Institutions/Les-Pouvoirs-Souverains| title=Principauté de Monaco: Portail officiel du gouvernment princier| publisher=Etat de Monaco: La Direction de l’Administration Électronique et de l’Information aux Usagers| work=Les Pouvoirs Souverains| access-date=23 November 2012}}</ref>

Legislative power is divided between the Prince who initiates the laws, and the [[National Council (Monaco)|National Council]] which votes on them. Executive power is retained by the monarch, who has veto power over all legislation proposed by the National Council.<ref name=":1" />

The minister of state and the Government Council are directly responsible to the Prince for the administration of the principality.<ref name="monacosite1" />

Judiciary powers also belong to the monarch. The present Constitution states that the prince has full authority in the courts and tribunals which render justice in his or her name.<ref name="monacosite1"/>

Pursuant to Article 16 of the 1962 Constitution, the Prince confers [[order of chivalry|orders]], [[title]]s and other distinctions (see [[Awards and decorations of Monaco]]) as the ''[[Fount of honour|fons honorum]]'' of the Principality of Monaco.<ref name="monacosite1"/>

In 2005, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that loyalty to the princely family is fierce; few residents of Monaco want to be quoted saying anything negative about the monarchy.<ref name=":2" />

==Compensation==
The princely family receives annual allocation from the budget of Monaco, €43.5&nbsp;million in 2015.<ref name="businessinsider_royals">{{cite news| url=http://www.businessinsider.com/richest-royals-what-europes-royal-families-get-from-their-taxpayers-2017-7?r=UK&IR=T| title=Richest royals: what Europe's royal families get from their taxpayers| last=Hodgson| first=Camilla| date=1 August 2017| journal=[[Business Insider]]| access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref>

==Titles and styles==
The Prince is [[style (manner of address)|styled]] [[His Serene Highness]].<ref name="petit">{{cite book| title=Le Petit Gotha| publisher=Laballery| last1=Badts de Cugnac| first2=Chantal| last2=Guy Coutant de Saisseval| year=2002| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bosNAQAACAAJ| pages=691–694, 699–703| isbn=978-2950797438| url-access=subscription}}</ref> Although used only formally, the Prince also bears several other hereditary titles, some of which are occasionally bestowed on his relatives or their spouses. Some of these titles have merged with the Crown of Monaco as a result of the Grimaldi family's acquisition of various [[fief]]s;<ref name="petit"/> they no longer imply ownership or territorial authority, although the princes of Monaco have long been substantial owners of land and {{Wikt-lang|fr|chateaux}} in France. Most were granted or recognised by the [[Kingdom of France]] or the [[Papal States]] and could only pass through the male line; they therefore became extinct as French dignities on the death of Albert's great-grandfather [[Louis II, Prince of Monaco|Prince Louis II]] in 1949. Thereafter, some of these titles were implicitly re-created as distinctly Monegasque titles.<ref name="petit"/>

The Prince's complete titles and styles are, in precedent order of rank:

* Sovereign Prince of Monaco
* [[Duke of Valentinois]]
* [[Duke of Estouteville]]
* Duke of [[Mazzarino, Sicily|Mazarin]]
* [[Duke of Mayenne]]
* [[Prince]] of [[Château-Porcien]]
* [[Marquis of Baux]] (Title now used by [[Hereditary Prince Jacques]])
* [[Marquis]] of [[Chilly-Mazarin]]
* Marquis of [[Guiscard]]
* Marquis of [[Bailli]]
* [[Count]] of [[Polignac, Haute-Loire|Polignac]] (Title now used by [[Princess Stéphanie of Monaco|Princess Stéphanie]])
* Count of [[Carladès]] (Title now used by [[Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès|Princess Gabriella]])
* [[Count of Ferrette]], [[Belfort]], [[Thann, Haut-Rhin|Thann]] and {{interlanguage link|Count of Rosemont|lt=Rosemont|fr|Seigneurie du Rosemont}}
* Count of [[Torigni-sur-Vire|Torigni]] 
* Count of [[Longjumeau]]
* Count of [[Clèdes]]
* [[Baron]] of [[Calvinet]]
* Baron of [[Le Buis|Buis]]
* Baron of [[Brix, Manche|La Luthumière]]
* Baron of [[Hambye]]
* Baron of [[Altkirch]]
* Baron of [[Saint-Lô]]
* Baron of [[Massy, Essonne|Massy]] (Title now used by [[Christian Louis de Massy]], son of [[Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy|Princess Antoinette]])
* {{Wikt-lang|fr|seigneur|Seigneur}} (Lord) of [[Issenheim]]
* ''Seigneur'' of [[Saint-Rémy-de-Provence|Saint-Rémy]]
* [[Sire]] of [[Matignon, Côtes-d'Armor|Matignon]]
All palace correspondence features capitalized pronouns when referring to the prince.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Smith|first=Craig S.|date=2005-09-10|title=The New Prince of Monaco Confronts His Past|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/10/world/europe/the-new-prince-of-monaco-confronts-his-past.html|access-date=2021-04-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The tradition of the monarchy of Monaco was that the flag flying from the staff on the tower above his office be hoisted when the prince was present in Monaco.<ref name=":3" /> The current prince flies the flag whether he is present or not, preferring to keep his location private.<ref name=":3" />

Monaco is officially protected by France, according to terms set forth in the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.<ref name=":1" />

==See also==
* [[List of Monégasque consorts]]
* [[List of rulers of Monaco]]
* [[Succession to the Monegasque throne]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}
{{Monaco topics}}
{{Europe heads of state and government}}
{{Monarchies}}
{{European royal families}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince of Monaco}}
[[Category:Princes of Monaco| ]]
[[Category:Monegasque titles]]
[[Category:Politics of Monaco]]
[[Category:Political organisations based in Monaco]]
[[Category:Monarchy of Monaco]]