Prince Jacques receives keys to Baux-de-Provence
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
The hereditary prince was welcomed to the Alpilles village that has granted Monaco's heir the title of Marquis de Baux since 1642.
The entire princely family travelled to Baux-de-Provence on Saturday for a ceremony rooted in one of the oldest ties between the Grimaldi dynasty and Provence. Hereditary Prince Jacques received the keys to the village, honouring a tradition dating to 1642, when the Grimaldis acquired the marquisate of Baux, a title that has been carried by the heir to the Monegasque throne ever since.
For Prince Albert, the visit carried particular personal weight. In 1982, he made the same journey to Baux-de-Provence alongside his mother, Princess Grace, in what proved to be one of her final public engagements before her death that September. Saturday's ceremony marked the first time the current sovereign has returned to the village in that official capacity, this time with his own children at his side.
Perched above the Alpilles, Baux-de-Provence is home to fewer than 400 permanent residents, yet its historical connection to Monaco gives it an outsized significance in the Principality's story. The marquisate title remains one of the more tangible reminders that Monaco's ruling family has deep roots across this corner of the French Mediterranean coast.