Exchanging membership in distinguished « Orders » with heads of state , who in those days would typically be aristocrats , was one of Charles III ’ s sage diplomatic initiatives — and thus on March 15 , was created the « Order of Saint Charles ».

It served the Prince well to award honours as he started to build up relationships with powerful countries including Russia . The influential ruling Tsar of Russia , Alexander , became the first royal to receive this award , the highest state award in Monaco . So successful was this initiative that in 1877 , Charles III appointed Jean Planchet to be the first diplomatic representative and Consul of Monaco in Saint Petersburg . During his mission as Consul , Jean Planchet contributed to the signing of a number of important agreements with Russia .

And the tradition still continues . Two French presidents — Charles de Gaulle and Jacques Chirac — were awarded the Order of Saint Charles . Since becoming the sovereign in 2005 , Prince Albert II has awarded the Order of Saint Charles to a number of foreign presidents , including both Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande of France , Joachim Gauck of Germany , Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan as well as Ban Ki-moon , the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations . In 2013 , the grant of the Order of Saint Charles was given to the current Russian head of state Vladimir Putin .

MONACO ROYALS , KNIGHTS OF THE ORDER OF SAINT CHARLES

The sovereign prince of Monaco — currently Charles III ’ s great-great-great grandson , Albert II — is the Grand Master of the Order of Saint Charles , and it is awarded at his discretion . His elder sister Caroline and his wife Charlene became Dames Grand

Princess Grace in a gala gown , Paris , 1959

PRINCE ALBERT II BECAME THE GRAND MASTER OF THE ORDER OF SAINT CHARLES ON THE DAY OF HIS ASCENSION TO THE THRONE .

Grand Master ’ s collier of the Order of St Charles

Cross of the Order in 1981 and 2012 . Very few current foreign royals are members of the Order : Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy , the son of the last Italian king , and King Albert II of Belgium are among them .

Prince Albert II presents Nicolas Sarkozy with the insignia of the Grand Cross of the Order of St Charles , Monaco , 2008

There are high levels of the Order to which the royals and international heads of state belong . Regular citizens of Monaco have to start off as knights ; they can move up to a new stage after a certain number of years have elapsed .

LEGACY OF ST CARLO BORROMEO

The two main parts of the insignia are

the badge and the star . The badge consists of a red and white Maltese cross backed by a wreath of laurel leaves ; the centre of the cross features a pair of interlocking Cs surmounted by a golden crown ( the monogram of Prince Charles III ), surrounded by the motto of the order , « Princeps et Patria » ( Latin for “ prince and country ”). On its reverse there is the Grimaldis ’ coat of arms with the motto Deo Juvante .

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Exchanging membership in distinguished « Orders » with heads of state , who in those days would typically be aristocrats , was one of Charles III ’ s sage diplomatic initiatives — and thus on March 15 , was created the « Order of Saint Charles ».

The sovereign prince of Monaco — currently Charles III ’ s great-great-great grandson , Albert II — is the Grand Master of the Order of Saint Charles , and it is awarded at his discretion . His elder sister Caroline and his wife Charlene became Dames Grand

The two main parts of the insignia are