A new series featuring members of the International Professional Women in Monaco group, we start with Lisa DeRea Frederiksen, founder of Lisa DeRea Photography in 2018.
What inspired your business – and what gap did you see that others weren’t addressing? My business was inspired by my passion for seeing beauty in the world and capturing it with my camera. The need to share my work is inside of me and that is what inspired me to do exhibitions and enter contests, which led to selling my custom printed work that now hangs in homes, offices, and yachts around the world.
Photography isn’t about the camera. It’s about your eyes. It’s about knowing where to stand. It’s about knowing when to click the shutter. And when it all comes together, it’s magic.
How do you market your company and what has genuinely worked to reach new clients? In some ways the digital and social media world we live in now has helped for my marketing, but it also made it much more difficult. Before 2020, my primary marketing was exhibitions, both group and solo. Sadly, Covid shut down all exhibitions for a few years, many never to return again.
What was the turning point in your business? In August 2017, I exhibited in my first exhibition. In November that same year I exhibited in my first large exhibition show in Menton and won an award from the town of Sospel – and the prize was my own solo exhibition. I was surprised and thrilled, although my son, a competition sailor, asked why I did not win a trophy.
Three months later, in February 2018, the Monaco government granted me the official status of “Artist-Photographer.”
What is one unglamorous but essential step every woman should take before launching a business here? Hard to say, possibly the paperwork things to get started. Even opening a bank account here takes a long time.
What advice would you give to women ready to bet on themselves and start their own business here? Go for it! Monaco has an amazing network of wonderful women who are always helping and supporting each other. Also, the Monaco government has great websites – most with an English-language option – showing all the steps with documents to download for the things you need to do to start your business and complete reporting, which will be needed throughout the year, for example for the Monegasque Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (IMSEE).
This Saturday, May 2, at 7 pm, London’s Chamber Choir of St. Martin-in-the-Fields will perform Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem and Michael Higgin’s The Cloths of Heaven at St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
A skilled ensemble of around 30 singers, the Choir is known for its versatility and clarity of sound. Their recent performances have ranged from major choral works by Johannes Brahms and Sergei Rachmaninoff to contemporary premieres, reflecting a breadth of musical engagement grounded in careful preparation.
The one-hour performance will be directed by Olivia Tait, assistant director of music at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, whose work spans beyond concert direction to recordings and collaborations with leading ensembles. She is joined by organist Jonathan Dods, who contributes to the musical cohesion of the programme as accompanist and director.
Michael Higgin’s The Cloths of Heaven, inspired by W. B. Yeats, will add for the audience an intimate, poetic warmth to Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem’s soft, luminous calm.
“We are really privileged in having such wonderful musicians with us this weekend and to experience the beauty of Fauré that the world so desperately needs,” says Father Hugh Bearn, who has been serving St. Paul’s Anglican Church Monte-Carlo since April 2023.
The free event at 22 avenue de Grande Bretagne is open to all, with no tickets required. A retiring collection will be taken in support of the ongoing work of St Paul’s Anglican Church.
The first official event of a year-long celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Wedding of Princess Grace and HSH Prince Rainier III was hosted at the Princess Grace Irish Library on April 2, 2026.
The talk was led by Wolfgang Frei, the nephew of Edward Quinn, the Irish photographer who photographed the very first meeting of the Prince and American actress in 1955.
Frei, curator of the Edward Quinn photographic archives, offered a vivid portrait of Quinn (1920–1997), whose lens defined the glamour of the Côte d’Azur during the “Golden Fifties.” Born in Ireland and later based in London before settling on the Riviera, Quinn became one of the most trusted photographers of an international elite that included artists, film stars, and royalty.
Central to Frei’s lecture was Quinn’s unique relationship with Princess Grace and Prince Rainier. Quinn’s discretion and professionalism earned him rare proximity to the royal couple, allowing him to document both official engagements and intimate, historic moments. Most notably, Frei highlighted Quinn’s photographs of the couple’s first meeting in 1955—an encounter arranged during the Cannes Film Festival while Kelly was promoting To Catch a Thief shortly after winning an Academy Award for The Country Girl.
These now-iconic images, taken at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco, captured the poised American actress and the reserved sovereign at the very beginning of a relationship that would captivate the world. As Frei emphasised, Quinn’s photographs were not merely documentary but instrumental in shaping the public narrative of what would become the “wedding of the century” on April 19, 1956.
The presentation also explored Quinn’s broader body of work, including his coverage of Monaco’s high society events such as the Bal de la Rose, founded by Princess Grace. Today, Frei and his wife Ursula continue to preserve and promote the Edward Quinn Archive, ensuring that these defining visual records of Riviera history remain accessible.
According to the Director of the Irish Library Paula Farquharson (above with Frei), this opening event “set the tone for a commemorative year celebrating not only a royal union, but also the photographer who immortalised its very first moment”.
Save the date: On Friday, April 17, MonacoUSA will host a special Networking Event on the eve of the princely couple’s civil wedding in 1956. The Association’s featured guests will be the Groupe Nice-Matin who will present their extraordinary “Hors Serie” magazine which brilliantly captures in 116 pages this historic event in both English and French version editions.
Article and photos courtesy of Annette Ross Anderson. Article first published April 3, 2026.
What a privilege to sit down with Rear Admiral Kenneth Blackmon, Vice Commander at US Fleet Forces Command, who was in the Principality for a friendly visit on March 9. At a private cocktail, the officer was welcomed by members and friends of the US Navy League of the French Riviera – Monaco Council, as well as members of the Yacht Club de Monaco, of which the Manhattan Yacht Club is a reciprocal club.
In July 2026, Sail4th.org and the US Navy have organised one of the largest tall ship and multi-national naval ship gatherings in the world, with US Fleet Forces Command and Rear Admiral Blackmon key to the detailed planning. Monaco’s maritime heritage Tuiga (1909) and Viola (1908) will sail to New York to celebrate 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence on July 4.
Beyond the semiquincentennial, he also talked about the roles that legacy, technology, and women play in the US Navy. And what it means to serve your country.
Nancy Heslin: Can you tell us about your distinguished 37-year career with the US Navy?
Rear Admiral Kenneth Blackmon: I am the Vice Commander at US Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia. My boss is responsible for all ships, submarines, and aircraft on the East Coast of the United States. He is also the naval component commander to Northern Command that provides defense support for civil authorities and maritime homeland defense, as well as being the naval component commander for Strategic Command. He’s responsible for all our ballistic missile submarines in the world.
My job is to assist him, and the rest of the staff there, in executing those missions that we’re responsible for. It’s very busy right now and it’s been busy ever since I joined in 2021. We help to generate and train the forces that deploy. So forces that right now are in harm’s way were trained by our team.
You’ve been in the service with the Navy for almost 40 years. When you visit academies where young people want to have a career in the Navy, what is the question you get asked the most?
I get a lot of questions, from midshipmen and cadets about what is life is like at sea, aboard ship. And I share with them how interesting and different it is to be out to sea. It’s a unique experience sailing across the Pacific Ocean, when you’re out in virtually the middle of the ocean. You go out in the evening and look up and you see, you know, a hundred thousand stars or a billion stars or whatever, and it’s just a surreal experience. You’re very minuscule in that big world.
And then there’s the power of the sea. My first ship was a destroyer. When we were cruising on deployment, we hit an area with 40-foot waves. You realize how vulnerable you are even on such a powerful ship, that those seas can be really formidable.
I would imagine that if you are in sea conditions like that but you’re still trying to be that strong Navy sailor, you would not want show your emotions to anyone else on the ship?
I learned very early on that when I was told there were going be rough seas, I always took a pill to keep me from getting seasick. You really need to be on your game when you’re out at sea.
What are some of the other aspects about being in the US Navy that maybe midshipmen don’t think about?
I think right now there is such a focus for the Navy on the professional development of their military, their navy officers, and their sailors, that there’s great opportunities for additional education, for exchange programs, even with corporations. We’ve put Navy sailors into Google and Amazon to see how those operations work and then bring that experience back to the Navy to help us to continue to improve and create efficiencies.
The other aspect is that – certainly as a naval officer, a midshipman coming out of the Academy or an ROTC program – you’re going to have responsibility for up to 50 or 60 people right away. Immediately you walk on the ship, you’re responsible for this.
What do you mean when you say ROTC?
The Reserve Officer Training Corps are universities where our students also do Navy classes. They get commissioned like they would coming out of the Academy. So, you get a public or a private education and are then commissioned into the Navy out of that program.
Being responsible for 50 people is a lot to put on someone right away. How do you train them?
It is. I think they do a fantastic job at the Naval Academy and through the ROTC programs to get people prepared, but it really is a test that happens in real time. You learn whether you’ve got it or not.
In my case, I did an International Affairs Program at George Washington University and was commissioned. My class started with 229 students and we commissioned 33 of those original students, so there was quite an attrition rate of those students who came in.
I think part of the attrition is that you realize you’re part of an important mission that’s not always safe.
What do you remember as being the toughest part of your training? I’m sure it still sticks in your mind.
The part of the training that was most challenging was being pulled out for six weeks or so of the summer to go out with the fleet and serve with other sailors. That was pretty challenging. I did that in our base out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We would be up at 5 am and come back into port at 10 or 11 pm. Then do it all over again the next day.
If you look at today’s climate, there’s a lot of instability in the world and a people have different feelings about different countries. So how does the US Navy teach someone to serve their country?
It takes a special kind of background or special kind of patriotism. We do see quite a number of Navy personnel that come as part of a legacy, from families that have served. My father was a naval officer and had done the ROTC program at Penn State. He was stationed on the Sixth Fleet flagship and so my parents spent their first year of marriage in Villefranche in 1962. Part of my coming back here has been to be able to celebrate his legacy.
And what role do women now play in the Navy?
I have an opportunity in my role to go to our recruit training center in Great Lakes and interact with the new sailors coming in. And it’s really interesting to hear their stories and hear their questions. A couple things that were really unique was how diverse it is, how many women are coming into the Navy, and all military services, but also minorities, people from foreign countries that come into the Navy. And part of their opportunity is to become citizens of the United States once they’ve served.
If you look back to when you began your studies, does technology now play a different role in education and how we learn?
In the US Navy, we’ve looked at technology as an enabler so that the sailors and the midshipmen are able to utilize technology. We’re really trying to capitalize on that, but it does come back to fundamentals. When the Navy was founded 250 years ago it was a sailing ship navy and we navigated by the stars.
We are teaching these midshipmen how to navigate by the stars because we can’t guarantee that we’re going to have the technology to enable everything that we can do, so we have something called mission command. That’s when we tell our commanders. They have a responsibility to actually execute the mission in the absence of communication. If we can’t communicate from the fleet, then they still know what their mission is and they can execute it.
We are trying, first of all, to build redundancies so that we can continue to maintain communication, but also to be able to look at those what-ifs, you know, those contingencies of losing communications or having challenges at sea.
When you look back over the years, what’s one of the moments that was either the most challenging or just took your breath away in service?
I was in Kuwait three days before Saddam Hussein invaded. Now, when I speak to sailors at various events, I ask, “Who has participated in Desert Storm or Desert Shield?” And there’s usually only one or two hands that go up – or no hands.
That Kuwait experience was really very early in my career and it was the real thing, as in “I am in harm’s way right now.” It was challenging, but coming out of it, I felt that the training that was provided, even in the short time I had been in service, had helped prepare me for that.
And the Navy has provided great opportunities for me. I’ve been to 41 countries. I’ve worked for NATO, I’ve sailed all the oceans. I’ve been really fortunate and I wouldn’t do it any differently, really.
Claudia Batthyany, project manager of Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting YCM Luigi Sinapi, Rear Admiral of the Italian Navy, Director of the International Hydrographic Organization Rear Admiral Kenneth Blackmon, Vice Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Susan Feaster, Acting President US Navy League French Riviera – Monaco Council Arnaud Maoulierac, French Naval Officer
The US Navy League French Riviera and Monaco Council has just been revived. What is the purpose of these associations over time for the US Navy?
It’s really important for our sailors. To understand, a lot of them deploy for 6, 7, 8 or 9 months. That’s a lot of time away from family and friends. And so that support system that the Navy League provides for our sailors’ families back home is critical to the execution of our mission. We don’t want our sailors that are out doing their mission to have concerns with the family back home, and the Navy League is critical to being able to provide that support and that link from communities all over the world. The Navy has had a long history here in the Port of Monaco, that’s for sure.
It’s a big year for the United States celebrating its 250th anniversary and you are a part of organizing the July 4th tall ship event?
I have a team at Fleet Forces Command. They’re responsible for the International Naval Review in New York City for a semi-quincentennial celebration so we’re really just super excited to be able to have so many allies and partners participate with us – with tall ships, with warships – it’s going to be a really fantastic event.
And Monaco’s Tuiga yacht will be in New York for July 4th.
So, July 1st through the 8th will be the full celebration, with the main event on July 4th. It’s going to be phenomenal. And the other thing I’ll mention, just because we’re so close to France here, is that the Statue of Liberty will have a prominent position in the videos and photos of the event.
Article first published March 23, 2026. Image copyright Nancy Heslin.
At first glance, the story of Sabrina Gazza’s may seem familiar enough. The Monegasque dreamed of becoming a teacher and picked up a mathematics degree from the University of Nice. But then, like for many of us, her career path took an unexpected twist. “For the past twelve years, I’ve been working at a temporary employment agency as part of a wonderful team,” says the married mom to 15-year-old twin boys.
But any similarities end on April 19, 2023. The then 42-year-old and her family were in St. Barts visiting her niece who had an internship at the time. Sabrina, born and raised in Monaco, had grown up next to the Mediterranean but had a lifelong fear of the sea and lacked navigation skills. That particular day, the group had decided to go out on a boat but stayed close to the coast so that Sabrina could swim.
“There was a bit of a swell, and we began to dangerously drift towards the rocks,” Sabrina describes. “To avoid causing damage to the boat, I jumped into the water with my sister, Albane, to push it back. Once the boat was in the clear, the captain opened the throttle. I was still leaning against the side of the boat and was sucked into the propellers.”
Sabrina took a deep breath, convinced she was about to drown.
“When I resurfaced, everything went silent. I paddled to keep myself afloat, aware that something was wrong, but not knowing what. Albane immediately saw the gravity of the situation. Without panicking, she pulled me out of the water and applied makeshift tourniquets with whatever she could find.”
Suddenly the silence was broken – “screams, commotion, panic”. “That’s when the pain overwhelmed me”
As it happened, doctors who were vacationing nearby heard the commotion and rushed over, carrying her to the harbour where emergency services took over.
Just before being airlifted Pointe to Pitre University Hospital, Sabrina was able to say to her mom: “It’s just an accident, no one is to blame.” Her mom understood immediately that her daughter was going to fight for her life. “And that’s exactly what happened. I had no other option but to pull through, for myself and the sake of my loved ones.”
Sabrina had a double amputation below her knees. After 10 days in intensive care at Pointe-à-Pitre, she was transferred to the Princesse Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco for a fortnight before being sent to Pasteur Hospital in Nice for another two weeks. She then spent four months at the Hélio-Marin Centre, a rehabilitation facility in Vallauris specialising in musculoskeletal, neurological, and amputation care. “That’s where the real work began.”
As she recalls, “The hardest thing in rehabilitation was seeing how lonely some patients were – no family, no friends, only other patients to support them. I realised how lucky I was. I really didn’t face any difficulties, and for the first time in a long while, I was solely focused on taking care of myself.”
From Monday to Friday, Sabrina underwent two physiotherapy sessions and a workout every days, plus there were visits from family and friends. She spent the weekends at home. “This routine helped me stay focused and keep going without my mind getting the better of me.”
She says it was the unconditional support of family, friends and health care professionals – from start to finish – that kept her going. “Since the accident, I need more reassurance and to be acknowledged. I may appear to be strong but the truth is I often need to be comforted. The fact that they are there for me every day has helped me cope and continue moving on.”
To be able to walk with prostheses, Sabrina had to strengthen her abdominal muscles. She tried different sports, but they were too limiting. Then in May 2025 the assistant secretary of the Sociéte Nautique de Monaco (SNM, Monaco’s rowing club) introduced her to Ludovic Savoye, who would become her rowing partner. “Rowing ticked all the boxes … except for being a water sport. But they convinced me to give it a try. So I started with the ergometer, which gave me access to the sport without going out on the water straight away.”
By September, Sabrina decided to try rowing with the club at Lake Saint-Cassien. “It was the logical next step. Like everything since the accident, the day I decided to return to the water, I did so without questioning myself at all.”
In January 2026, Sabrina started rowing in an adapted single skull in Port Hercules. “I feel some apprehension, but I’m confident it will eventually pass.”
Sabrina combines four weekly sessions on the ergometer with one or two outings on the water, with the goal of skulling more and more frequently. “On the days when my progress feels slow, Ludovic and my family are there to remind me of everything I’ve achieved and this helps put things into perspective. And, two or three sessions later, I get back into warrior mode and continue to push ahead.”
Warrior indeed. In January 2026, eight months after first trying the ergo, Sabrina competed in her first French National Indoor Rowing Championship in Paris. She placed first in the PR3 Mixed Inclusive 4×500m Relay, in which each team has one para-athlete; third in the women’s 500-metre PR2 category – a class comprising functional use of arms and trunk with a fixed seat; and fourth in the 2000 metres. (Photos: Sabrina on the ergo, above, and with first place team SNM below. Facebook Fédération Française d’Aviron.)
“Obviously, I was nervous beforehand but as soon as the starter went off, that tension turned into energy. The atmosphere – intense and welcoming – allowed me to stay focused and push myself.
“What made the moment more special was the presence of most of my family and friends, who had come to Stade Pierre de Coubertin to cheer me on. Seeing them in the stands and feeling their support was invaluable. And I think my children were really proud of their mom. For me, that was one of the greatest rewards of this first competition.”
The medallist now has her eye on the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles for the mixed doubles event. With Ludovic, the teammates are going to compete in as many competitions as possible to show that they deserve a spot at the highest level. The only slight complication is that Ludovic is not Monegasque. “Despite this, we are moving forward together, with the same goal in mind.”
As Sabrina puts it, “Participating in the Games would be a dream come true, a chance to take my life back. Not an end in itself, but a symbol – a symbol of everything I have rebuilt, of everything I refused to give up on. And when I look back … I could never have imagined this, even in my wildest dreams.”
“What I would like people to take away from all of this is that we all have a strength within us that we don’t realise. We don’t choose the challenges we face, but we can choose how we deal with them. In my case, I decided to move forward, to fight, and to continue living life to the fullest – even if it’s different.”
Sabrina doesn’t see herself as a source of inspiration. “I just move on with what life has given me, trying to stay positive and do my best. But if my story can help someone, then I’m happy.”
Société Nautique de Monaco gave her “a warm welcome and kindness” from day one. “There is a real sense of solidarity, a simplicity in communication, and, above all, a shared desire in a passion for rowing.
“My rowing partner, the coaches, the club members … everyone, in their own way, has helped me find my place. I feel supported, encouraged, and never judged. It’s an environment where I can progress, surpass myself, and feel fully legitimate. After everything I’ve been through, that means a lot.”
Article first published on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2026.
Kasey Robinson has always been a champion for fairness. “My mother would tell me I was the child that made sure the little kids got their turn on the slide or was the first to share my snacks with friends,” she recalls.
Born and raised in the UK, Kasey’s sense of fairness is something she has carried into adult life and has “had the privilege” to build into a career. She shares the position of codirector at SheCanHeCan (SCHC) with founder Vibeke Brask Thomsen. The Monaco-registered non-profit association looks to inspire and support girls to take leadership roles.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Kasey Robinson talks about The Blobcast podcast.
The British-Jamaican says, “Monaco is a small place filled with luxury, folks can often be confused as to what sort of work needs to be done here. Access to education on certain topics, rights and resources need to be addressed globally and SheCanHeCan was an organisation doing their part in addressing that and I want to play my part in supporting them.”
The Monaco resident describes how she was raised to speak up for herself, to be informed, polite and considerate but she’s not sure about the label of activist. “It might just be semantics for some but I think at the core of what I do it’s about fairness, care and community. Sometimes I wish that didn’t have to be labelled and it was just what all of us did in our lives in the ways that we can,” expresses Kasey.
With a Master of Science degree in Gender from the London School of Economics, Kasey is somewhat of an expert in the field of menstrual health. In October 2023, she was interviewed by The Independent about the drop in school attendance for girls on their periods. A phs Group report on Period Equality: Breaking the Cycle found that teenagers in the UK are missing 54 days – the equivalent of 11 academic weeks – due to their periods. Cramps (82%) were cited as the main reason, along with embarrassment about being on their periods (19%) and one in 8% saying no period products were available to them.
“The most important thing to understand about stigma, shame and lack of access to period products is that it is a global issue. In our society it’s very easy to label this as an issue ‘over there’ but there is no country in the world that can yet say that they have overcome this.
“Lack of access to products is also an important topic as again it affects so many of us. One might first think of a girl in a village in a remote part of the world but it also includes the number of young people in the UK who cannot afford to buy period products or even a student in a school in Monaco who can’t go to the toilet and get the products they need such as toilet paper and soap and so either have to go without or pluck up the courage to go and ask the school wellbeing officer. All of these examples indicate lack of access.”
Embarrassment about periods is impacting young people’s education. “The shame and stigma is ultimately rooted in sexism; there is a long and dark history of women and menstruating bodies being otherised, ignored, reduced and silenced and sadly that legacy is still alive today. It might come in different forms in different places but the fact that most people don’t say the word ‘period’ out loud and instead use code words like ‘time of the month’ or as they say in French, les ragnagnas, is evidence of that legacy of shaming periods.”
Kasey adds that research also shows that teachers don’t have adequate knowledge about periods and menstrual care and so there is a risk of the same stigmas being perpetuated in classrooms. “Teachers are some of the most hard-working people in the world and many are working in underfunded schools with limited time and access to learning resources.”
She is hoping The Blobcast – a podcast about “literally all things periods” – will help to address the resource gap. She was brought on as host by the phs Group. “I had already had two television appearances in the UK on the topic of periods and so I was lucky enough to add this to my list of community outreach work.” Guest experts join her in four “eye-opening episodes that cover everything from pain, shame, period basics, to products and their costs.”
As an EDI & Anti-Racism Specialist, Kasey recognises hiding your feelings creates problems. “If you ask the average person on the street, they’ll probably tell you they never had a proper period education in school or at their workplace. Periods are a normal, healthy part of life but they remain a taboo, a secret and something that many people do not feel comfortable talking about openly.”
SCHC are changing that. “Through our work, campaigning and outreach efforts we are closing that gap on access and education when it comes to period health. With support from the Monaco government we are going into schools to give them workshops on period wellbeing and confidence – with boys too! Not only this but our workshops have been delivered in schools across the Côte d’Azur and by September 2024 we will have installed period product distributors in ALL Monaco schools. This is HUGE.”
And while Kasey is immensely proud of this achievement, she says there is more work to be to done. “We want to see every company, restaurant, hotel and establishment with toilets provide free period products so that Monaco can be the first country in the world to do so!”
Along with the in-school workshops, SCHC have developed a period guide that has been created with a local gynaecologist to inform young people and answer their questions about periods. “We know that a lot of young people rely on social media to get informed about topics the grown-ups around them don’t want to talk about. While that’s okay in some respects, when it comes to their health and wellbeing, young people need to be getting a comprehensive education at home and school before they’re on socials so that they are equipped to more responsibly navigate the misinformation that they might come across online. Please get in touch if your schools need copies of the period guide.”
May 28 is Menstrual Hygiene Day, or what SCHC refer to Menstrual Health Day because words “sanitary” and “hygiene” sends the message that periods are unsanitary or unhygienic. “This day is super important but it’s also about our ongoing work. And we have a pretty exciting announcement to make soon about period products in Monaco … so watch this space!”
Article first published May 28, 2024. All photos and video copyright Good News Monaco.
Dec. 30 2025: Congratulations to Paula Radcliffe who has been awarded an OBE in the 2026 King’s New Year Honours list.
For the first time since Olympic marathon runner Paula Radcliffe launched Families on Track in 2019 at the Durham City Run Festival in the UK, the family relay race is coming to Monaco.
Paula’s Families on Track, which is supported by the Princess Charlene Foundation, will take place along Quai Albert 1er on Saturday February 10th, at 4 pm. Watch the video interview above as Paula explains the inspiration behind Families on Track, how the relay works and what to expect in Monaco.
This is a one-of-a-kind sport event in which families compete as a team on a safe and enclosed track made up of two lap distances – 500m and 250m. The goal is for each family to run laps in relay to complete a total of 10 kilometres. Any combination of lap distances is possible, for example,14 laps of 500m plus 12 laps of 250m.
Teams are members can run in any order and for any distance to reach the 10K total. After every leg of the relay, the family member enters the “Crazy Zone” and heads to the “Pen” from where the next team member will start their laps. Each family has a dedicated Pen where they wait and cheer each other on. This is where the fun happens.
Once the magic 10K mark is reached, the family joins together for the “Glory Leg” to the Finish Line.
Paula’s inclusive Families on Track is part of Monaco Run and is free to register. Go to the Monaco Run website to sign up.
Teams can be 3 to 5 people and all participants get a Families on Track T-shirt and goody bag. The dress code is Team Spirit. It’s recommended to wear the event tees or come in fancy dress. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out Families on Track on Instagram.
Paula is an advocate for health and fitness, and is an active member of the Monaco community. The ambassador for the Princess Charlene Foundation has participated in every edition of the Riviera Water Bike Challenge. As well, she has organised various initiatives for school children in the Principality, including at Stade Louis II for Global Running Day.
Arthur and Camille Laure officially opened the doors to La Bookinerie on August 27. The shop’s name is a clever play on the French word bouquin, which means book.
The space at 1 Promenade Honoré II (steps from Starbucks La Condamine) sells French-language books of all genres, including a decent-size children’s selection. Arthur and Camille say more stock is on the way, and in English, too.
“We want a space where everyone can pick up a book to sit and read. And children are most welcome here,” say the proud parents to 6-month-old Simon.
ARTHUR LAURE GIVES A TOUR OF LA BOOKINERIE. VIDEO BELOW.
Monegasque Arthur and Camille, who is from Cannes, both have a scientific background but had an idea to open a bookshop four years ago, during the Covid pandemic when, according to The New York Times, “many communities rallied around their local bookstores in a time of crisis.” Turns out in 2021 “publishers sold nearly 827 million print books, an increase of roughly 10 percent over 2020,” according to NPD BookScan.
Arthur and Camille saw this as a heartfelt opportunity and the couple hopes La Bookinerie will serve as a convivial meet-up for literary gatherings and author readings.
MORE THAN BOOKS! WATCH VIDEO ABOVE. Beyond books, they sell gifts (candles from Grasse, stationary, tote bags), and the friendly-feel café serves coffee, tea, juices and kombucha.
Follow La Bookinerie on Instagram (website goes live soon). Open Monday 14h-19h; Tuesday to Friday 10h-19h, and Saturday 10h-16h.
Article first published August 28, 2025. Photos and videos copyright Good News Monaco.
ARTHUR’S READING RECOMMENDATION. WATCH VIDEO BELOW.
The first Monaco edition of International Women’s Sports was celebrated on Friday, January 24, at the Prince’s Car Collection with what FIA called an “influential Monaco event celebrating women in motorsport”.
The not-for-profit conference introduced female students in Monaco, ages 14-22, to possible careers in motorsport with World Rally Vice-Champion Michèle Mouton as the guest of honour.
Iron Dames go-karter Vicky Farfus, 13, interviewed race car driver Marta Garcia (Iron Dames and F1 Academy 2023 Champion), which was followed by a panel on roles in motorsport.
Video participation integrated a welcome from Burcu Cetinkaya, Chair of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, Ella Häkkinen Champions of the Future go-karter and Iron Dames rally driver, Sarah Rumeau, who was participating in her first Rallye Monte-Carlo.
The event rounded off with a special thank you to Michèle Mouton by Tiffaney Perlino, President of Women in Motorsport Commission ACM, and Lacey Da Costa, co-founder Carob Tree Publishing.
BeSafe Monaco co-founders Camille Gottlieb, Margaux Grundstein and Laura Dias were also present. Founded in 2017, BeSafe Monaco is a non-profit Association for the Prevention of Drink Driving.
BeSafe Monaco co-founders Margaux Grundstein and Camille Gottlieb with Nancy Heslin.
Although supported by Iron Dames and FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, this independent event to provide access to students with women in Monaco working motorsport was co-organised by (picture below with Prince Albert at event: R-L) Martine Ackermann (Child CARE Monaco), Valérie Closier (Director Prince’s Car Collection), Tiffaney Perlino (President of Women in Motorsport Commission ACM) and Nancy Heslin (Co-founder Carob Tree Publishing).
Many of the women featured in the book were guests and there was an opportunity to meet and greet speakers, and have books signed.
Following the student event, a cocktail with HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco marked the official launch of 100 Years of Women: Motorsport & Monaco. The Prince wrote a preface for the book and was presented with a copy by Lacey Da Costa.
On behalf of the Automobile Club de Monaco, Prince Albert presented Michèle Mouton with a lifetime club membership.
100 Years of Women: Motorsport & Monaco writers L-R: Suellen Grealy, Rebecca McVeigh, Paula Farquharson, Nancy Heslin, Lanie Goodman and Chrissie McClatchie. Absent: Carla Ackermann, Suzanna Chambers and Annette Ross Anderson. Photo: P/ Farquharson.“100 Years of Women: Motorsport & Monaco” writer Carla Ackermann with ACM Steward Sophie Bensa (left) and ACM Secretary to the Monaco Marshals Joanna Luong.
This 240-page hardcover in English features the world’s greatest female drivers, from rally to F1, who have competed in Monaco since 1925. Some 65 timeless stories of women written by 9 women offer an inspiring narrative filled with glamour, adventure, and triumph in a male-dominated sport. There is also an unprecedented chapter on the women in Monaco and their roles in motorsport.
As Iron Dames founder Deborah Mayer wrote in her introduction: “This book is not only an important reminder of how far we’ve come, but also a beacon of hope and unlimited potential for the next generation and for all women who face obstacles in any traditionally male-dominated field.”
The book retails for €50. A portion of sales will support next-gen female talent in motorsport. Buy or donate a copy here.
Article first published January 30, 2025. All photos copyright Ed Wright Images.
Prince Albert speaking with Iron Dames go-karter Vicky Farfus in front of her cart.L-R: Lacey Da Costa, Valérie Closier, Laurie Clog, Tiffaney Perlino, Sara Mariani, Michèle Mouton, Christine Dacremont, Delphine Biscaye, Cathy Muller Ehrlacher and Anne-Charlotte Remy. Front: Martine Ackermann and Nancy Heslin.Legend Michèle Mouton with MyCrown Collection founder and book sponsor Sophia Vaharis
The Drama Group of Monaco has been performing English-language plays and pantomimes since 1965. The first stage production, the comedy Love’s a Luxury, was put on in 1974 at the Salle des Variétés in Monaco and attended by Prince Rainier and Princess Grace.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: “‘Oh no they are not!’” says Drama Group of Monaco president Andrew Riley.
Over the next decade, the non-profit organisation performed in Monaco and on the Côte d’Azur but things really took off when in 1985 the Drama Group was offered “The Green Room’” at the Stade Louis II for rehearsals, workshops and Play-Readings.
“In the early days of the Drama Group of Monaco,” recalls the current President, Andrew Riley, “the monthly readings of plays in The Green Room were extremely popular with the local English speakers because there was no satellite TV!”
These days, with streaming services and social media, the Drama Group of Monaco continues its battle to keep performing art alive. Membership (with in-house auditions) is open to all enthusiastic English-speaking adult thespians, and, since 2019, youth from the age of 9. “Although it is an amateur theatre association, we pride ourselves on the teamwork, enthusiasm, and commitment of every performing member. Our only aim is to generate pleasure and emotion to our often very discerning public.”
“Our Youth Theatre weekend workshops and performances have helped to contribute to a wider theatrical experience for the local anglophone community,” says Andrew. “Traditionally we devote an afternoon performance of the Pantomime to various classes of pupils at Monaco schools, in close collaboration with the Education Nationale.”
Born in the UK, Andrew studied English and French literature – which included Drama – at university, and came to Nice as a student, eventually settling on the Côte d’Azur and becoming a Monaco resident. He started working for Barclays Private Bank Monaco in 1981 and retired nearly 40 years later in 2019.
“I started acting at school, which was an all-boys public school, so I played both male and female roles, something that I continue to do today in the Pantomimes!”
Andrew joined the Drama Group of Monaco in 1984. His first stage performance that year was a farce – as he says, “appropriately called” – A Bedfull of Foreigners. He’s had the “opportunity and privilege” to perform in some amazing theatrical roles including in Macbeth and Henry V, The Elephant Man, and Dangerous Liaisons.
“I’ve been passionate about amateur dramatics in English in Monaco ever since my first show, juggling professional and family commitments with my love of theatre. My first Pantomime was in 1996, I played Abanazar, the Baddie, in Aladdin.”
The Drama Group’s most popular tradition is, of course, the Christmas Pantomime, a highly anticipated outing for the whole family, from the age of 5. The larger-than-life characters delight the audience with their extravagance and often outrageous costumes.
“This very British custom is a light-hearted bundle of laughs, slapstick, and dance routines roughly based on the dramatization of a well-known fairy tale or folk tale. Traditionally, some of the key roles are played by a member of the opposite sex. The ‘Dame’ is often played by a man, and the ‘Principal Boy’ is played by a girl.
“There is much actor-audience interaction. The ‘Baddies’ are booed and the ‘Goodies’ are cheered on, and there is lots of ‘Oh yes they are!’ versus ‘Oh no they are not!’”
After nearly 30 years, the Drama Group of Monaco is bringing back Aladdin. Written by Ben Crocker, directed by Andrew Riley and Miranda Dawe, and choreographed by Celia Riley, the pantomime will be performed by 30 members, including 16 youth, on Thursday December 11 and Friday December 12 at the Salle des Variétés, starting at 8pm. “The text and the jokes of a Pantomime are continually evolving, so any returning audience is rarely disappointed,” says Andrew.
To get your tickets for Aladdin on Thursday December 11 and Friday December 12 (8pm) at the Salle des Variétés, go to the Drama Group of Monaco’s website.
Article first published November 20, 2025. All photos and videos copyright Good News Monaco.
