Bells pealed across Monaco as the tiny Riviera principality feted Prince Albert II’s rise to the throne today and bid a final symbolic farewell to his late father, Rainier III.

BELOW a golden crown, Prince Rainier III was given a tearful farewell yesterday at a funeral in Monaco's cathedral.

PRINCE Rainier III of Monaco is conscious and his heart, lung and kidney functions have stabilised, the royal palace said yesterday, as worshippers in Monaco attended Easter Mass with a special prayer for Europe's longest-serving ruler.