Prince Rainier continues to fight for life

MONACO'S Prince Rainier, fighting for his life in hospital after his health took a dramatic turn for the worse last week, remained in a "stable" yet "worrying" condition.

"The condition of His Most Serene Highness Prince Rainier III, still worrying, remains nevertheless stable," doctors for the 81-year-old prince said in a statement released by the palace.

"With treatment and the possibility of beginning kidney dialysis, the deterioration of the function of his vital organs has stopped progressing," the doctors added, noting that the prognosis remained "reserved."

The palace said that it would later issue another medical bulletin, without specifying a time.

"There is slight improvement, as compared with previous days," a palace source said.

At the weekend, the same source said: "Even if we don't expect a miracle, the prince continues to fight."

Rainier, Europe's longest-serving monarch, remained on a respirator in the intensive care unit of the Cardio-Thoracic Centre in the tiny Mediterranean principality, which he has ruled since 1949.

The ailing prince has been hospitalised multiple times since 2002 for recurrent respiratory problems. Last admitted on March 7 to the Monaco clinic, he was rushed to intensive care last Tuesday after taking a turn for the worse.

Rainier's three children by his late wife, Oscar-winning US film star Grace Kelly, have taken turns by his bedside.

Prince Albert, his unwed 47-year-old son, will succeed his father as ruler of Monaco.

Rainier is the world's second longest-reigning monarch after Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

He is credited with turning the tiny principality on the edge of the French Riviera into a tax-free playground for the rich.