Monaco prepares for Rainier's death

The people of Monaco were preparing for the death of their beloved ruler Prince Rainier today after his doctors were unable to say whether he would recover from the heart, lung and kidney problems that put him in intensive care.

Rainier, 81, remained hooked up to a respirator and his state of health “remained worrying”, a statement said. Rainier was suffering heart and kidney failure.

The statement, signed by three doctors, said the prognosis was “reserved”, French medical terminology indicating that specialists are unsure whether someone will recover.

Dr Jean-Charles Piette, the chief of internal medicine at the La Pitie Salpetriere hospital in Paris, was called to Monaco to see Rainier. He and other specialists decided that the prince must remain in the clinic for treatment.

Rainier was admitted to hospital in the Riviera principality more than two weeks ago with a chest infection. His health suddenly worsened on Tuesday, and he was taken to the intensive care unit of the Cardio-Thoracic Centre.

The prince, who assumed the throne in 1949, is beloved in Monaco for having transformed a Mediterranean state smaller than London’s Hyde Park into a modern and elegant enclave for the rich. Rainier’s film star wife, Grace Kelly, died in a car crash in 1982.

His children, son and heir Prince Albert and daughters Princesses Caroline and Stephanie, have been constant visitors to his bedside.