Prince Albert named Monaco regent as Rainier ails

Prince Albert took over Monaco’s royal powers yesterday, assuming all but the throne in the tiny principality after a royal commission decided that his critically-ill father was too sick to perform his duties.

The announcement by the royal palace marked the first time since 1949 that Prince Rainier III – Europe’s longest-serving ruler – had not been in control of the Mediterranean realm smaller than New York’s Central Park and famed as a playground for the rich and famous.