Prince Albert of Monaco in Stavanger

First, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway started the Hydrogen Rally… and in Stavanger, Prince Albert II of Monaco was ready to welcome the winners.

Later in the day, he went to the conference area, and tried out one of the environmental cars indoors. The Car was made by students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and can go 1246 km (roughly 774 miles) on a litre of petrol. (0.26 gallons)

Sniffing the truffles

The French have their black Périgord truffle, the Italian and Croatian descendants of Roman gods have their own white gold – the white truffles. In Alba in the Italian region of Piemonte, truffle dogs and their owners search for the funny looking mushrooms that grow in symbiosis with oak trees, willows, walnuts and poplars in the rolling hills around the regional capital Langhe during the autumn months every year.

The Italians treasure their gastronomic delights and the truffle is no exception. The highpoint of the year comes when locals and Italian truffle lovers gather alongside tourists, celebrities and rich bosses from the hospitality business for the annual International White Truffle Fair of Alba every October, a celebration of the beloved tartufo bianco.

The white gold that Nero defined as “the food of the Gods” is the prime attraction among wines, chocolates and Alba’s famous nougat attracting thousands of people to the market stands and surrounding events of the fair. Everyone from normal Italian citizens with a taste for good food to the world’s best chefs and curious tourists are eager to see and taste the delicacies that sell for several thousand Euros per kilogram. In previous years icons such as Pavarotti and Sophia Loren have come to experience the annual truffle festival, this year Prince Albert of Monaco came as he helped to open the event yesterday. Getting to hold and sniff the precious treasures, the Prince received a grand tour of the market area and surely also got to try some of the regional specialities. Because whether your sprinkle shaved truffle over a good pasta or enjoy it in a more advanced creation at a Michelin-starred restaurant, the aromatic tartufo bianco is set to give anyone an experience not to be forgotten easily.

More on white truffles: articles “White Truffles from Alba” by Life in Italy, “The hunt for the white truffle” by CNN and pictures from the festival in Alba posted on Flickr. The fair in Alba also has an official website.

Future princess or not, all eyes are on Charlene

Over two years have passed since Prince Albert of Monaco was first romantically linked with the South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock. Suitably enough, they were first spotted at the Olympics, where many royals of the world have met their future spouses, in Torino in 2006 and the speculations started immediately. Had the bachelor slash playboy prince finally found his match?

Now, at the age of 50 and with a row of past girlfriends and two recognized illegitimate children but no heirs of his own behind him, everyone wants to know if Prince Albert intends to wed his blonde beauty. Twenty-six years have passed since tiny principality of Monaco last had a first lady next to the ruling Prince of Monaco as the iconic Grace Kelly died so tragically in 1982. How long will they have to wait for the next?

The modelesque Charlene has become a familiar face to many as she’s regularly appearing next to the Prince at official occasions, bringing excitement even to the smaller events. Together with the Monegasque Princely Family she has catched the attention of the cameras and the people at everything from the annual circus festival and the famous Red Cross ball to private vacations around the world. There are no obstacles ahead, rather the opposite as Charlene brings freshness and beauty to the principality and to the Prince’s side but so far all reports of a pending engagement and wedding have been fenced off and left to the media to speculate about. But there’s no denying to the hope that Charlene has sparked among many people in these past two and a half years, hopes of seeing the playboy-marked Albert finally settling down.

A new Princess of Monaco and heirs of his own is what everyone is waiting for, the question is if this will ever happen or if the throne of Monaco will one day pass to Albert’s older sister Princess Caroline of Hanover and eventually to her oldest child, son of the late Italian sportsman and millionaire Stefano Casiraghi. Only the future can tell…