The Fall of Prince Florestan of Monaco

In this lively memoir a young aristocrat, Prince Florestan of Württemberg, recounts the bewildering events that upended the tiny principality of Monaco in the winter of 1873. He introduces himself as a dethroned, republican‑leaning prince and sets the scene with the fading reign of the blind Prince Charles Honoré, his widowed mother, and the heir Albert, Duke of Valentinois, whose lavish lifestyle revolves around gambling tables and a newly acquired English yacht. Florestan’s narrative blends personal anecdotes—his cousin’s disdain for steam ships and a daring rescue at sea—with the tangled politics that left even the English post office unsure of Monaco’s national status.

The story takes a sudden turn when a violent storm capsizes Albert’s yacht, leaving the prince, his son, and a trusted uncle missing and presumed dead. The sudden loss throws Monaco into chaos, prompting the Governor General to summon the Conseil d’État and proclaim a joint regency of the dowager princess and Baron Imberty. As telegrams race across Europe, the fragile balance of power hangs in the air, and the tiny state braces for an uncertain future.