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Pens for Princes (and Princesses)

2011-06-21 14:50

The souvenirs have gone on sale for the forthcoming wedding between Prince Albert II of Monaco and Miss Charlene Wittstock. But nothing can compare with the Montblanc pen with which the register will be signed.

The luxury pen company has a longstanding relationship with nobility, statesmen and politicians, and its precious pieces now command extraordinary prices. The Rainier III pen, produced to commemorate the current prince's father (and called the Rainier 81 after the number of years he lived) is a good example. When it was created, in 2007, it immediately became one of the world's most expensive items, setting the bar for pen craftsmanship the world over.

The skeletonized fountain-pen was made from 18-carat white gold and encrusted with nearly 1000 diamonds and over 100 rubies in the shape of the red and white lozenges of the Grimaldi coat of arms. The price was a staggering €200,000 euros, or nearly $300,000.  But it's not the price that mattered: with profits from its sale going to the Princess Grace Foundation (a non-profit organization dedicated to the recognition of emerging talent in the realm of theatre, dance, and film), an enduring and important relationship between one of the world's top jewellers and the legacy of Monaco's princely family was sealed.



On 8 September 2011, to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of Princess Graces's showbiz debut, Montblanc is to launch a unique international collection paying tribute to the late princess. But before then comes the latest in the Grimaldi saga, the wedding of Grace's eldest child to his South Africa-born bride. And to celebrate, the luxury craftsmen of Montblanc have done it again, with the official pen set with precious stones and inscribed, of course, with the prince and princess's 'AC' monogram.

As soon as pictures become available we will certainly be posting them here. But until 1 July, when the Civil ceremony is held in the Prince's Palace, the exact appearance of what will no doubt be a suitably elegant and majestic piece will remain a tantalizing mystery. Our guess is a burnished gold for the warmth of South Africa, set with white diamonds - and possibly a nod to the coat of arms once more.

^{HSH Prince Albert at the launch of the pen commemorating his father}