On Friday, the Prince and Princess of Monaco put on their best gala attire—including some spectacular diamonds!—and headed to the Hotel de Paris to attend the principality’s annual Christmas Ball.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco led the guest list at this year’s Bal de Noël, which was held in the Salle Empire of the Hôtel de Paris in Monte Carlo. For several years, Princess Charlene has been the patron of the event, which is marking its 20th anniversary.
The ball, organized by Sandrine Knoell, is a charity fundraising event. During this year’s ball, a live auction organized by Sotheby’s raised money for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, which promotes water safety initiatives to prevent drowning. Before her marriage, Charlene was a competitive swimmer, representing South Africa at the Olympics in Sydney in the summer of 2000.
The Bal de Noël also began presenting the Monaco Star Award this year, honoring people who are working toward enhancing the lives and wellbeing of children. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Princess Charlene was honored with the inaugural award at the ball. Accepting the award alongside her was her brother, Gareth Wittstock, who is the secretary general of her foundation.
The Christmas Ball is now the fourth big annual black-tie gala on the Grimaldi calendar. Prince Albert wore a tuxedo for the event, while Princess Charlene glittered in her recent gala formula: a floor-length gown with diamonds.
Charlene’s dress, per UFO No More, is the Fresco gown from Jenny Packham, which features soft pleating, a cape detail at the shoulders, and a sparkling belt. It’s been a big royal month for Jenny Packham. The company dressed Charlene’s sister-in-law, Princess Caroline, for the National Day gala; the Princess of Wales for the German state banquet; Princess Madeleine of Sweden for the Nobel Prize ceremony and banquet; and the Princess of Orange for the Finnish state banquet. A truly incredible run!
The sparkling belt on Charlene’s gown provided most of the glittering wattage for the look, but she also wore a major pair of sparkling diamond earrings. The Royal Couturier tells us that the earrings come from Maison Tabbah, the same firm that made one of Charlene’s wedding presents back in 2011. They’re climber-style earrings set with pear-shaped diamonds.
Charlene chose not to wear a necklace or bracelets with the ensemble, but she did wear one other big diamond: her pear-shaped diamond engagement ring, which comes from Repossi.
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