Prince Albert II of Monaco Visits Mark Twain Museum and Signs Fence

Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 March 2011 17:21 Tuesday, 03 August 2010 19:39

Sovereign Prince Albert II of Monaco visited the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum on Monday, August 2. His Serene Highness was in Hannibal to visit his friend, Dr. Robert Munsch, a surgeon at Hannibal Regional Medical Group. After observing procedures performed by Dr. Munsch, the Hannibal Regional Medical Group held a press conference where Hannibal Mayor Roy Hark presented Prince Albert with the key to the city. Following the presentation, Prince Albert signed the Mark Twain Museum’s “10 by 10” fence.

Last fall the Museum began inviting visitors to 'symbolically whitewash' Tom Sawyer’s fence for their $10 contribution to the endowment fund. The “10 by 10” campaign was launched to raise $10 million by the end of 2010. This year is significant as it marks the 100th anniversary of Twain’s death and the 175^th anniversary of his birth. This grass roots effort is aimed at reaching one million Twain fans around the world.

Prince Albert toured the Boyhood Home and other properties including the Mark Twain Museum Gallery. He asked many questions and enjoyed viewing the various artifacts, such as Mark Twain’s Oxford gown and the 15 original Norman Rockwell paintings.  Before leaving, the Museum staff presented the prince with a set of the Norman Rockwell illustrated editions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

“Providing a tour for Prince Albert was exciting,” said curator Henry Sweets. “The knowledge he shared and the questions he asked indicated he had great interest in Twain.”Prince Albert is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the current ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He is the son of the late Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Princess Grace Kelly. He is to be married next July to Charlene Wittstock, a former South African swimmer.

For more information on the Mark Twain Museum and the “10 by 10” endowment fund, please visit http://marktwainmuseum.org.