The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, travels this Thursday, November 20th, to Monaco, at the invitation of Prince Albert II, for a state visit, the first he has made to the Principality and one of the last of his mandate.
Less than two months before the presidential elections, scheduled for January 18th, and around three and a half months before leaving office (March 9, 2026), Marcelo is on his 170th trip abroad – in a count that includes, in addition to official visits, all other trips, for various reasons, and divided by country, even if they were made immediately.
The head of state arrives at the end of this afternoon in the Principality, but all the official agenda will take place on Friday, with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa being received in the morning at the Prince’s Palace of Monaco by Albert II, in a ceremony with military honors, hymns and review, followed by an audience, lunch and signing of a bilateral cooperation agreement.
In the early afternoon, the President of the Republic will visit a photographic exhibition about King D. Carlos – which he shared with Prince Albert I, great-great-grandfather of the current monarch, both sharing a passion for oceanography – and will participate in the inauguration of a bust of the former Portuguese monarch in the gardens of Saint-Martin, close to the palace.
Next, the head of state pays a visit to the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, the same place where, at the end of the afternoon, he offers a reception to the Portuguese community in the Principality, after which he will return to Lisbon.
According to a note released this Thursday by the Presidency of the Republicon the official website, this state visit “is testimony to the historical and friendly ties between the two countries, as well as the desire to reinforce bilateral cooperation on matters of common interest, with a focus on preserving the oceans and biodiversity”.