On June 17, 2020, Prince Albert II, Princess Charlene, Princess Stephanie, Princess Caroline, Charlotte Casiraghi, Princess Alexandra, Pierre Casiraghi, Andrea Casiraghi, Pauline Ducruet and Louis Ducruet attended the funeral of Elizabeth-Ann De Massy, held at the Monaco Cathedral in Monaco, Monaco. Baroness Elizabeth-Ann de Massy, first cousin of Prince Albert II, died at the Princess Grace Hospital on June 10th. She was 72 years old.
Born in Monaco on July 3 1947, Elizabeth-Ann was the first child of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, elder sister of Prince Rainier III, and Alexandre Noghès. She was the godmother of Princess Stéphanie of Monaco.
Baroness Elizabeth-Ann de Massy was heavily involved in charity work across her home nation, and was president of the Monegasque Tennis Federation and the Monte Carlo Country Club. She was also passionate about animal welfare, holding head roles in both Monaco's Society for the Protection of Animals and the Canine Society of Monaco. Very attached to the traditions of the Principality, the Baroness regularly took part in events bringing together all generations.
What a terrible threatening sight, all those black mask ( with the family coat of arms on them!?).
ReplyDeleteI see the masks with the coat of arms as a sign of acceptance that this is our new normal for the forseeable future. When the royalty and heads of state set a good example, it is much easier for the rest of the country to follow suit.
DeleteI totally agree with you Anon 9:16. Royalty and heads of state should set the right example. My husband has worked in healthcare over 30 years and is well -acquainted with the nature and transmission of viruses. Masks do not protect 100%, thus the term N-95 masks (protecting 95%), but they are better than wearing nothing at all. They do help slow the spread from people who are asymptomatic and would spread to others. This is medically proven! It is just selfish, egocentric, and rude to think that masks are unnecessary as this virus has not really left anywhere.
DeleteLady M
Grim looks indeed. ~Laurel~
ReplyDeletethis is and will never be the new normal!!! This is WW3.
DeleteSo sad! This is the only time these masks are fitting for the ocassion.
ReplyDeleteFYI: She was the daughter of Princess Antoinette of Monaco and Alexandre-Athenase Noghès. She was a first cousin of the reigning Prince Albert II and niece of Rainier III.
Miss W
These masks are horrible, I hope this will not become the new normal! It looks like a horror movie.
ReplyDeleteWow!
DeleteTineke: I fully agree with you.
DeleteYes, grim(aldi). Horrible, I agree. ~Laurel~
DeleteYes — it does look like a horror movie. I pray for the day these masks can become a relic of the past.
DeleteI fully agree. It looks horrible and totally undignified. Clearly, it was possible to attend unmasked, so I don´t know why the princely family insisted. Monaco has literally zero cases.
DeleteSeeing children wearing masks just makes me sad.
Vanessa - it wasn't possible to attend unmasked. Only the clergy were unmasked.
DeleteMonaco has zero cases for a reason.
Anonymous 5:37 - We can see in the pictures that some people are unmasked, and clearly not part of the clergy.
DeleteAs far as I know, Monaco mandates face masks in shops and on public transport. Not in churches, and most certainly not outdoors. So, I really think it was possible to attend unmasked. And with zero cases in the country, I certainly would have.
Well you wouldn't have been allowed in - if you watched the service you would have seen that the only unmasked person was the Archbishop.
DeleteThe Princely Family do not all live together - some live abroad - and several of these people are in the older category. The mask wearing makes sense.
So sad.... what a humble lady she blessed me with pearls when I visited Monaco Country Club 2 years ago, will never forget that first time meeting her ... RIP my queen. Greetings from South Africa
ReplyDeleteUnknown, what lovely memories for a lifetime. This is wonderful.
DeleteDoes anybody know who is the couple on the first row next to Pss Stephanie ?
ReplyDeleteThe lady seem very very moved.
Thanks in advance
J.
Lionel Noghes and his wife. Half brother ? of Baroness Elisabeth-Ann de Massy
DeleteThats her only daughter and son-in-law with their son.
Deletethey organise events like the annual picnic, Saint Devote day and others
jill
Black face masks looks horrible, if you have to wear them they should be original color not matching the color of the outfit you wear.
ReplyDeleteIt is a funeral. What do you expect? Black is the color du jour.
DeleteCloth masks are recommended over medical masks, so why not make them in colors?
lol what original color? black masks look better in public than surgical masks
DeleteI am also very critical of face masks becoming a fashion item, with colours and designs to match one´s outfit and customized to make a statement. Masks have a devastating impact on social behaviour, on people´s mental health, even on their immune system as they clog the skin, impair oxygen intake and trap the moisture from your breath - a breeding ground for bacteria. I for one cannot wait for them to disappear.
DeleteI understand the need to wear a medical mask in critical areas like hospitals etc. but to wear masks in everyday life, even outside, defies any purpose, especially since corona in most places in Europe doesn´t post any threat anymore (if it ever did).
Vanessa, you are critical of almost everything, and this is no exception. You give the impression of living a very charmed, entitled life. It is as though you don't have any empathy. Addressing your first comment, why should it bother you if masks are in colors? They cost next to nothing to make. Why not make them as attractive as possible since we are wearing them? Do you object to having a choice of color for a cast if you break an arm or leg as well? It is a temporary situation. Why keep it so clinical? If masks were as detrimental to one's health as you say, they would not be worn in hospitals, amongst the sickest of the sick. Why would immunocompromised patients wear masks, "a breeding ground for bacteria"? Health care workers would be dropping like flies. It is another example of you failing to do your research. As for the "devastating impact" of wearing a mask on a person's mental health and social behavior, it would seem to me that going through the illness or loss of a friend or loved one would have a much greater impact on a person's mental health and social behavior than wearing a mask. Wearing a mask does not cause a "devastating impact". If you think it does, please look back through history. An example of something that causes a "devastating impact" is a World War. Would any person that lived through those times, given a choice, choose war or choose wearing a protective mask as the most devastating? Would any person that knows the true meaning of "devastating impact" take your statement seriously? You need some perspective. We, as a society, have become very soft. Diseases that once swept through communities and countries, killing or disabling vast numbers, are no longer a threat because we have the medical knowledge to prevent these tragedies from happening again. Something so small as wearing a mask, along with social distancing, can do so much good. How hard is it to make that small effort? It is for the greater good. In the grand scheme of things, it will be a blip in your life story. Just do it without complaint. So many sacrifices were made during the World Wars, so much greater than wearing a mask, and they were done for the greater good. They were done for years, without the complaints we are hearing after just a few months. It really is shameful. Your final statement blows my mind. You have said some egregious things in the past on various subjects, COVID-19 included. This, "...since corona in most places in Europe doesn´t post any threat anymore (if it ever did)", this is unconscionable. If it ever did? How does one respond to such ignorance?
DeleteTo 10.41:
DeleteYou could have just said that you found "devastating" too strong of a word, and you likely would have been right. Maybe it was a bit too strong, and I should have just said "negative". But then you go on and talk about world wars? I think your comparisons are inappropriate and misleading.
Just because living through a war is utterly traumatizing, doesn´t mean that other things cannot be devastating.
Wearing a mask is also not comparable to losing a friend. Losing a friend certainly takes a big emotional toll on any person, but it is utterly irrelevant to the mask discussion. Not only are those two struggles totally different (sadness vs. fear) but also on different levels (personal vs. societal). And most of all, your comparison suggests that we only have those two options, as if us not wearing masks would lead to people dying, and there is just no basis for that kind of suggestion.
Wearing masks in daily life for months isn´t just a small thing. It has far-reaching concequences. Skin doctors warn because of skyrocketing numbers of exzema due to prolonged use of face masks. People experience circulation problems (dizzyness, even fainting) because they get hot under those masks, especially now that it´s summer. PhD theses found years ago that rebreathing of carbon dioxide under hygienic masks can lead to hypercapnia (and yes, that research was specifically done on surgical staff). And since most people reuse their masks frequently, touch them a lot, put them away without drying them properly and don´t wash them inbetween uses, masks are most certainly a breeding ground for bacteria. And fungus. I find that concerning, especially because we are told by politicians and media that masks keep us safe and many people are totally unaware of the health hazards. And that´s only the physical side.
I find the social impact just as worrying. Seeing masks everywhere in daily life implies that there is a constant health threat, a danger that could kill us. It causes fear, which is a very negative form of stress. I was called names before for pointing that out, but it is the truth. Several people in this thread alone have likened the masked look to a horror movie. Being exposed to that kind of fear causes stress and that in turn will compromise the immune system. Another aspect is that masks make non-verbal communication a lot harder. Most of our communication is non-verbal, and much of it is via facial expression. People now cannot read faces anymore which disrupts social interaction considerably. Not a big deal you may say, but it is a big deal. And nothing indicates that there will soon be an end to this mask-wearing practice. So "temporary" is relative. Making masks fashionable just distracts from the problems. It normalizes a practice that shouldn´t be normal.
Yes, I am critical. And I think more people should be. Wearing a mask when there is literally no reason for it (Monaco corona cases = 0) is definitely counterproductive and should be stopped.
Lastly: I wrote that "corona in most places in Europe doesn´t post any threat anymore (if it ever did)" because the statistical bureaus of several countries have indicated that there is no increased mortality rate this year compared to other years. For corona to be a real threat, it would have to have above-average negative consequences, but in not-so-few places, it proved to not have them. For the record: I´m not saying that corona hasn´t caused higher number of deaths in some places. I know that´s the case most notably in Belgium, Italy, Spain and the UK. I´m saying, in accordance with the data available from various state statistical bureaus, that in many other places corona has had no significant impact on the mortality. And Monaco is certainly one of those places.
I hope this clarifies my statement.
I just wonder if I was the only one wo found it difficult to see who was who...
ReplyDeleteCe sont bien-sur des funérailles mais quand j'ai vu certaines photos, je me croyais presque dans un film d'horreur ; qui est la dame avec la grande cape et portant un grand foulard ? Par avance, merci !
ReplyDeleteShe is Mélanie-Antoinette de Massy, daughter of the deceased. She is wearing a mantilla.
DeleteI think, in due respect, they should have chosen the normal medical colour for the masks: this is to much ( showing of), it makes it a horrible show.
ReplyDeleteOf course. What colour mask should I wear to the funeral? I feel this is the opportune moment to show off so let's go with black, shall we? Totally what the thinking was behind the masks, nothing to do with black being the colour of mourning.
DeleteEdit: She was not Baroness according to her official biography on the lake is Facebook. Her name was Elisabeth-Ann de Massy, not Elizabeth -Anne de Massy.
ReplyDelete2nd pic, who's who l-r with (connection to her): the wife of her half get her ( blonde lady), Lionel Hughes ( paternal half-time brother), Princess Stephanie ( cousin and goddaughter), Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, Princess Charlene(first cousins and cousin in law), Melanie - Antoinette de Massy, Baron Jean- Leonard Taubert-Natta de Massy, Melichoir Taubert-Marta de Massy ( direct heirs- her children and grandson), and Christian Louis de Massy (her younger brother)
It looked like a very moving ceremony. It is nice to see the Royal family paying there respects.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vanessa, four your comment with intelligence and feet on ground. Bravo! I wished all the "Anonymous" here would have names too. The editor once published, that the Ladies should use names. Forgotten? And: It is about fashion here, people!
ReplyDeleteFashionwise: These pics are a desaster. I know it´s a funeral, but... Looks like plague times in middle ages. There is no reason at all for this.
Were you around in the Middle Ages?
DeleteApart from the masks it looks like a normal funeral for the Monaco Princely Family - they have always worn black and mantillas.
As for the anonymity the moderator has decided she doesn't care. She doesn't even pretend that she won't publish anonymous comments any more.
To say there is no reason to take these precautions means you have never had any personal experience with this kind of illness. People that choose to believe the pandemic is not a threat, choose to interpret information to support their own beliefs, and refuse to participate in efforts to curb the spread of the disease are hardly intelligent people with their feet on the ground. No one likes what is going on, but the more people do their part, the sooner it will be under control. While most people will be uneffected, you cannot be sure you or one of your loved ones will not be infected.
DeleteI agree with you completely about the anonymous names. I am one of the people that spoke out against the anonymous posters. There were so many anonymous posts that contributed to a new, negative vibe. There are comments on here that are disgraceful, and I didn't want to be associated with them. I was surprised that the tone of this blog veered so far afield from fashion, but it did, and not in a good way. I understand that it will from time to time, but the pure hatred that has taken over at times is not enjoyable. Because I have the same screen name for other blogs (only members can post but use this same format), I made the choice to distance myself from this blog. When I saw that the rules for anonymous posters were not being followed, I decided to stop using my screen name and go anonymous. Now I can participate if I want to without being associated with the gossip part of it.
On the fashion front, they wear black because they are at a funeral. The only difference being the masks. I would argue that they are necessary. No matter what color they were, they were necessary. Let's be honest. If their masks were other colors, there would be criticism as well. At least they were able to have a funeral. For the last three months, there have been no funerals like that where I live. Churches have been closed, funeral homes couldn't allow the mourners in, even some cemeteries weren't allowing groups at the graveside. Where I live, people would very happily have donned masks, black or not, to be able to attend a loved one's funeral. Especially when bringing together a group that has been around a variety of people in various locations. BTW, I would hardly call these pandemic masks from the Middle Ages. Pandemic masks look like bird faces with giant beaks.
Thanks, rainha leonor. I appreciate your comment!
DeleteTo anonymous 5:06:
Historical documents enable us to know what the Middle Ages were like.
"Apart from the masks it looks like a normal funeral". Well, this discussion is specifically about the masks.
Well those documents would show nothing that looks like these masks.
DeleteWell, ignorance is part of life. Just because you ‘shout louder’ (or write longer comments) doesn’t make medical and scientific evidence less real. Go ahead, be ignorant by all means. Just don’t expose others to risks they don’t want. If it’s only impacting you, who cares? But it’s completely selfish to not care what happens to those around you. So ‘social impacts’ are just an excuse for not caring. Nothing will change those with this mindset anyway (including my words here, I am aware). Good to see that not everyone is in that camp. Thumbs up to them.
ReplyDeleteBlack mantillas are very much part of monégasque tradition. I realize it may seem ‘old fashioned’. But it’s meaningful to them. And wearing any other colour masks would be out of place. In their tradition, it would have been inappropriate to don any other colour. Even white ( very acceptable elsewhere). Remember this family has different roots than perhaps other princiary houses.
Delete"If it’s only impacting you, who cares? But it’s completely selfish to not care what happens to those around you"
Wow. The logic.
What is the fault in that logic? If you make the choice to be careless with your health, that is your own business. When your choices effect others, that is wreckless and selfish. Get drunk but have a designated driver, you are damaging your liver and you look like a fool. Get wasted and get behind the wheel of a car, you are endangering innocent lives. The principle is the same. There is no fault in that logic.
DeleteThe statement was illogical in itself. Either you care about others or you don´t.
DeleteIf you do care, you should not ignore the downside of wearing a mask.
Also, if you think that we still need to fight covid19: Why don´t you object to everyone standing so close and even hugging? By your logic, isn´t that "selfish" as well? Do they not care about the others around them? Make up your mind - either we need to take precautions or we don´t. Either there is a threat or there isn´t.
I don´t know why it is so hard for some to understand "zero cases". People cannot pass on something that they don´t have. Either you go by the official numbers or you don´t. You cannot make a point of medical and scientific evidence and then ignore that that evidence says there are zero cases.
The whole lockdown and all the precautions were initiated in order to "flatten the curve". The point was to slow down the spreading so that hospitals wouldn´t be overburdened with sick people. That curve is now as flat as it gets in Monaco, so logically they should go back to normal. That´s all I´m saying. I don´t see how that is even controversial.
Vanessa, I think you would argue with a fence post.
DeleteYou said, "Either you care about others or you don´t." The problem is that you put conditions on your compassion. You have been loud and clear about the fact that you don't like masks, you think that they are becoming a fashion accessory, which you disapprove of, you are convinced (thanks to Dr. Google) that they are a health hazzard because you have decided you are more of a medical authority than the actual medical authorities, and you just know that they are not necessary in almost all situations. For those reasons, masks get a hard 'no' from you.
You then follow up with, "...if you think that we still need to fight covid19". We are back to you sounding like you have this sense of entitlement and you are talking to the little people. I am sorry to have to break it to you, but you are not untouchable. The disussion has been about the use and necessity of masks. So much so that you gave Anonymous 6/19/20, 5:06 PM a dressing down for what you considered to be going off topic. Quoting Anon 5:06 - "Apart from the masks it looks like a normal funeral." You - "Well, this discussion is specifically about the masks." Yet you just sarcastically referred to social distancing, and those attending the funeral, saying they must be selfish for hugging, etc. Then, "Make up your mind - either we need to take precautions or we don´t. Either there is a threat or there isn´t." What do you consider a precaution? A mask is a precaution. Social distancing is a precaution. Some feel either one is adequate, some feel both are necessary. Then there is you. You feel both are a waste of time because there is no threat and probably never was.
You keep emphasizing that Monaco has zero cases. Monaco has had 99 cases, with 4 deaths. Most notably, Prince Albert was one of those cases. While COVID-19 is alive and well throughout the world, they have every right to insist on as many precautions as they want to to prevent more cases returning to Monaco. The most recent information I read, which may be outdated by now, is that groups over 10 are still prohibited, social distancing is still in place, and masks are recommended. (Sorry to veer from your mandated topic of masks only.) To be fair, I did research all of the health claims you made against wearing a mask. Your argument about breathing too much carbon dioxide is largely debunked. You are talking about a person with preexisting conditions and/or extenuating circumstances. I found nothing about fungus on masks, and only one "breeding ground for bacteria" credited to a politician that, like you, is very vocal about not wanting to wear one. As for skin conditions, nothing came up until I searched for each specific skin condition related to mask wearing. None of the articles had anything too important to say. It was as one would expect. Most cases of skin irritation occur on people with preexisting skin conditions. Use soft, breathable fabric, check your detergent, wash your mask, use moisturizer as a barrier between skin and mask, keep skin care routine simple, etc. Not one thing I read said to stop wearing a mask due to any problems the wearer might be having. In fact, each one said the opposite.
As it was said above, when you so boldly said you would have attended the funeral without a mask (because you are entitled), there is a reason they are at zero cases right now. How do you think they got there? They have taken, and continue to take precautions.
Ha, your comment is rather long, so I guess you are the one "shouting louder" now - by the logic of some anonymous here. Maybe it was you? Hard to know.
DeleteI give you credit for researching my points. And clearly you found something. But then you were quick to dismiss it because you don´t find it "too important"? There are plenty of sources if one is willing to find them. Also, there are plenty of publications in other languages than English.
Interestingly, you pointed out that only people with preconditions are affected negatively by the masks. That not only confirms clearly that masks do cause problems (thank you for proving my point). Ironically, covid-19 infections follow the same pattern: largely only people with preconditions are affected.
I don´t know why you keep calling me "entitled" just because I have a different opinion. Anyone would have been allowed to attend that funeral without a mask, as you yourself noted. Masks are recommended but not mandated. Social distancing is also recommended, and not mandated. And many clearly decided not to follow those recommendations. So, I need to ask: why is me not following the mask recommendation any worse than them not following the social distancing recommendation? Aren´t those precautions for the same "threat"?
This discussion is about today´s situation, not the past. The 99 cases they have had are irrelevant as those people cannot possibly be a threat to anyone walking around in Monaco today.
How we got to zero cases? 94 people made a full recovery, the prince famously being one of them. They were also quarantaned during the process, which would also happen to any potential new cases. The masks do close to nothing, especially if they are made from "breathable fabric". They will retain the breath just as little as the pants will retain a fart. (Sorry if this is a bit direct, but I find this analogy quite fitting. Maybe a bit of humour will ease you up :-)
It is very easy to see how you come to your conclusions. You take one comment or factoid and massage it until it is suddenly truth in your world. Skin problems for people with preexisting conditions = COVID only effecting people with preexisting conditions? It is so important for you to be right that you will say anything no matter how ridiculous you sound. It goes beyond opinion. I hate to burst your bubble, but you would not have been at the funeral without a mask, and to even imagine you would be welcome is absurd. No one said you could have attended without a mask but you. I will give you the last word, which you may type out in public, in a crowd, without a mask, while coughing on as many people as you can.
DeleteI know the family well for some years now. Lionel’s wife is deceased, I believe that is his daughter next to him and you are right Elizabeth was not officially Baroness as you can see from the official press release from the palace announcing her passing however her brother Christian has been officially granted the Baron title some time ago. Her son Leonard however is not Baron but just Jean Leonard.
ReplyDeleteAlso regarding the mask, The prince himself had COVID earlier this year and although Monaco’s infection rate is low there are still cases there. It is also very close to Italy (Where there was high infection) with many Italians coming in daily and to shop or work so the mask are still necessary even if not a fashion statement.
DeleteVanessa: such an ignorant!
ReplyDeleteFrom Joann - I think this is an opportune time for all of us to ponder this latest news story from the U.S. A summer camp in Georgia, USA had a major outbreak of the virus. According to the New York Times, "The virus blazed through the community of 600 campers and counselors." Test results were in for 344 campers. One account said 260 people tested positive. Another account said 76% of the 344 tested positive.(Math is not my strength, but I think that's about 260.) According to the report, the staff implemented "some" guidelines, but stopped short of requiring campers to wear masks.
ReplyDeleteI am not a medical person, but all I have to go on is follow the guidelines from the experts and hope they are right. There are a lot of downsides to masks, but, frankly, that's all we have at the moment until someone comes up with some new preventive measure. Masks are inconvenient, unattractive, difficult to wear. But as I see it, I'd rather have that than be on a ventilator.
One more thing: Since Prince Albert had the virus, I think it's important he take precautions. There are conflicting views on whether someone can be re-infected or whether, after recovery, some traces of the virus may still be in their system.
The bottom line is there is much about that virus that is still unknown. So it's a personal choice as to how we process and act on the information we do have.
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