María Eugenia Yagüe

Updated Sunday, February 18, 2024-02:01

  • Characters The mysterious millionaire who has invited Isabel Pantoja to the Rose Ball

  • Direct witness 24 hours with Isabel Pantoja in Monaco: this was her big day at the Rose Ball

Only the pandemic could cancel the celebration of the Rose Ball, in 2020 and 2021.

Not even the financial scandals

and other thorny episodes that darken the idyllic image of the principality of Monaco have been able to alter the calendar of this gala, held for the first time in 1954.

Grace Kelly was the promoter

of

this charity party, the benefits of which go to the Princess Grace Foundation, created by the former Hollywood star.

In June, the newspaper

Le Monde

published an explosive report with

the revelations of Claude Palmero, advisor and accountant to Albert II

and his father. Palmero's spite, upon being fired, translated into revealing the sovereign's accounting books, detailing the monarch's millionaire squandering, astronomical payments to his eldest children, born from temporary relationships, the eight million euros he has spent until now in clothes Princess Charlene and the millions that, according to the newspaper

Libération

, are regularly transferred from an account in France, to the prince's alleged lovers and other unrecognized children, so that they do not open their mouths.

The foundations of the principality have withstood the information earthquake and the Rose Ball will be held in March, as usual, and the Grimaldis will pose smiling at the doors of Sporting Monte-Carlo. They live by transmitting a façade of normality, beauty, wealth and the security that their small country offers to millionaires of suspicious wealth. The question is whether

Dimitri Rassam, whose marriage to Carlota Casiraghi, is ending,

will be in the photo .

Every year, there is a Spanish presence at this important social event that opens the Riviera's festive season. The cost of the cutlery, drinks apart, is almost 1000 euros and only the personal guests of the prince and Carolina's table do not pay. This was the case of

Pedro Almodóvar, Rossy de Palma, Bibiana Fernández, Alaska and Mario Vaquerizo, Luz Casal, Carmen Linares and Blanca Li

, who in 2008 represented the Movida Madrileña, the party's leitmotif that year.

Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada.GTRES

In some Spanish media it is said that the star of the Ball

this year will be Agatha Ruiz de la Prada

, summoned by the princely family. But the truth is that the person who invites the Spanish designer is a couple residing in Monte Carlo,

friends of Dr. Juan Peñas and his wife Tata

De Él. The plastic surgeon and his wife will go to the party with Ágatha, with whom they are very close. But knowing Ágatha, that she enjoys attracting attention and being noticed with her eye-catching models in contrast to the refined haute couture designs and spectacular jewelry, common at the party, there is no doubt that she will not go unnoticed. It is also possible that she will manage to take a photo with Carolina, something very difficult, according to Manel Dalgó, a Catalan who has lived in Monte Carlo since his marriage to a German billionaire. They were the ones who invited

Isabel Pantoja

to the Rose Ball last year

, also presented by some Spanish publication as the star of the party.

Photo with Carolina

It is true that the Sevillian artist managed to be introduced to Carolina, but when they asked the princess to take a photo together, she walked away saying that she was in a hurry. The host of the tonadillera says that Isabel was delighted with the party, she had a lot of fun and fulfilled the objective of the trip. In the album of duets that she intended to record then, she wanted to sing with

Shirley Bassey

, the unforgettable interpreter of James Bond themes and a regular in Marbella before settling in Monte Carlo. The two artists hit it off very well, despite not speaking any common language, and agreed to sing a duet. The project was not finally carried out, Shirley is 80 years old and it was not easy for her to travel to Spain for the recording.

Attending the Rose Ball is an unforgettable experience, getting to know a legendary site. It means seeing, being seen, rubbing shoulders with the highest-level international jet set and dancing alongside princes when the music starts. And also do important business. That's what they say happened to

Borja Thyssen

when he attended with his wife Blanca Cuesta on more than one occasion and got contacts to make transactions with his works of art.

Fernando Fernández Tapias and Nuria González

also walked the Sporting Club red carpet, accompanied on one occasion by

Alfonso Cortina and Miriam Lapique

. And they repeated it in 2008, the year in which the tribute to the Movida Madrileña was made, although Tapias and Nuria did not coincide that night, with

Mar Flores and Elías Sacal

, her Mexican boyfriend back and forth.

Gina Lollobrigida and the Catalan Javier Rigau

, the strange couple of the Italian diva, were regulars at the Monegasque gala, perfectly planned for years by

Karl Lagerfeld

, Carolina's intimate Chanel designer. Her successor, the shoemaker

Christian Louboutin

, is now in charge of designing the theme that symbolizes each party.