The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, His Serene Highness Albert II, is expected in Yaounde this Friday, October 30, 2026, for a two-day visit to Cameroon. It will be his first visit to the country since 2003, when he visited as Crown Prince and heir to the throne.
The Cameroon leg is part of a four-day tour of three African countries by the 32nd hereditary ruler of the Principality of Monaco. The tour began in Madagascar and will continue in Senegal, where he is expected to attend the official opening ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games on Saturday.
The 68-year-old monarch is scheduled to meet with President Paul Biya at the Unity Palace (State House) and visit the Centre Médical Edimar, a medical and social facility in Yaounde’s Elig-Essono neighbourhood that cares for street children. The centre is named after his mother, Princess Grace, and has received support from the Principality in recent years.
In its more than 20 years of existence, the centre has helped thousands of street children leave the ghettos and reintegrated more than 500 young people into society, according to records from its partner, Monaco Aide & Présence. It also operates a daily street school that provides basic literacy education, with learners divided into different skill levels.
Monaco and Yaounde share longstanding philanthropic and environmental ties. Beyond its support for the Princess Grace Centre in Yaounde, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2) supports biodiversity conservation, forest protection and community resilience projects across the Congo Basin, of which Cameroon is part.
Sources say that while diplomacy and philanthropy are expected to feature prominently during the visit, President Biya and the visiting monarch are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen economic and trade ties between Monaco and Cameroon. Economic relations have historically remained limited, despite Monaco’s honorary consulate in Douala.
