Princess Stephanie of Monaco talks Circus

"Circus is the magic you should show your children. 

"Circus is what real life should be like. It's sincerity, feeling, emotions. All real. There are no lies in circus. There are artists working together to give a smile. It's a world where people help one another. It's the only show where a family, everyone from children to their grandmothers, can sit together and all be entertained by the same thing. 

"Animals are the traditional circus. It's what people remember from their childhood. 

"You ask people, 'What is the circus?' They'll say, 'Animals, clowns and acrobats!' That's what people want. If you say you don't have animals, they walk away." 

- Princess Stephanie, Monaco, 2016

Talking to People magazine 

A message from Princess Stephanie, royal patron of the circus, on World Circus Day!

Here's this year's official World Circus Day greeting from Princess Stephanie of Monaco.

The drawing is by Chantal Lutzny, aged 10. The family Lutzny are owners of Circus Montana, which travels between Germany and the Netherlands. Chantal was born in the circus and travels with her parents. The circus has a Western act with horses, knife-throwing, lasso and a fire show. Chantal performs some acrobatics.

Chantal is enrolled in a special touring school for circus children, De Rijdende School, based in The Netherlands, which provides face-to-face learning and distance education. The school is a member of the European Network of Traveller Education (ENTE). De Rijdende School is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and the children submitted drawings to the International Circus Federation that they proposed for the Princess’s greeting card to celebrate the Sixth World Circus Day.

The Federation asked Mr. Steven High, Executive Director of The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida, USA, to select the winning design.

Happy World Circus Day!

Princess Stephanie of Monaco launches 39th International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo

Princess Stephanie of Monaco (immediate left of the elephant)
launches the 39th International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo.

As the 39th International Circus Festival opens in Monte Carlo, it's good to see the Daily Mail running a big picture spread on circus patron Princess Stephanie's appearance at the launch. Click here to see the pictures of her and the elephant, plus a video interview with the Princess.

Will we ever see the festival, the circus equivalent of the Olympics, televised in the UK, as it is in around 30 other countries? Maybe not while the event champions traditional circus with animals. But perhaps the Mail's picture spread of Princess Stephanie feeding and petting the elephant will help change opinions.

January 17 update: Click here for more pics of Princess Stephanie and her daughter attending opening night in celebrity glossy Hello magazine.

To celebrate the 39th International Circus Festival, click here for 10 Circus Facts!

Certified Circus Writer

Happy World Circus Day from Princess Stephanie of Monaco

A letter from Princess Stephanie of Monaco, announcing the fifth World Circus Day, April 19, 2014

Opening Fifth World Circus Day Celebrations
20 March 2014

Today we begin a month long celebration of Circus, the Art of Happiness.  As Honorary
President of the Fédération Mondiale du Cirque, I invite you to commemorate the history
and promote the future of Circus arts and culture by hosting an event of your choosing anytime between now and the Fifth World Circus Day on 19 April 2014.  As part of this year's Fifth Anniversary festivities, each event organiser is asked join our virtual Pyramid of Happiness as a multicultural symbol of the strength, collaboration, trust and skill inherent in Circus.

H.S.H. Princess Stephanie·of Monaco
Honorary President
Fédération Mondiale du Cirque

Click here for 5 Ways to celebrate World Circus Day!