By Celina Lafuente de Lavotha - Monaco Reporter

A beautiful, radiant and fashion-forward Princess Charlene, dressed in a bright red silk crepe Valentino one-shoulder cut jumpsuit with shimmering gold sandals, matching clutch bag and sparkling diamonds, entered the Salle des Etoiles holding the hand of her Prince Albert, looking very elegant in a traditional white jacket and dressy dinner pants, for the anticipated 67th Red Cross Ball in Monte-Carlo held on 25th July. This annual traditional charity event inaugurated back in 1948 by the then young Prince Rainier III, is hosted every year by the royals to raise funds for the Monaco Red Cross in pursue of humanitarian causes.

Earlier that day the Prince and Princess had hosted the civil wedding of Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo in the Salon des Glaces at the Palace for 70 family members and friends, followed by a lavish Monegasque picnic in the royal garden where the 500 guests were requested to wear folkloric costumes and national dresses. The festivities continued in the evening at the Salle Empire of the Hotel the Paris hosted by HRH Princess Caroline, mother of the groom. In the morning the bride’s family had also hosted a wedding breakfast on the terrace of the Fairmont Hotel in Monaco. The young couple will celebrate their religious wedding at one of the Borromeo’s family properties in Isola Bella, Italy on August 1, 2015.

In spite of the busy day of family celebrations the Prince and Princess were looking resplendent at the Ball, adding to the glamorous and sophisticated ambiance reigning at this legendary event that is the highlight of Monaco’s social season. The evening began with the traditional tombola followed by a sumptuous meal of summer flavors. After the formal dinner the royal couple, who married four years ago and are proud parents of seven-month-old twins Jacques and Gabriella, were the first on the dance floor to open the Ball following the tradition. We witnessed the Princess and Prince exchanging loving glances on the dance floor. The ceiling of the Salle des Etoiles opened for the privileged guests to enjoy a rain of fireworks lighting the Principality’s sky, followed by the performance of Sting.

Sting took our breath away

The famous English musician and singer Sting, of 63 years old, who earlier in his career was the singer, composer and bass player of the group The Police, gave a superb performance, to the delight of the guests who stood up to dance and became a chorus singing along his famous tunes like Fields of Gold, Heavy Cloud No Rain, The Shape of My Heart, Desert Rose, Every Breath you Take and more. Truly unforgettable!

It was an incredible coincidence that The Police’s Every Breath You Take topped the poll in ITV’s recent The Nation’s Favorite 80s Number One show. The 90-Minute countdown that aired this past Saturday, July 25, celebrated 20 of the greatest musical moments from an era when British pop stars once again ruled the planet. “Every Breath You Take” came out on top of a pile of memorable tracks that included songs by artists such as Spandau Ballet, Soft Cell, The Human League, Wham, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Culture Club, The Communards, Dexys Midnight Runners, Madness and the Pet Shop Boys.

youtu.be/Sting - Field of Gold