Summary

NAME: MON RAINER3 250305N TAPE: EF05/0267 IN_TIME: 10:03:58:12 DURATION: 00:02:59:12 SOURCES: APTN/Palace TV DATELINE: Monaco, 25 Mar 2005 RESTRICTIONS: SHOTLIST: Palace TV 1. Wide shot of church exterior 2. Interior priests walking into service 3. Various of parishioners 4. Statue of Jesus on the cross APTN 5. Various of yachts in the harbour 6. Prince Rainier's palace 7. Various of the Cardio-Thoracic Centre where Rainier is being treated 8. Pan from the casino to a square with flags; various flags 9. SOUNDBITE (French): Vox Pop: "We have no news. I think it's quite serious. It's a shame. He's a great man." 10. Wide of Monaco streets 11. News stand 12. Pan up newspapers and end on paper and various of headline: "Rainier's three children are at his bedside." 13. SOUNDBITE (French): Vox Pop: "It is sad. Everybody likes him here." Palace TV 1. Crown Prince Albert and Princess Caroline standing on balcony watching procession 2. Various shots of procession 3. Albert and Caroline standing on balcony watching procession 4. Various shots of procession 5. Albert and Caroline standing on balcony watching procession STORYLINE: Prince Rainier III of Monaco was clinging to life on Friday, with doctors refusing to say whether he could recover. His son and heir appeared on a palace balcony before subjects praying for their ruler's life. It was the first appearance of Prince Albert since his father entered an intensive care unit on Tuesday with heart, kidney and breathing problems. Doctors refused to say whether the 81 year-old head of Europe's longest-ruling dynasty might survive. A health bulletin signed by three doctors appeared grim, saying Rainier's state of health "remained worrisome." Albert, 47, and his older sister Caroline, 48, appeared on a balcony as a traditional Good Friday procession passed the palace. Caroline, whose husband, Prince Ernst August of Hannover, also was present, bowed her head, praying with her subjects. A priest leading the procession, which carries a statue of Jesus Christ through Monaco's streets, asked the faithful to pray "for all men who suffer, for the ill, for innocent victims." Rainier, who has ruled this Mediterranean principality since 1949, was suffering heart, kidney and breathing problems, and the doctors withheld a prognosis, suggesting the outcome was uncertain. "Because of the fragility of his cardiac, respiratory and kidney functions, the vital prognosis remains reserved," a medical bulletin issued Friday said. The medical team at the seaside Cardio-Thoracic Centre called in a specialist from Paris because of "the gravity of the situation," the bulletin said. Dr. Jean-Charles Piette, chief of internal medicine at Paris' La Pitie Salpetriere hospital, examined Rainier on Thursday night, said palace spokesman Armand Deus. The team decided to continue the current treatment. Priests asked worshippers at Good Friday services in Monaco to pray for Rainier, who has led the more than 700-year-old Grimaldi dynasty, said Deus. Prince Albert, 47, and his two sisters, Caroline, 48, and Princess Stephanie, 40, have been at Rainier's bedside since he was placed in intensive care. The appearance of Albert and Caroline before the crowd was heavy with symbolism, as if to prepare Monaco for change. Albert, a bachelor, would become the new ruler should his father die. Caroline is next in line. Monaco revised its constitution in 2002 to allow power to pass from a reigning prince who has no descendants to his siblings. Both of Albert's sisters have children. Rainier was hospitalised March 7 with a chest infection. His health suddenly worsened, and he was transferred Tuesday to the intensive care unit of the Cardio-Thoracic Centre. The silver-haired Rainier is like a father figure to many here, and some residents were bracing themselves for what would be a new era. The prince has left his mark on his principality smaller than New York's Central Park, transforming Monaco into a modern and elegant enclave for the rich. Rainier's movie-star wife, Grace Kelly, died in a car crash in 1982. Rainier has been in and out of the hospital recently. He has a history of heart problems and has been plagued by recurring respiratory tract ailments.