Every year, royal fans look forward to seeing Princess Caroline and her family gather at the annual Rose Ball. However, this year’s glamorous event will not go on as scheduled. The ball, which was set for March 21, has been postponed due to the coronavirus. A statement on the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer website read: “Due to the stricter precautionary measures related to COVID-19, we are forced to postpone this event. We will schedule a new date depending on how the situation develops.”
The Rose Ball was created by Princess Caroline and Prince Albert of Monaco’s mother Grace Kelly back in 1954. The black tie fundraiser takes place every year in March with a different theme, this year’s was Bollywood, at the Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Monte-Carlo. The ball benefits the Princess Grace Foundation, which helps people and children in need by developing humanitarian and philanthropic projects.
The Monaco royal family’s glitzy event isn’t the only royal affair to be affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier this month, the Swedish royal family postponed a dinner because “a number of cases of infection” had been detected in Sweden, so “out of consideration for the invited guests,” the Swedish Royal Court said that “Their Majesties, as hosts, choose to postpone the Official Dinner that was planned to be held at the Royal Palace on Wednesday, 4 March.”
The disease also led to the postponement of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium’s upcoming state visit to Italy . A student at both Princess Estelle of Sweden’s school in Stockholm and Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia of Spain’s school in Madrid tested positive for the coronavirus. According to CNN , COVID-19 has infected more than 108,000 around the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.