Prince Albert II flies to Marseille the week of the IOC Session and environmental summit

Prince Albert II flew from Taragudo Airfield, north of Madrid, to Marseille Hydro on June 2, a one-hour hop in his Dassault Falcon 8X (3A-MGA). The brief trip from a Spanish ultralight field to a seaplane base on the French coast is an unusual routing for the Prince, whose official flights typically depart from his home base at Nice Côte d'Azur.

His arrival in Marseille coincides with the 144th International Olympic Committee Session, being held in Marseille this week per the IOC's published calendar. Prince Albert II, an IOC member, is expected to attend. The trip also lands during the run-up to the IUCN Mediterranean Conservation Summit, which convenes regional leaders this month—a fitting itinerary for a monarch whose environmental work has earned him a UN Champions of the Earth award. His presence at either event would align with his known diplomatic and conservation beats.

The Prince offset this flight's emissions through his standard carbon-credit program, per his office. He has attended every IOC Session in 2025, often flying commercially or via his Falcon 8X. This route—Madrid area to Marseille—does not appear in his recent annual flight logs, making the destination's dual IOC and environmental calendar the most likely explanation for the detour.