President Mary McAleese is among kings, princesses and dignitaries converging on Monaco this morning ahead of the funeral of Prince Rainier III.
Delegations from the Vatican, Lebanon and elsewhere began making their way up the hill to the royal palace, where the prince lay in state ahead of the funeral ceremony.
He was to be buried beside his late wife, American film star Grace Kelly, in the nearby cathedral where they were married a half century ago. Rainier - Europe's longest-serving monarch - died on April 6th of heart, kidney and breathing problems after struggling with failing health for years.
More than half a dozen heads of state and royalty are expected as well as dignitaries from some 60 countries including French President Jacques Chirac, Belgium's King Albert II, England's Prince Andrew, Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia and royalty from Sweden, Luxembourg and elsewhere.
Hours before the service, some 200 Monaco residents gathered in the square where the hilltop palace is located.
"It's a bit of the soul of Monaco, its image around the world that we are saying goodbye to today," one said.
For many in Monaco, where Rainier ruled for 56 of his 81 years, the day marks the end of a golden era that was symbolised by his 1956 marriage to Princess Grace.
Rainier never remarried after her death in a car accident in 1982 - and often cut a lonely figure in his latter years. An empty slab of marble beside Grace's resting place in the family crypt has been waiting to be engraved with the monarch's name.