Hollande named for ice bucket dare

PRINCE Albert of Monaco has become the latest high-profile figure to throw water over his head in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge – and has nominated François Hollande to follow suit.

Standing on a hillside above the principality, he said he was “honoured and happy” to take part and would be making a donation, before throwing a bucket of water over his head – and getting a second one chucked at him by someone behind the camera.

The Prince, who posted a video of the challenge to his Facebook page, said he was nominated by Irish businessman and Formula 1 commentator Eddie Jordan and Irish rugby star Brian O’Driscoll. He in turn picked President Hollande, Nike founder Phil Knight and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.

Some commentators have pointed out Mr Hollande has already been drenched recently. However, that was only because he decided to stand in the rain without an umbrella - apparently in a bid to show resilience and solidarity - during his speech at the recent commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the liberation on the Ile de Sein, off the Breton coast.

The Ice Bucket Challenge, one of this summer’s biggest trends, aims to raise money to fight ALS, a form of motor neurone disease causing muscle wasting that is usually fatal within a few years. Physicist Stephen Hawking is one of the rare people who have lived for years with the disease.

See the video on Prince Albert's Facebook page, here