Tears for Rainier

Prince Rainier of Monaco was laid to rest today beside his late wife Grace Kelly, nearly a quarter of a century after the Hollywood star died in a car crash.

The sombre funeral ceremony for Europe's longest serving monarch, who died last week aged 81, drew hundreds of political leaders and royalty from around the world, including the Duke of York.

Leading the mourners were Rainier's three children, Prince Albert, 47, and Princesses Caroline, 48, and Stephanie, 40.

The princesses, their faces shrouded in black veils, clutched each other during the hour-long service at Monaco's cathedral led by the principality's archbishop, Bernard Barsi. Among 200 guests at the funeral were French President Jacques Chirac, Irish President Mary McAleese, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Belgium's King Albert II and Denmark's Prince Joachim.

Princess Caroline's children Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre, were also among the mourners.

After the service, Rainier's coffin was carried by ten soldiers from the Prince's Company of Carabineers - the red, white and blue plumes on their hats shuddering slightly in the breeze - across a square packed with 5,000 people.

In a touching gesture, Rainier's dog Odin - a present for the 50th year of his reign - formed part of the cortege and followed the coffin, limping slightly.

As the strains of Beethoven's funeral march drew to a close, soldiers fired

a 36-gun salute before the coffin was taken to the Royal Palace's Palatine Chapel for a private service attended only by close family.

Rainier - who had ruled Monaco for 56 years - was buried in the chapel precincts beside Princess Grace, who died in a car crash in 1982.

His heir Prince Albert, and the princesses were at their father's bedside when he died from heart, lung and kidney problems at Monaco's Cardio-Thoracic hospital last Wednesday.

Since then, more than 10,000 of Monaco's 32,000 citizens viewed the prince's body on display at the Royal chapel.

Today was declared an official day of mourning with shops and businesses closed. The streets of the Mediterranean state, which is smaller than New York's Central Park, were deserted.

Prince Albert will be officially crowned the new head of state in a ceremony next week.