Appointed spymaster by Prince Albert of Monaco, Robert Eringer quickly deputized Piers E to assist him with his princely mission. He'd known Piers for over ten years, had sub-contracted private intelligence work to him and grown to admire his diligence and integrity.

Informally, they referred to the Prince's retainer as Order of the Monk, a play on Francois "Malizia" Grimaldi, who posed as a monk to seize Monaco from a rival Genovese family in 1297. And, tongue-in-cheek, they devised a Latin motto, which summed up the Prince's intentions: Apage Malos (Be gone evil). Three years later, after the death of Prince Rainier and Albert's ascendancy to the throne, they would become the Monaco Intelligence Service.

Eringer's brief was simple, if complex in its execution: To ensure the Prince would be well informed not only during his extensive foreign travels but also about the foreigners, residents and native Monegasques who surrounded him at home.

His mission statement: 1) to investigate individuals and entities about whom the Prince voiced concern. 2) To keep the Prince apprised of information, which, as his eyes and ears, would come to his attention. 3) To create liaison partnerships with the intelligence services of select countries--with a view to soliciting expert briefings and advice.

Eringer commenced his duties by faxing a quarterly invoice (July-September 2002) on June 18^th to Claude Palmero, the in-house accountant at Palais de Monaco. The Prince intended to pay the cost of Eringer's service from his own pocket, and indeed such funds were wired three weeks later from Albert's personal account at Banque Nationale de Paris.

The Prince's father, Monaco's sovereign Prince Rainier III, was in ill health, his memory fading, and living a near-reclusive existence. He probably should have abdicated in his son's favor by this time, but two things were happening to prevent this, the first Eringer knew about at the time, the second he did not: 1) Monaco was in the process of re-negotiating its treaty with France, part of which would create a clear line of succession within the Grimaldi family even if Prince Albert did not produce a legitimate heir. 2) Individuals closest to Prince Rainier were dissuading him, despite his inability to govern, from abdicating and allowing Albert to take the reins of power. They did this to perpetuate their own exploitation of the situation, reaping awards, titles and financial gain.

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