Prince Albert II of Monaco said "it hurts a little bit to have stolen the show" from the principality club's former coach Arsene Wenger after a stunning Champions League win at Emirates Stadium.
The Ligue 1 club shocked Wenger's side by winning 3-1 to put themselves in command of the round of 16 tie.
Geoffrey Kondogbia's deflected shot gave them a first-half lead, with Dimitar Berbatov striking after the break and Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco adding a third after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain pulled one back.
Arsenal boss Wenger made his name at Monaco in a seven-year spell during which he led the club to the Ligue 1 title, and the prince told beIN SPORTS: "Before the game, I was lucky enough to be able to say hello to Arsene Wenger.
"I told him: 'Listen Arsene, be nice to us,' and he told me: 'But it's up to you to be nice to us.' He said that in a jokey tone, of course, but it turned out to be true.
"He really left his mark on the club and its history. We owe him a lot. It's true that it hurts a little bit to have stolen the show, but I think he won't hold it against us. We'll still give him a great welcome in Monaco in three weeks."
He said it had been "an extraordinary evening," adding: "I would never have thought nor bet on a 3-1 win.
"We were very committed and we were able to take advantage of counter-attacks. I honestly thought that if we got a draw at the Emirates, it would be amazing. On the balance of play, it's fully deserved. I never thought I would see such a scoreline."
Monaco's performance came despite the absence of several injured first-choice players as well as suspended captain Jeremy Toulalan.
Nabil Dirar, who captained Monaco on his 29th birthday, said: "We're surprised. We didn't think we would get such a result.
"We were really looking for a draw, but after Kondogbia's goal, we said to ourselves that it was possible to go for the win. We know we have to stay focused in the second leg and play in the same way."
Monaco centre-back Aymen Abdennour, who produced a fine display, said: "We played fantastically. We wanted to win, to do something here. We gave everything."
Speaking to L'Equipe, former Liverpool and Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier said the key had been midfield, where Fabinho, who usually plays at right-back, was superb in front of the back four.
"There was a huge gap between Arsenal's defensive and attacking midfielders, and it was as if Monaco had five players against two in that area," Houllier said, adding that Monaco's full-backs had beefed up their three-man midfield.
"It's there that things went against the hosts. Monaco trapped them in a vice."
Houllier said he felt Arsenal should have "played with width and more pace" and accused them of lacking "commitment both at the back and going forward."