Albert, a lifelong bachelor, 52, finally chose the accomplished South African Olympic swimmer as his bride in June of 2010. Her pale blonde hair and stunning figure draw frequent comparisons to very popular mother Albert's mother, Princess Grace. Though he already has two children, both were born out-of-wedlock and thus are ineligible to ascend the throne. Thus this marriage represents the future of the Monogascan people.
For wedding lovers, this Royal Wedding was a two-for-one, as both tradition and law require a separate civil ceremony. Their legal vows took place on Friday, July 1st, followed by a religious ceremony on Saturday, July 2nd.
The civil ceremony, which took place in the throne room of the Palace, was attended by family, friends, and such celebrities as Naomi Campbell, Sir Roger Moore, and Karl Lagerfeld. The bride wore a pale blue Chanel jacket with matching flowing chiffon pants, designed by Mr. Lagerfeld, while the groom wore a simple dark suit.
But the main event was clearly Saturday's religious ceremony in the courtyard of the palace. Princess Charlene's wedding dress, by Giorgio Giorgio Armani Privé, was an ivory silk column with an assymetrical cross-over neckline. Gold and pearl beads, crystals, and embroidered flowers stunningly decorated the body of the dress, adding intrigue to the simplicity, while retaining a modern silhouette. For the ceremony she wore a veil, which required 65 yards of chiffon to make, but before the reception she switched to the “Diamond Spray” tiara by Lorenz Bäumer, which featured 11 diamond-encrusted pears weighing up to eight carats each. The groom wore the white uniform of Monaco's royal guard.
3500 guests watched the Catholic wedding ceremony, performed by Monseigneur Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco. Because of the large number of guests, the couple opted for the courtyard over the Palace's cathedral, but moved items like the cross and altar outside. A temporary shade provided some relief for guests, but they still battled the heat, using their programs as fans.
And though the bride looked cool and calm during the ceremony, she shed a few tears at the end. You might think that these were tears of an undeniably happy commoner marrying her prince. But Prince Albert is a legendary playboy, dogged by scandals like his illegitimate children and a rumored sex tape. Shortly before the wedding, more rumors surfaced of a third illegitimate child, and reports of Charlene attempting to flee the country as a runaway bride. Though the Palace flatly denied any truth in the story, London's Daily Mail even quoted a "senior Monaco detective" saying that the bride had been intercepted at the airport where her passport was confiscated before she was "persuaded" to stay and go through with the wedding.
Hopefully those rumors are indeed false and her serene highness Princess Charlene is, in fact, serene. If so, perhaps she can bring not only her mother-in-laws good looks, but also her morale-boosting magic charm to this small principality.
