I had forgotten that His Serene Highness, Prince Albert of Monaco’s wedding was coming up too. It’s July first! I wonder if Americans will be interested in it? We still remember Grace Kelly, but do we care about her son? I don’t know about you bitches, but I do care. I think Albert’s fiancée, Charlene Wittstock, is lovely, and she comes across as more reticent and naturally regal than some other royal brides (sniff). To celebrate their upcoming nuptials, Charlene granted an interview to Vogue Magazine, and I was surprised to learn lots of new stuff about her. Some examples: She’s 33 years old, she’s South African (I knew that), she was an Olympic swimmer (knew that), she had a bachelorette party in NYC, and she first met Prince Albert in 2000, when they had one date, and didn’t go out again until December 2005. You can read the full Vogue piece here, and here are some highlights:

Being a royal girlfriend: “Our first public appearance was at the Torino Olympic Games in February 2006.” As unfamiliar as it was to become part of a royal entourage, she says, “Albert put me at ease. It was clear that we shared the same passions; we both became very emotional watching the athletes. Sport is the common denominator of our lives.”

Her workouts: After an ankle fracture three years ago, Charlene, now 33, retired from professional swimming, but she still trains at least three times a week, often with her former Olympic coach. In preparation for the perpetual camera-readiness expected of her as first lady of Monaco, she has cut out weight training and increased her stretching time to give her body a leaner line.

Royal fashion failure: “Finding my fashion feet has certainly been the biggest challenge,” she says, remembering her “trial by fire” at Monaco’s 2007 Red Cross Ball. “‘I was literally a fish out of water. I thought it was all fun, fun, fun, and didn’t give my outfit any thought. I had been playing beach volleyball all day, painted my nails red, and threw on a green dress. I thought I looked great at the time, but looking back, I realize that my debut into Monaco society should have been better executed!”

Living in Monaco, not speaking French, and dealing with palace intrigues: “It was sometimes overwhelming,” she recalls of the solitude and jealousies she suffered as Prince Albert’s girlfriend. “I was trying too hard to please too many people and at times was at risk of losing my sense of myself.”

Prince Albert on Charlene: “I fell in love with her sense of humor, her simplicity, and the natural way she relates to people,” he says. “To me, Charlene never looks more beautiful than when she is natural—without makeup and her hair pulled back.”

Learning about fashion from the masters: Determined to learn from her mistakes, Charlene was advised by a coterie of palace insiders and Monaco stalwarts. “In the early days, I listened to other people about how I should dress,” she admits. “I was insecure. I felt pressure to err on the side of caution—I was terrified of meeting a head of state in an over-the-top outfit.” Now, although her tastes tend to lean toward simple clothes that flatter her athletic frame, she is far more experimental. “I’ve reached the point where I know what I like and what works. I’m starting to play with fresher, bolder, and more daring looks.” She was helped by Giorgio Armani, who will dress her for the religious part of her wedding and who notes that her casual elegance and slender figure look equally good in suits and evening gowns with necklines “that emphasize the beautiful structure of her shoulders.”

A Karl Lagerfeld story: Wittstock has also been taken under the wing of Karl Lagerfeld, who has enjoyed bringing out a play between romantic and masculine in her wardrobe, pairing a strictly cut Dior Homme jacket, for example, with a bustier and a floating chiffon skirt. “She loves clean-cut clothes with a touch of menswear, which looks very feminine on her,” he says. As Charlene explains, “Karl took me to his workshop in Paris. He said, ‘You are going to be a style icon. You bring a breath of fresh air and modern glamour to Monaco.’ Then he asked me if there was one item of clothing that I had always wanted to experiment with, and I replied, ‘A smoking jacket.’ He went back to his apartment and presented me with his own white shirt and smoking jacket from his closet.” Lagerfeld recently shot the royal couple for the Monaco Palace archives and encouraged her to select the clothes herself. “He trusts my sense of style, and as a result my confidence has grown.”

She wants to inaugurate a Monaco Fashion Week: “I want to make Monaco one of the fashion capitals of the world. It would be wonderful to team up with some of my international fashion friends, like Stella McCartney and Ralph Lauren, and get the place buzzing with energy again,” she says. “Grace Kelly forged a link between Monaco and the movie world, and I would like to create a strong bond between Monaco and the fashion community.”

What kind of princess she’ll be: “Sport has given me drive and discipline,” she says. “It also taught me to remain humble.” For the past fifteen years she has been involved in charitable endeavors centered on swimming. “I don’t want to be a princess who sits on the sidelines; I want to be present and actively involved,” she says of her new role. “It’s a life with a purpose. It was my integrity that Albert fell in love with, and it’s a quality I will never lose.”

[From Vogue]

Did you catch that? Armani is making her wedding gown – for the church ceremony. Another designer is probably making her other wedding-day looks. There will probably be some Chanel in there. Fingers crossed that Lagerfeld doesn’t put her in a look that Blake Lively wore.

You know what I thought about when Charlene was referencing the bitchy, back-stabbing palace insiders? I thought about Albert’s sister Caroline, and how she’s probably severely pissed off right now. Her son was supposed to be the heir! And now this South African swimmer chick is going to be having babies and doing all of the First Lady stuff. I’m going to try to watch the wedding, if only for Caroline’s face.

Photos courtesy of Patrick Demarchelier/Vogue.