When I was writing that post about Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding, I noticed that Prince Albert of Monaco attended the wedding, and that he brought a pretty blonde date. I didn’t think much of it, because Prince Albert seems to always have a pretty blonde on his arm, and it’s usually pretty harmless (except for all of those love children he has). The man is 52 years old and he’s never been married. His sister Caroline has already been quoted talking about how her son Andrea Casiraghi would inherit that Grimaldi throne, just because Albert had no “legitimate” heirs. Well, never say never – People Magazine is confirming that Albert is engaged to this blonde woman. She’s a South African named Charlene Wittstock, and she’s 32 years old.
One of the world’s most eligible bachelors is of the market. Prince Albert II of Monaco will marry South African former swimmer Charlene Wittstock, the Mediterranean principality’s royal palace confirmed to PEOPLE on Wednesday.
“Everyone here is extremely, extremely happy,” the palace said.
No wedding date has been for the prince, 52, and the former schoolteacher, 32. The couple first appeared in public together at the 2006 Winter Olympic opening ceremonies in Turin, and Wittstock has been living in Monaco since 2007, when she unofficially ended her training.
She has become friends with and been tutored in protocol by both his sisters, Princesses Stephanie and Caroline. “But she knows instinctively what is expected of her,” a royals source tells PEOPLE.
Last weekend, Albert and Wittstock were in Stockholm to attend the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel Westling, Duke of Vastergotland.
This will be a first marriage for Monaco’s monarch, who is the son of the late film star Grace Kelly and the late Rainer III, Prince of Monaco.
In 2005, Albert officially acknowledged a toddler son he’d fathered with a Togolese flight attendant. The following year, he also acknowledged a second child born out of wedlock: a daughter, now 18, in California.
[From People]
Congratulations to Albert and Charlene, for real. I guess she seems nice, and he’s always struck me as a pretty decent guy – sure, there are all of those love children, but he financially supports them and their mothers, and he seems like a solid sovereign to his people. However, I seriously doubt Caroline is happy about this, for many reasons. First, if Charlene produced a male heir, Andrea would probably never see the throne. Plus, Caroline has been acting as Monaco’s de facto First Lady for years and years now – and if Albert marries Charlene, Charlene will and should take on that role. But Caroline has on Albert’s arm for so many of Monaco’s public events. Is she pissed? I don’t know. Perhaps Albert is being good to his sister though – by many accounts, her marriage to Prince Ernst August is in tatters, so maybe Caroline is looking to take a lower profile now.
Here’s their official portrait, taken today – very pretty.
Here’s a photo of Andrea, just so you know what could have been:
Albert & Charlene in Sweden on June 19, 2010, and their official portrait in Monaco, on June 23, 2010. Andrea Casiraghi on July 4, 2009. Credit: WENN.
Caroline is so greedy she won’t get rid of her cheating, drunken husband.
I am sure she is pissed, as she will not be Queen Bee any longer, and her royal duties will diminish quite a bit.
These two have been together in a relationship for years!
that woman is drop-dead-gorgeous!
he’s been with her for a while now
but I still have my doubts on his sexual orientation, I think this is fixed so he can inherit the throne (and the money)
as for andrea c., he used to be hot, previous to his continuous abuse of drugs.
Andrea’s pretty hot. Wow. Couple this with the pics posted of the Swedish princess’s wedding and her incredible looking siblings… Now, why is it that we focus on the British royals? =0)
Well, only Jack Nicholson could ever really be an eternal playboy. I would be interested to know what she looked like during her swimming career as she looks kinda like his mother here, what with the hair and the styling. I suspect that’s either part of her appeal or she’s been very smart about changing her look to reel in her fish!
She’s lovely, but I don’t think I’d enjoy that job. Also, do rich guys just not care if they father love children? You’d think they’d be more safety conscious.
BEARD & babymaker !
As everyone has noted they have been together for a few years and the relationship with Caroline has seemed to work. Andrea is not out completely but to be honest he’s never seemed to keen on the responsibilities and “decorum” associated with a royal. He’s more like Stephanie a bit too wild.
he’s such a marshmallow! kinda reminds me of a ryan cabrera body type…smushy.
@ luci: he’s already inherited the throne, the issue (haha, pun) is where it goes after he dies. and, to look at him, yeah i’d agree with you that he looks closeted-gay as all get out.
Charlene is beautiful, good for him, it’s about time he gets married. Andrea is quite handsome except for those messed up eyebrows of his. I still don’t understand what all these monarchy people do for a living and why on earth in this day and age monarchy even exist?
Can we get a close-up on that ring?!?
“why on earth in this day and age monarchy even exist?”
Because the alternative is George W. Bush.
Most republics have a 2 party political system, meaning that the population can only really ever choose their head of state on the “lesser of 2 evils” principle, as parodied by The Simpsons’ Kodos & Kang skit. The new leader then has an over-inflated sense of entitlement based on being the “people’s choice” which leads to the illegal invasion of foreign sovereign nations on fabricated evidence. At least the royals provide quality entertainment – *coughFergiecough* – without any real power. Long live the Queen!
He had a lovechild with an African airline stewardess that he was seeing for years. It’s so messed up that to him, she was worthy enough to date for years, but when it came to marriage he goes for a young blonde. But, sigh, it’s a story as old as time (royals and the mistresses they never marry).
I got a bit of a chuckle out of the fact that Princess Stephanie has been teaching her about protocol…
I thought if Prince Albert were to pass away without being married or having legitimate children, the tax free Monaco would be gone forever, and all of the sudden, this playground for the very wealthy would be under some pretty heavy tax laws???
as far as i saw it on tv prince albert was NOT with charleene at that swedish wedding, charleene is almost bigger than he is. but maybe someone here knows it better?
i too think hes gay. for charleene i dont know what got her to be a voluntarily part of that familiy?
He’s been dating her for ages. No news on this side of the pond. She’s a former olympic swimmer and has pretty much been at his side for the past two years. Better reading of Hello in the future Kaiser
I’ve always thought Prince Albert was gay
The pictures I have seen of Caroline’s children… everyone of them are all drop dead gorgeous. Just ridiculous beautiful children/young adults.
But yes, I am also shock, that Caroline or Stephanie would be consider the best “teacher” of protocol to anyone. They spent the better part of their life mocking it.
#1 Wifey-to-be looks like Mommy
#2 She has to get knocked up soon, IVF, with a male-heir
#3 With looney toon Princess Stephanie, she must be learning protocol like swinging from trapezes and rolling her own
#4 Caroline can take some time off to get some much needed “dental work” done
I got a bit of a chuckle out of the fact that Princess Stephanie has been teaching her about protocol.
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Oh snap!! I laughed too. Stephanie teaching anybody about protocol and decorum is pretty hilarious! I mean, the woman has had three children out of wedlock and when she did marry the bodyguard/babydaddy he cheated on her with a porn star; then she “ran away with the circus” LITERALLY!! She lived in a trailer with one of the performers. Stephanie is all kinds of crazy!!
Monaco is not the place one would talk about when speaking of “royalty” because they aren’t really royal, as far as I’m concerned. Their mother was an actress and their grandmother was the laundress in the palace who gave birth to Rainier. Some family!! Marrying a swimmer is just about right for that family. The only reason anybody in the States even notices them is because of Grace Kelly.
Anyway, congrats to Albert and Charlene. And I seriously doubt Caroline cares that she will be replaced or that her son won’t be the Prince. She’s not that type of person and she doesn’t even live in Monaco. Also I can’t imagine her son wants to rule over a rock smaller than Central Park. He’ll still be a very rich young man with a boatload of pretty girls following him around. He’ll get over it pretty fast, I think.
The world would never be able to handle a black queen that is why the tried and trusted blond blue eyed girl is a winner
I don’t think Albert is gay. Not at all. But I can see where the rumors come from. The man is 52 and unmarried. But I don’t think he’s gay.
Andrea IS so HOT!!! I agree with the beard and baby maker statement.
I know this is completely irrelevant. Why is no one talking about the USA win in the World Cup? It was amazing and inspiring. USA USA USA
i hope she got a good deal out of it, cause his it sloppy seconds x infinity!
you’d never believe he was actually hot at one point.
Re:sickofit:
Albert WAS indeed at the wedding in Stockholm with Charlene, the photo in top of the article is from that wedding. Work at the royal website svenskdam.se and we have more photos there, if you are interested.
@Alexandra. Nobody talked about it because it is a damn shame. Horrible match, pathetic victory.
She’s beautiful. I love that classic look.
BUT, why did think he was gay??
I can’t believe so many people are still repeating that old story about Prince Albert being gay! Where have you people been, under a rock?
Prince Albert has not one but TWO ‘love children’ by two different women. His youngest child Alexandre is mixed race and 6 years of age. His older child is Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, who is 18 years and recently graduated from High Shcool in the U.S. Prince Albert had a relationship with his son’s mother for almost 5 years, and he’s been with Charlene since 2006. Prince Albert’s behaviour has never been that of a gay man, and in a permissive environment like the Principality of Monaco, if Albert was gay he would simply have said so and lived his life accordingly. He already had heirs through his sister Caroline’s children, it’s not as if Albert HAS to get married. Apparently Albert has gotten tired of being with so many different women and has decided to settle down with one. Why don’t you people read up on the subject before commenting incorrectly?
she is actually an olympic swimmer-did the backstroke, and she was definitely with Albert at the Swedish wedding. she wore this beautiful blue dress the night before. Im not wild about that offwhite/tan one in the pic above.
Love how they’ve photoshopped out his second chin in both photos.
What a fat ugly old shit. It’s a sorry state of affairs for women if he’s one of the world’s most eligible bachelors.
Oh my god, he’s marrying his mother.
Albert isn’t gay, in fact he’s quite the stud, he even dated Naomi Campbell for a brief time and you know you have to be manly to ride that train.
Albert likes his women dark, but he’s taking one for his subjects., unlike what happened in Sweden.
lolz, kind of sad when you think of it. guy is 52 years old and getting married for the first time, but he has two “bastard” children, one 18 and the other a few years old.
i wonder if that will happen to prince william? lord knows he’s been stringing kate along for all these years and he’s now 28.