Wedding of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Charlene Wittstock

The wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock took place on 1 and 2 July 2011 at the Prince's Palace of Monaco. The groom was the sovereign prince of the Principality of Monaco. The bride was a South African Olympic swimmer. A two-day public holiday for the celebrations was declared.
Commentators said that the wedding would be important for Monaco to survive as a tax haven. Monegasque authorities believed that the event would increase tourism. The civil ceremony was held in the Throne Room, conducted by Philippe Narmino, president of the Council of State, while the religious ceremony took place in the courtyard of the palace, and was presided over by Archbishop Bernard Barsi.
Albert II is the current sovereign Prince of Monaco, having succeeded his father, Rainier III, in April 2005. Charlene Wittstock was born in the city of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, but moved to South Africa with her family when she was 11. She has represented South Africa in swimming, and participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She met Prince Albert at the 2000 Marenostrum International Swimming Meet in Monaco, which he presided over. She retired from swimming in 2007. Prince Albert was also an athlete, competing in bobsleigh in five Olympics. They made their public debut as a couple at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics. The Palace announced their engagement on 23 June 2010. The engagement ring featuring a pear-shaped three-carat diamond at the center and surrounding diamond brilliants.
The wedding was originally scheduled for 8 and 9 July 2011, but was moved forward to prevent a conflict with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in Durban on 5–9 July, which they both attended. The couple had invited members of the IOC, including president Jacques Rogge, to their wedding. A week before the wedding, the palace denied reports that Wittstock had been getting cold feet. L'Express reported that Wittstock tried to leave Monaco on 28 June, after rumours surfaced that Albert had fathered a third illegitimate child. The palace called the stories "ugly rumours" born out of jealousy.
On the occasion of Prince Albert II of Monaco' marriage to Wittstock, on 1 July 2011 the Stamp Issuing Office of Monaco issue the postage stamp (Block), created by Georgy Shishkin (laureate of competition).
Festivities began on the night of 30 June, with a concert at the Stade Louis II by American rock band the Eagles. The concert was attended by 15,000 residents of Monaco and the couple themselves.
The civil ceremony took place on Friday, 1 July 2011, in the Throne Room of the Prince's Palace. The ceremony was conducted by Philippe Narmino, Director of Judicial Services and president of the Council of State. After the confirmation by Narmino, the newlywed couple signed the marriage register with a specially created pen made by Montblanc in gold and precious stone adorned with their monogram . Following the civil ceremony, Wittstock received the formal style Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco. The 20-minute ceremony was also attended by Prince Albert's sisters Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. After the ceremony, the couple appeared on the balcony of the Salon des Glaces to salute the crowds. They waved and kissed each other, prompting another round of cheers from the crowd. The couple were also joined by Princesses Caroline and Stéphanie with their children, as well as Charlene's parents and brothers.
They joined the public in the Palace Square for a specially prepared buffet by chefs from South Africa and Monaco, headlined by multiple Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse. A free concert was performed by French composer Jean-Michel Jarre and his group at 22:00 hours on the Port Hercules, with an attendance of 100,000 guests. It included a display of lights, lasers and fireworks.
The religious ceremony took place the following day in the courtyard of the Palace. Unlike the wedding of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, the religious ceremony was not held in a cathedral. The ceremony was presided over by the Archbishop of Monaco, Bernard Barsi. The palace gates were open so that up to 3,500 guests could be seated for the ceremony, including seated guests watching giant screens in the palace square outside the gates. Additional display screens were set up throughout the principality. Part of the ceremony was in Afrikaans, a language of Dutch origin, which is spoken in Charlene's home country of South Africa. After the ceremony, the bride and groom traveled in a bespoke landaulet converted Lexus hybrid car to Sainte-Dévote Chapel, where Princess Charlene laid her bridal bouquet to Saint Devota, the patron saint of Monaco, in accordance with Monegasque tradition.
The dinner reception took place on the terraces of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, followed by fireworks and the opening of the Opéra Ball. The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Opéra Choir performed under the direction of Lawrence Foster. Other performers included Andrea Bocelli, Renée Fleming, Pumeza Matshikiza accompanied by French guitarist Eric Sempe and percussionist Patrick Mendez, Juan Diego Flórez, Lisa Larsson, Wiebke Lehmkuhl, Kenneth Tarver, and Alexander Vinogradov.
Wittstock wore a silken blue jacket with ankle-length pants by Chanel to the civil ceremony. Her wedding dress was designed by Giorgio Armani. Lexus was the official car supplier for the wedding. The bride wore diamond earrings by Tabbah at the civil ceremony, while at the religious ceremony, she wore the "Infinite Cascade" necklace designed by Nagib Tabbah, commissioned and made of 18k rose gold set with 1,237 diamonds and 6 pear shaped white pearls.
The bridesmaids were children dressed in the national dress of Monaco. The dresses were designed by Princess Caroline and Jean-Christophe Maillot, the director of the Les Ballets de Monte Carlo. The dresses featured personal touches, such as silk stockings embroidered with the couple's monogram, and aprons that featured both the couple's monogram and the name of the area of Monaco that each girl was from. Each outfit took more than 120 hours to create. The girls were also wearing necklaces of black velvet ribbon with gold crosses given to them by Prince Albert.
Christopher Levine, cousin of the groom, son of Princess Grace's sister Elizabeth Anne served as the best man, while Donatella Knecht de Massy, the wife of the groom's first cousin once removed, was appointed maid of honour.
The guest list consists of reigning and non-reigning royalty, other heads of state and government, ambassadors to Monaco from various countries, businessmen, entertainers, fashion designers, models, and sportspersons. The following is a list of notable guests who attended the religious ceremony:
Their honeymoon started out at the International Olympic Committee meeting, in Durban, South Africa, where they stayed in the £4600 a night Presidential Suite of the five star The Oyster Box hotel in Umhlanga, just north of Durban, South Africa. After the meeting was over, they flew to a paparazzi-free honeymoon in Mozambique.