MONACO watched with anguish as girlfriends came and went from the life of Prince Albert faster than racing cars on its Formula One circuit.
So it was with a sense of relief that the 32,796 inhabitants of the tiny principality greeted the news that they are to have their first wedding of a monarch since Prince Rainier married Grace Kelly in 1956.
The palace announced that his Serene Highness is to marry Charlene Wittstock, a former South African Olympic swimmer he met 10 years ago. The blonde athlete, whose career was ended by a shoulder injury, will now carry the aspirations of a nation which had almost given up hope of seeing Prince Albert, 52, produce a successor to the throne.
“It’s been 30 years since Grace died; 30 years they’ve been waiting for a first lady, a princess, a dream beauty, glam. Et voila!” Colombe Pringle, the executive editor of the French celebrity magazine Point de Vue, said.
he announcement had political as well as romantic significance. The Grimaldi dynasty has ruled Monaco since 1297 and, although the constitution was changed in 2002 to enable the children of Prince Albert’s sisters to enter the line of succession, most Monegasques fear a period of instability if he fails to produce an heir.
In a country where the national wealth – an average of $69,000 per person per year – comes largely from banks and other financial institutions, the last thing that anyone wants is uncertainty.
The middle-aged prince has two children from liaisons with a Togolese air hostess and a Californian waitress, but neither are in the line of succession as he did not marry the mothers.
Thus it is that Monaco’s destiny lies with Ms Wittstock, 32, who has lived in Monte Carlo since 2006.
She appears to take the role seriously, to judge from reports from “insiders” – in effect, journalists trusted by the Prince to divulge details he wants known. Ms Wittstock, who was born in Zimbabwe before her family emigrated to South Africa, has apparently been learning French and royal protocol, and has converted from Protestantism to Catholicism.
“She has learnt a lot, she has done a good personal job to fit with her job,” Mrs Pringle said. “Now it’s a question of involvement and engagement in her new role. We’ll see how she does.”
The date of the wedding has not been set, but must be at least six months after the engagement, under Monaco’s laws. Comparisons with Kelly are certain to flourish, with some commentators noting a physical resemblance between the Princess, who died in a car crash in 1982, and her son’s fiancee.
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