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Monaco Royal Wedding: Charlene becomes Her Serene Highness (12)
2011-07-03 00:57
What: Royal Wedding (Mariage Princier)
Where: Place du Palais
When: Saturday 2 July (with civil ceremony the previous day)
For an update on the religious wedding, see here
It's been a year since they were engaged, but now at last the wedding bells are ringing for HSH Prince Albert II and HSH Charlene, Princess of Monaco. The civil ceremony uniting their serene hignesses took place yesterday in the Palace Princier, and today a public wedding is played out with all the ritual and splendour associated with one of the world's wealthiest states.
©Eric Mathon, Palais Princier
As the South African and Monégasque flags fly high over the rooftops of the Principality, and the harbours are filled with the noise of boats sounding their horns in celebration, the Palace is readying itself for a day of lavish ceremony, which will culminate in the live broadcast of the public wedding this afternoon.
Last night, a spectacular outdoor concert was laid on for the tens of thousands of Monaco residents and hundreds of thousand of visitors, headlined by Jean Michel Jarre, the celebrated French musician. And tonight a superb banquet designed by top Michelin chef Alain Ducasse will be laid on for the wedding guests.
©Eric Mathon, Palais Princier
Among the many celebrities in attendance will be Monaco resident and James Bond actor Sir Roger Moore, Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, soprano Renee Fleming, and Bernard Arnault, the wealthiest man in France. Also present will be Roberto Cavalli and dress-designer Giorgio Armani, supermodels Naomi Campbell and Karolina Kurkova, and Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci, three-time gold medal-winner at the 1976 Olympics.
Fittingly for a tiny state with a global reputation, many of the world's royal families and world leaders will be present, including The King and Queen of Sweden, King Albert II of Belgium, Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, Christian Wulff, Federal President of Germany, Mary McAleese, President of the Republic of Ireland, and Michel Suleiman, President of Lebanon.
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In June last year it was announced that the couple would wed.The prince first met Miss Wittstock in 2000 when she attended a swimming competition in the Principality, the same year in which she also competed in the Sydney Olympics.
Sport is clearly a passion for the happy couple: shortly after the announcement they both attended the opening ceremony of the Football World Cup in South Africa, Miss Wittstock's native country. But from now on the visits will be far more ceremonial in nature. One of their most recent pre-nuptial trips was to Ireland, the homeland of Prince Albert's mother, the film star Grace Kelly.
Monaco has been preparin gfor months for a lavish ceremony similar to that which accompanied her wedding to Prince Rainier III in 1956. However, one key difference is that the marriage is to take place not in the cathedral, but the more public Palace Square. It has been decreed that both days will be public holidays.
Although a recent change to Monaco's constitution would have allowed the
succession to pass to the Prince's sisters and their children, it is
now certain that the world's attention - and cameras - will be focused
on a whole new generation of Grimaldis here in the Principality.
Programme
Friday 1 July 2011 at 5pm
Civil Wedding in the Throne Room of the Palace of Monaco, conducted by Philippe Narmino, Director of the Judicial Services, President of the Council of State, and Registrar to the Ruling Family.
5.50 pm: Following the ceremony, the royal couple will make an appearance on the balcony of the Hall of Mirrors to greet the Monégasque people followed by a buffet cocktail in the Palace Square. Here the Mayor will present the royal couple with the gift given by his subjects.
8 pm: Residents of the Principality will be invited to a reception in the Harbour.
10 pm: Jean-Michel Jarre will stage his unique son-et-lumière show at Port Hercule
Saturday 2 July 2011 at 5pm
Religious Ceremony in the Main Courtyard of the Palace of Monaco, including Mass to be celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Barsi.
Miss Wittstock, on her father’s arm, will walk along a red carpet from the Carabiniers Barracks to the altar. His Grace Bernard Barsi, Archibishop of Monaco, will celebrate the mass.
The gates to the Palace will remain open to enable 3,500 guests to be seated for the ceremony, which will be
broadcast on giant screens.
9.30pm: The official dinner and the ball will take place in the Opera Garnier and on the Casino Terraces
12 midnight: Dinner will conclude with a firework display. A wide range of musical entertainment will take place throughout the evening