HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco

This wedding was one of the unhappiest I've ever seen.  The groom's sisters appear to frown and look extremely distraught as they stood on the palace balcony.  The Prince was cool and detached during the entire public ceremony.   His kiss was anything but filled with passion for his new wife.  On top of that,  the bride broke down in tears as she placed flowers in a side chapel.   The whole affair was as stiff as a board.  Something was rather off key with this melody.  Oh well, I wish them the best.   

Lucien I'm going to have so many questions for you.
Thankyou by the way for allowing me to watch this in Oz. Not many other links worked and I had to rely on youtube so a BIG . to you.

Prince Lucient fell over - how?

How come BOTH the Kents and Wessex's were invited?

Take your time answering, I shall have more questions as I get through all you've posted.

Prince Lucient fell over - how?

He got his foot caught under the edge of the red carpet.

This wedding was one of the unhappiest I've ever seen.  The groom's sisters appear to frown and look extremely distraught as they stood on the palace balcony.  The Prince was cool and detached during the entire public ceremony.   His kiss was anything but filled with passion for his new wife.  On top of that,  the bride broke down in tears as she placed flowers in a side chapel.   The whole affair was as stiff as a board.  Something was rather off key with this melody.  Oh well, I wish them the best.   

Royal weddings of the past were certainly not romantic affairs though - Rainier and Grace could be described as stiff and unemotional at theirs, certainly by the standards we expect today.  I wonder though if we've been influenced by TV, movie or celebrity weddings where brides and grooms often seem more interested in mooning over each other than taking the ceremony and their vows seriously?  I share most of your observations though, Douglas, and like you I wish them the best too. 

While royal weddings of the past could certainly be considered cold, more recent ones have been anything but -just look at Victoria and Daniel or William and Kate in the past year or any of the other crown princely couples married in the last decade. No one is expecting heated passion, but they could have at least glanced at each other and smiled once or twice. They barely seemed to like each other. Also, it has been confirmed that Albert is set to take a paternity test for what would be his third illegitimate child.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/monaco/8612962/Prince-Albert-of-Monaco-faces-paternity-test-after-wedding-officials-confirm.html

Here are a few more good photos of the after-wedding gala dinner.  Lucien - it was odd that there were no photos of Caroline in the PPE Agency link you provided?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2010687/Monaco-royal-wedding-Princess-Charlene-changes-Armani-gown-joins-Prince-Albert-reception.html

Oh but she was there Grace,she was accompanied by the Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg to the banquet.

http://gpdhome.typepad.com/royalblognl_news_summary/2011/07/albert-faces-paternity-test-paper-claims.html

Even I can not quiet get into the feel of the words of the Princess of Monaco at the end of the article here..
We'll have to wait and see.

according to the usually very well informed Agence France Presse

Oh, for crying out loud!

 Apparently it is now two children whom His Serene Highness Prince Albert, ruler of the principality of Monaco, is accused of fathering during his courtship of (and now marriage to) the beautiful Charlene Wittstock 33.  So far, however, the palace is only admitting to the possibility of just one new offspring.

“Officials in the Mediterranean enclave chose the day of his glittering wedding to former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock to announce that the Prince would have to take a paternity test for a possible third illegitimate child. A palace aide said that one of 33-year-old Princess Charlene’s first duties would therefore be to stand by her husband if there was another public scandal.”

Albert, 53, already has an illegitimate six-year-old son called Alexandre through a Togolese former air hostess named Nicole Coste, and a 19-year-old daughter called Jazmin with Tamara Rotolo, an American estate agent.

French magazine Public has attributed two new illegitimate children to Albert. One is said to be 18 months old and the son of an Italian woman who is preparing to tell all. Other magazines have suggested Ms Coste has had a second baby with Prince Albert – an idea that gained credibility last week when the 40-year-old was pictured in Monte Carlo.”

Well, now I realize why Somerset Maugham called Monaco ‘a sunny place for shady characters’.  Spot on, dear ones.  No wonder the fairy tale bride broke down in tears at the wedding.  Was it at that moment that she felt truly trapped in the palace with Albert and his new babies?

This "official statement" is simply extraordinary in even mentioning the new princess!  As to her "standing by her new husband" I think it's one thing for her to accept the existence of two illegitimate offspring conceived and born before before she knew the prince or before their relationship was serious but to discover another one either less than two years old or about to be born would send any new bride running.  Remember when they used to describe Albert's two sisters as the ones lacking morals and self-restraint and he was portrayed as the "good" one?!  He's starting to make them look quite respectable now! 

"A sunny place for shady people", sadly, I think Monaco has again been heading that way steadily for some years now.

This "official statement" is simply extraordinary in even mentioning the new princess!  As to her "standing by her new husband" I think it's one thing for her to accept the existence of two illegitimate offspring conceived and born before before she knew the prince or before their relationship was serious but to discover another one either less than two years old or about to be born would send any new bride running.  Remember when they used to describe Albert's two sisters as the ones lacking morals and self-restraint and he was portrayed as the "good" one?!  He's starting to make them look quite respectable now!  

"A sunny place for shady people", sadly, I think Monaco has again been heading that way steadily for some years now.

You do sound like the understanding type, Grace.  It's reported that the newlyweds have 'children' on their minds.  At least we can be assured that the Prince is duly fertile as has been copiously illustrated by the fact that almost half the town's kids call him 'papa'.  Well, I do exaggerate.  I guess that Charlene will just have to get used to her Prince's randy ways.   He, of course, has the 'means' to support his ever growing 'family'.  He has a beautiful 19 year old daughter and a cute 7 year old son, the mother of whom, was seen strolling around Monaco on the afternoon of the wedding.

He'll be off to the clinic next week for a little blood drawing to determine whether or not the new and not so recent children are in some mysterious and scientific manner related to the Prince.  What a way to start off a new marriage.  I do believe the number of  children he's fathered has possibly risen to four.  Maybe the royal palace will install a pre-school and day care centre.

Ah,... the life of a wealthy and studly Prince.

I hope that the wedding seemed awkward because both Charlene and Albert were uneasy about being the center of attention.  Charlene is known to be quite shy and while Albert has had to deal with being in the spotlight his whole life, he seems more relaxed in smaller groups.  He awkwardly patted Charlene's hand while she cried during the ceremony, and both seemed to brighten up during the processional and car ride.  But I agree, neither seemed terribly happy or excited during either of the ceremonies.  And if there's any truth to these paternity tests, that's an awful way to start - and a sure way to end! - a marriage.

I've got a random question regarding the prince...does he live in other properties other than the Princely Palace? And, where are those properties located?

I would assume that he does, but I have been unable to locate any information.

As far as I know,  he has a villa in the hills above Monaco, that was where Princess Grace was coming from when the accident occurred. And a town hose in Paris.  They did have a really nice yacht as well, but I have not read anything about that for some time.

Thank you, Robert_Hall.

You are welcome, RW. According  to one Wkipedia source, Albert is worth  1 BILLION  dollars, so  he can have homes anywhere he likes, I suppose.  The Grimaldi family estate also as investment property which also provide accommodation, but that is just a guess on my part [the accomodation, not the property]

How often does he stay in the Princely Palace? I wonder if it is used like Buck House is for HM, and if Albert prefers to live in the mountain retreat.

One of the reasons for all my questions is that I read during the royal wedding that most of the royals vacate Monaco in favor of other residences due to the height of the tourist season. This got me to ponder...well, where do they go? There isn't much information about them and their residences as compared to the British Royal Family that's for sure.