Prince Albert’s fiancée Charlene Wittstock talks to Vogue

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I had forgotten that His Serene Highness, Prince Albert of Monaco’s wedding was coming up too. It’s July first! I wonder if Americans will be interested in it? We still remember Grace Kelly, but do we care about her son? I don’t know about you bitches, but I do care. I think Albert’s fiancée, Charlene Wittstock, is lovely, and she comes across as more reticent and naturally regal than some other royal brides (sniff). To celebrate their upcoming nuptials, Charlene granted an interview to Vogue Magazine, and I was surprised to learn lots of new stuff about her. Some examples: She’s 33 years old, she’s South African (I knew that), she was an Olympic swimmer (knew that), she had a bachelorette party in NYC, and she first met Prince Albert in 2000, when they had one date, and didn’t go out again until December 2005. You can read the full Vogue piece here, and here are some highlights:

Being a royal girlfriend: “Our first public appearance was at the Torino Olympic Games in February 2006.” As unfamiliar as it was to become part of a royal entourage, she says, “Albert put me at ease. It was clear that we shared the same passions; we both became very emotional watching the athletes. Sport is the common denominator of our lives.”

Her workouts: After an ankle fracture three years ago, Charlene, now 33, retired from professional swimming, but she still trains at least three times a week, often with her former Olympic coach. In preparation for the perpetual camera-readiness expected of her as first lady of Monaco, she has cut out weight training and increased her stretching time to give her body a leaner line.

Royal fashion failure: “Finding my fashion feet has certainly been the biggest challenge,” she says, remembering her “trial by fire” at Monaco’s 2007 Red Cross Ball. “‘I was literally a fish out of water. I thought it was all fun, fun, fun, and didn’t give my outfit any thought. I had been playing beach volleyball all day, painted my nails red, and threw on a green dress. I thought I looked great at the time, but looking back, I realize that my debut into Monaco society should have been better executed!”

Living in Monaco, not speaking French, and dealing with palace intrigues: “It was sometimes overwhelming,” she recalls of the solitude and jealousies she suffered as Prince Albert’s girlfriend. “I was trying too hard to please too many people and at times was at risk of losing my sense of myself.”

Prince Albert on Charlene: “I fell in love with her sense of humor, her simplicity, and the natural way she relates to people,” he says. “To me, Charlene never looks more beautiful than when she is natural—without makeup and her hair pulled back.”

Learning about fashion from the masters: Determined to learn from her mistakes, Charlene was advised by a coterie of palace insiders and Monaco stalwarts. “In the early days, I listened to other people about how I should dress,” she admits. “I was insecure. I felt pressure to err on the side of caution—I was terrified of meeting a head of state in an over-the-top outfit.” Now, although her tastes tend to lean toward simple clothes that flatter her athletic frame, she is far more experimental. “I’ve reached the point where I know what I like and what works. I’m starting to play with fresher, bolder, and more daring looks.” She was helped by Giorgio Armani, who will dress her for the religious part of her wedding and who notes that her casual elegance and slender figure look equally good in suits and evening gowns with necklines “that emphasize the beautiful structure of her shoulders.”

A Karl Lagerfeld story: Wittstock has also been taken under the wing of Karl Lagerfeld, who has enjoyed bringing out a play between romantic and masculine in her wardrobe, pairing a strictly cut Dior Homme jacket, for example, with a bustier and a floating chiffon skirt. “She loves clean-cut clothes with a touch of menswear, which looks very feminine on her,” he says. As Charlene explains, “Karl took me to his workshop in Paris. He said, ‘You are going to be a style icon. You bring a breath of fresh air and modern glamour to Monaco.’ Then he asked me if there was one item of clothing that I had always wanted to experiment with, and I replied, ‘A smoking jacket.’ He went back to his apartment and presented me with his own white shirt and smoking jacket from his closet.” Lagerfeld recently shot the royal couple for the Monaco Palace archives and encouraged her to select the clothes herself. “He trusts my sense of style, and as a result my confidence has grown.”

She wants to inaugurate a Monaco Fashion Week: “I want to make Monaco one of the fashion capitals of the world. It would be wonderful to team up with some of my international fashion friends, like Stella McCartney and Ralph Lauren, and get the place buzzing with energy again,” she says. “Grace Kelly forged a link between Monaco and the movie world, and I would like to create a strong bond between Monaco and the fashion community.”

What kind of princess she’ll be: “Sport has given me drive and discipline,” she says. “It also taught me to remain humble.” For the past fifteen years she has been involved in charitable endeavors centered on swimming. “I don’t want to be a princess who sits on the sidelines; I want to be present and actively involved,” she says of her new role. “It’s a life with a purpose. It was my integrity that Albert fell in love with, and it’s a quality I will never lose.”

[From Vogue]

Did you catch that? Armani is making her wedding gown – for the church ceremony. Another designer is probably making her other wedding-day looks. There will probably be some Chanel in there. Fingers crossed that Lagerfeld doesn’t put her in a look that Blake Lively wore.

You know what I thought about when Charlene was referencing the bitchy, back-stabbing palace insiders? I thought about Albert’s sister Caroline, and how she’s probably severely pissed off right now. Her son was supposed to be the heir! And now this South African swimmer chick is going to be having babies and doing all of the First Lady stuff. I’m going to try to watch the wedding, if only for Caroline’s face.

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Photos courtesy of Patrick Demarchelier/Vogue.

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31 Responses to “Prince Albert’s fiancée Charlene Wittstock talks to Vogue”

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  1. brin says:

    Wow…she looks Gracy Kelly-esque in these pictures! Prince Albert seems the most sane of the three siblings, so good on him if he does have children!

  2. crab says:

    Wow what a figure!! She kinda looks like Heidi Klum in the picture of her in the bathing suit! She’s beautiful!!

  3. the original bellaluna says:

    She looks Heidi Klum-ish in that bathing suit.

    I hope the marriage works. Isn’t Prince Albert (no spring chicken, that one) a notorious playboy, who has some kids sprinkled around?

  4. mews says:

    Charlene Wittstock & His serene highness Prince Albert of Monaco have been pimping themselves out to dozens of interviews over the past few weeks- trying to sell their wedding to the public. No one cares.

    Many people in Monaco say its all fake anyways. Whatever that means. So maybe thats the reason for lack of interest.

    Charlene is okay- I’ve heard she’s been totally overhauled with multiple plastic surgies- but the result is good. Just weird that the prince had her get muliple surgies to look like his dead mother. Creepy to me. But to each is own I guess.

    I loved Grace Kelly- and she did so much for Monaco. Its so sad there is no interest in her son HSH or Charlene- accept for some strange pre-wedding interviews to try to drum up interest in their wedding. I don’t remember other royals having to do that. Someting strange about it. I can’t put my finger on it totally. But- real or fake- it sounds like a great party –

  5. Reality says:

    She’s beautiful and Grace kelly-esque, but I’ve heard it took a lot of plastic surgery for her to look like that.

  6. tapioca says:

    She looks amazing – very Charlize Theron – in the ballgown, but darn, that swimming costume makes her look incredibly androgenous.

    @Mews:
    I think it’s because Pierre & Andrea (Caroline’s sons) are glam Eurotrash hotties – think Prince Harry x2 – and it would have been simply fah-bulous if Prince Albert had passed on the throne in favour of them and their dating shenanigans.

  7. Luna says:

    GAWD the two of them are going to give birth to some SERIOUS gorgeous babies. Please, have a bunch!

  8. MeMyself says:

    How many illegitimate kids do Albert and his sister Princess Stephanie have between them already?

    I feel sorry for those kids when the “official royal children” come along…

  9. Happymom says:

    That’s an amazing accomplishment to be an Olympic swimmer. However, since 2005 all she’s done is be a royal girlfriend. And her big “platform” is fashion. She may be more light handed with the eye pencil, but she’s had a ton of plastic surgery. I love you CB-but talk about hypocritical coverage between Catherine and Charlene!

  10. teehee says:

    I like her- she radiates more mystique and definitely more strength and intelligence than Kate ever will. She gets my respect before Kate does.

  11. AE says:

    Albert has two illegitimate children that he has acknowledged. He only acknowledged them after the death of his father. It will be interesting if they attend the wedding.

    Stephanie had two children with her bodyguard who she later married. And then had another daughter after that marriage was over. It was rumored that it was another bodyguard that fathered that daughter.

  12. CandyKay says:

    Her face is rather oddly asymmetrical. One side of her mouth is higher than the other, which makes her look slightly “crooked”, dishonest, like a stereotypical car salesman.

    A good plastic surgeon would have fixed this.

    By the way, I don’t believe Caroline’s children were ever eligible for the throne. If the male heir to the throne does not reproduce, the principality of Monaco reverts to France.

  13. Valerie says:

    I’m pretty sure he has 2-3 illegitimate children. One lives in California with his mother. His sister has 1. Technically 3, but the other 2 were born before she married their father. After they married, those children are considered legitimate under the laws in France & Monaco.

    Also, it’s interesting that you think the equivalent of regal is plastic surgery. Her plastic surgery transformation has been well documented in the European tabloids.

  14. TG says:

    After reading all the comments on here about how they will have beautiful children I had to go and recheck what Prince Albert looked like. What are you people talking about? He is not the least bit attractive. How has this man become a playboy. He looks very weak and feminine to me. I don’t think she is all that either, but I at least see what the others are saying.

  15. Valerie says:

    @CandyKane, the laws were changed in 2002. If he doesn’t produce an heir (male or female), the throne passes onto Caroline and her children.

  16. Luna says:

    Ooooops my bad~

    Damn the royals for sharing names. The gorgeous one is the son of Caroline, tee hee, Andrea Albert Pierre Casiraghi.

    Albert and her will have gorgeous kids if they are good at picking genes!

  17. bluhare says:

    @teehee: Mmmmmm . . . don’t agree. I do agree that Charlene has more mystique (gonna hold off on the intelligence) than Kate, but Kate projects warmth, which Charlene definitely does not.

  18. munchies says:

    Look at that long collar bone!!!!!! gorgeous!

  19. hay says:

    her legs look too narrow for her shoulders… it’s kind of that scary serious swimmer look. not seeing the Heidi Klum/Charlize/Grace Kelly comparison – this woman’s face is not beautiful at all.

  20. CandyKay says:

    Thanks for the correction, Valerie – I didn’t know that.

  21. CG says:

    Ok, I have to ask: Where is everybody getting the plastic surgery info from? I admittedly don’t follow Monaco royalty a ton, but her face doesn’t seem *too* plastic or different to me. And a quick Google search didn’t really turn up anything.

  22. mimi says:

    Her face is beautiful, thoughI was never a fan of female swimmers’ figures.

    She looks amazing, though. Not plain like Kate Middleton.

    How old is he these days?
    Isn’t he like, really old by now?

  23. REALIST says:

    How does she feel about Albert’s “other” children-will check; might be in the interview.
    I thought the succession was set in stone, but why should it be? Besides, Caroline has always been a b–ch, so I suspect her son has his nose out of joint, too.
    I like Albert; I think he is the most American of the three children-by far!! I remember an interview where he talked about how he loved coming back to the USA every summer as a child to go to camp.
    Good luck, you two. The daggers are definitely out!

  24. Lisa Turtle says:

    Oh wow, I really like her. That is a very nice interview she gave. Very honest! I like how she admits that all of this royal protocol is foreign to her, I like that she admits she doesn’t speak French, I like that she admits her faults and her flaws. I LOVE that she admits to changing her workout routine to look slimmer on camera. So many women would deny they were trying to slim down, so many women would claim they were learning French or would claim to be more capable than they were, or would say that the whole transition is a breeze (COUGH WAITY KATY COUGH) – And she is 33?! Unbelievable, she looks a decade younger and far more beautiful than plain-jane Kathy Middleton. I don’t know how anyone could even compare the two. Charlene is accomplished, talented, interesting, Kate has nothing to show for her 30 years of life except coming from social climbing stock, waiting around, playing it safe, eventually bagging a prince.

    I have to admit I didn’t have high expectations for Ms. Wittstock. I thought she might just be arm candy, since I don’t have much respect for Prince Albert. I think he’s a real womanizer, and not much to look at either. He loves sports? I find that shocking. He seems pudgy; soft. Not an athlete.

    I do hope they have children though. Another generation of beautiful Monaco princes & princesses is good for gossip!

  25. serena says:

    She is so beautiful…he face reminds me of Heidi Klum a bit o_O

  26. REALIST says:

    FYI-CB pretty much covers the article-nothing juicy in the interview.
    I did see the Emma Watson pics-same Vogue issue. I’d say she has her head full of Hollywood; Brown is behind her already.

  27. Rich Girl says:

    I really like Charlene, she is beautiful and her smile is so cute. I agree with Lisa Turtle – Charlene has accomplishments and Kate has nothing. So, I definitely like Monaco royal couple more than British one.

  28. Martinallen says:

    I’m from South Africa and in that country Charlene would never be considered a good looking girl….stringy hair, thin lips, broad shoulders…..touch ups on those photos are amazing! Her assests are nice legs and waist. She has a thick SA accent which is a no-no there. She’s not the brightest person around especially considering that she has been taking French lessons for 4 years and STILL can’t speak it and she’s a very stubborn ‘my way’ sort of girl. Albert has met his match!!! Good luck mate!

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  31. Caroline Windsor says:

    For those who can’t find Charlene’s “before” photos, here’s a link. http://i34.tinypic.com/24bufc6.jpg

    She has had her entire head remodeled & her sad look & lack of a smile come from massive amounts of cosmetic surgery & procedures!!! That should shut down the talk of future “cute” babies!!!