The princely palace in Monaco has today announced the engagement of Sovereign Prince Albert II to Charlene Wittstock, a South African former swimmer and teacher. No date for the wedding was announced.
The future princess of Monaco, Charlene Lynette Wittstock, was born in Bulawayo in Zimbabwe on 25 January 1978. Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock was first seen together in 2006 and she has recently accompanied him to a number of official events, including the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel in Stockholm on Saturday.
You know, royal and celebrity weddings are so compelling, but when one of these announcements is made I feel a certain sadness and apprehension. The institution of marriage seems to be rather shaky in our modern world, and those in the public eye are under so much scrutiny, criticism, and extra stress. As if life in general isn't a challenge, these marriages are put to so many more challenges.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the great beauty and charm of the recent wedding of Viktoria and Daniel, and all the great planning, detail, work, and expense, one can only hope and pray that in the end, the ideal image portrayed will have some sort of reality in their future together.
I am thinking of the recent disastrous marriages of Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princesses Stephanie and Caroline, and others. Because so many of them seemed doomed, I think that great lavishness and ostentation is unbecoming, and a modern royal wedding has to have elements of simplicity and modesty. I thought this was evident in Daniel's wedding speech, and Viktoria's wedding gown.
I am sorry to say, but I don't have high hopes for the wedding of Prince Albert...perhaps because of the relationships of his sisters.