Royal Wedding Ends Monaco's Wait For A Princess

The tiny European territory that lost its beloved Princess Grace in a car crash in 1982 is finally getting a new princess. Prince Albert II of Monaco, 53 and a longtime bachelor, will wed South African Charlene Wittstock over a weekend of royal ceremonies and celebrations.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Another royal wedding is being celebrated in Europe. Prince Albert II of Monaco weds South African Charlene Wittstock in a two-day-long affair. Albert is the son of the late American movie star Grace Kelly. And, as Eleanor Beardsley reports, the people of Monaco have been waiting for this wedding for a long time.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY: An Eagles concert kicked off Monaco's royal wedding weekend as sounds of the group's '70s hits floated through the night air. Monaco is gearing up for three days of ceremonies and celebration as 53-year-old Prince Albert weds Charlene Wittstock, a former Olympic swimmer who is 20 years his junior.

Monaco hasn't seen an event like this since Prince Albert's mother, Hollywood icon Grace Kelly, married his father, Prince Ranier, 55 years ago.

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BEARDSLEY: The principality（公国） of Monaco is less than one square mile of rocky coastline wedged between France and Italy on the Mediterranean Sea, but the country looms much larger in the collective imagination. Monaco has long attracted the wealthy with its sunshine, lavish casinos and absence of income tax.

Today, Bentleys and Ferraris drive its winding roads and yachts line the port. But Monegasques have never really gotten over Princess Grace's tragic death in a 1982 car accident, says historian Jean Des Cars, and they've been waiting a long time for a new princess.

Mr. JEAN DES CARS (Historian): The people from Monaco, they're waiting for that for years and years. Albert could not be mistaken. He had to take his time, because he knew everybody would compare his wife to his mother. He once told me I'll marry a woman like my mother, which is always a little dangerous.

BEARDSLEY: Albert's bride is being compared Grace Kelly. With her swept back blond hair and tall elegance, the resemblance is striking. Wittstock met the prince while swimming in a competition in Monaco. During the last few years, she took up residence here and worked on her French. Monegasques say she has kept a very low profile, and now they look forward to getting to know her.

Mr. GUY PATRICK: (Foreign language spoken)

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BEARDSLEY: Guy Patrick sells souvenirs near Monaco's royal palace, a medieval fortress where members of the ruling Grimaldi family have lived since the 15th century.

Mr. PATRICK: I will say it in English. Wait and see. Now we wait. We wait to see Charlene in action. You see Charlene is like a new gift. We have to open the box and to see what's inside the box.

BEARDSLEY: Albert took so long to find a bride that for years many believed he was gay. While his recognition of two illegitimate children（私生子） put an end to those rumors, Monegasques still longed for a proper princess for their prince.

BEARDSLEY: Today, roads are clogged with police escorts and a helicopter hovers over（盘旋） the port as world leaders and European royalty descend on the principality. Buildings are draped（被覆盖，遮盖） in Monaco's red and white colors and shops are festooned with（饰以花形） Monaco and South African flags.

Today's civil ceremony will be followed by a church wedding tomorrow. And there will be outdoor parties and concerts all weekend for the country's 30,000 inhabitants. Monegasque businessman Roger Felix sits in the lobby of his hotel across from the port, watching people on their yachts（游艇）. Felix says the marriage is definitely a good thing for Monaco.

Mr. ROGER FELIX (Businessman): (Through translator) It brings stability. You know, for years we saw the prince at night clubs in St. Tropez. He was a partier. So it's great that he's finally settling down.

BEARDSLEY: Felix says Albert is also bringing love back to the palace. And that, he says, brings back memories of Monaco's good old days.

For NPR News, I'm Eleanor Beardsley in the principality of Monaco.