Here is a nice video news story from VTM.be about Charlene Wittstock. Thanks to the kind person on Charlene’s Facebook page for sending this clip to TRC.
Click to watch: Charlene Wittstock
A Lovely Ladies Lunch With Charlene Wittstock: UPDATE!
Today at the Hotel Metropole in Monte-Carlo the future Princess of Monaco, Charlene Wittstock, attended a charity luncheon cleverly entitled, Ladies Lunch. Miss Wittstock is the honorary President of this organization so it is her duty to show up looking fabulous as always, and to pretend that she is actually interested in talking with the other old ladies at this event. I don’t know how she does it, but I give her props for having to spend three hours one hour with bored 50+ year-old women whose husbands are probably having affairs with hot Russian supermodels.
I’m kidding.
Well, only slightly.
Anyway, the Ladies Lunch, founded by Baroness Cécile de Massy in 2004, is actually a great charity organization. You see, they usually raise a significant amount of money for various organizations such as the Académie de Danse Princesse Grace, charities for the children in Monaco and other “…Monegasque charity associations…” At the end of today’s event the Ladies Lunch raised 28,000 Euros (roughly $39,000+) which will be donated to the Académie de Danse Princesse Grace.
To view lots of photos from today’s charity event please click the link: Photos galore
To watch a long video from the event which includes an interview with the future Princess of Monaco please click the link here. Scroll down until you see the title Ladies Lunch. Miss Wittstock’s interview begins at the 7:40 mark.
To learn more about Ladies Lunch please click the link: Ladies Lunch Monte Carlo and The Riviera Woman
Photos courtesy of: Zimbio.com by Photo Agency
**Update and Correction! I have received a lovely email message from The Ladies Luncheon Monte Carlo board member, Madame Celina Lafuente de LaVotha, who kindly informed me that the future Princess of Monaco, Charlene Wittstock, participated at this event for only one hour. She also informed me that she was none to pleased with the group photo backdrop, either.
So, thank you Madame de LaVotha for your information and may your next Ladies Lunch charity event be just as successful as today’s. Oh, and since you asked me a very personal question: Yes, I am taken. Happily. 🙂
Again, thank you Madame de LaVotha for you inside information. I appreciate it very much. 🙂
H.R.H. Prince William of Wales In Christchurch, New Zealand
After last month’s devastating 6.3 earthquake that left Christchurch, New Zealand in shambles H.R.H. Prince William of Wales toured the city, which he described the damage as “unbelievable” on March 17, 2011.
According to the British newspaper, The Telegraph, Prince William met with various rescue workers and toured several quake damaged sites:
Driving through the city streets that had been reduced to rubble by the powerful earthquake, the Prince was visibly shocked by the extent of the destruction.
After stopping off at the Christchurch Cathedral, which has lost its spire and is now surrounded by metal scaffolding, and passing the Grand Chancellor Hotel, the city’s tallest building which is leaning dangerously and will have to be demolished, he told Des Bull, an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) engineer: ‘It’s just the scale of it is unbelievable.’
‘When you see buildings like that….that’s very very sad. It really does bring it home to see it leaning like that.’
To read the article in its entirety as well as to watch a video clip please click the link: The Telegraph
Another article and video from the BBC News and ABC News Australia
Photo courtesy of: ABC News Australia by AFP
Their Majesties King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium Visit Maldegem
This afternoon Their Majesties King Albert and Queen Paola visited the East Flemish town of Maldegem, Belgium. Though the visit went well, the royal couple were met with 20 or so protesters who advocate Flemish independence from Belgium.
According to the online Belgian newspaper, Niewsblad.be:
The royal couple were met by Mayor John De Roo and the board of Aldermen were they were received in the House Wallyn. The East Flanders Governor Andre Denys and Defence Minister Pieter De Crem were also present.
The royal couple were given a memento and signed the Golden Book. After a brief visit they were then greeted by the people of Marktstraat. Later on, Her Majesty Queen Paola visited the Woon- en zorgcampus Begijnewater home and care campus. The visit ended with a reception at the local sports Meos.
To view photos as well as to read more about the royal visit to Maldegem please click the link: Nieuwsblad.be
Source and photo courtesy of: Nieuwsblad.be by Belga
The Official Website for the Upcoming Princely Wedding in Monaco is Finally Here: Try to Contain your Enthusiasm
For those of you who were waiting ever so patiently to gaze upon the official website for the upcoming princely wedding in Monaco, well, you are in luck.
Today, you can finally breathe a sigh of relief and then scream like a teenager at a Justin Bieber concert because the website is officially up and running complete with H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco and Miss Charlene Wittstock’s giant monogram plastered all over the site.
Well… actually it’s only on the left hand side, but whatever.
Any way, the site contains all the important information for you to know. For example:
- The dates for the civil and religious ceremony
- Information about Monaco
- Details about the Princely wedding
- A bio about the Prince and Miss Wittstock (who apparently loves to surf like yours truly… though I have a feeling Charlene sucks at it.)
- FAQ
- Useful information (like how to get to Monaco and we all know how important that is.)
- Contacts
- Press room
- Lots of pretty pictures
Overall, the site is quite nice looking; moreover, it is nice to see that someone at the Palais Princier de Monaco FINALLY realized the correct title of the wedding. For some time now, the official tourism website for Monaco, Visit Monaco, and some dude who works at the Palais Princier de Monaco, kept referring the upcoming wedding as a royal wedding. It’s not. It’s a princely wedding. So, congrats to Visit Monaco and the underpaid Palais Princier de Monaco employee dude who finally realized their past mistake.
To view the website in all its glory please click the link: Mariage Princier Monaco 2011
Photo courtesy of: Zimbio.com by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images
A New Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Unveiled Today
This afternoon a new portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was unveiled at “… the Scottish Parliament…” according to the BBC. The image, by 24 year old Shaun Murawski, was taken last summer at the Queen’s residence, Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
To read the article in its entirety please click the link: Daily Mail
H.I.M. Emperor Akihito Speaks to the People on Japanese Television
On Wednesday, March 16, 2011, H.I.M. Emperor Akihito of Japan made a rare appearance on Japanese national television to share his thoughts and concerns about the aftermath of last week’s 9.0 earthquake and destructive tsunami that followed.
According to the BBC News:
TV stations interrupted programming on Wednesday to show the emperor describing the crisis facing the nation as “unprecedented in scale”.
The 77-year-old – deeply respected by many Japanese – said: “I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people will, hand in hand, treat each other with compassion and overcome these difficult times.”
To watch Emperor Akihito’s speech via the BBC please click the link: BBC News
Photo courtesy of: Zimbio.com by Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images AsiaPac
The Royal Correspondent 