Longtime playboy and one of the world’s most eligible bachelors Prince Albert of Monaco has proposed to South African former swimmer Charlene Wittstock.
The royal palace said in a statement that the engagement was announced yesterday between the 52-year-old prince and 32-year-old Wittstock.
It did not give a date for the wedding for the pair, who have been dating for four years.
It does however raise hopes that she will finally provide the playboy ruler with a “legitimate” heir to the throne, London’s Daily Mail notes.
In a scenario better suited to the 16th century than the 21st century, his two children by other lovers aren’t considered “legitimate.” A son by Wittstock would provide him with his sole legal heir.
The son of the late actress Grace Kelly already has a daughter and a son from two previous relationships – but under Monaco’s constitution neither can take the throne because they are “love children.”
Only “direct and legitimate” descendants born within marriage are allowed to rule the tiny Mediterranean tax haven.
Albert has dated some of the world’s most famous women, including Angie Everhart, Brooke Shields, and supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
The last time Monaco celebrated a wedding of its ruling prince was in 1956, when Albert’s father Rainier married Kelly — who later died in a car crash — bringing a huge dose of glamor to the tiny Mediterranean principality.
Charlene Lynette Wittstock represented South Africa as a swimmer in the 2000 Olympics. Her career was later curtailed by a shoulder injury.
Rapper Lil Wayne could avoid jail time in Arizona on drug and weapon charges after entering a plea agreement with Yuma County prosecutors.
During a change-of-plea hearing Friday in which he appeared via video from a New York jail, the 27-year-old Grammy winner pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a dangerous drug.
The charge stems from an incident in January 2008 in which his tour bus was stopped at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Dateland, 78 miles east of Yuma. Authorities say they found cocaine, Ecstasy and a handgun on the tour bus.
Prosecutors say the rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, is scheduled to be sentenced June 30 and could receive 36 months of probation. He’s currently serving an eight-month jail term in New York after pleading guilty last October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon.
Sandra Bullock gave a tongue-in-cheek guitar plucking during Tuesday night’s star-studded Nashville Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery, where Bullock was a surprise – and very popular – guest. Her appearance at the event, hosted by Faith Hill and her real-life husband (and Bullock’s The Blind Side screen husband) Tim McGraw, prompted a standing ovation.
“I’m going to bring the house down,” Bullock, 45, declared to the sell-out crowd of more than 15,000 people as she swung an acoustic guitar over her shoulder. “And I’m going to do it Nashville style!”
First telling the audience, “If I could have some quiet, please,” Bullock slowly, and awkwardly, picked out the opening notes to “Smoke On the Water.”
“I can’t play for crap!” she eventually deduced before introducing Hill, who joked, “Sign that girl right away.”
Joining Bullock for the benefit were Toby Keith, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, ZZ Top, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, LeAnn Rimes and Miley Cyrus, among others.
Hometown heroine Reese Witherspoon was among those to tape a video greeting, and said that in Nashville, “we get together and take care of each other.”
The benefit raised more than $2 million for flood victims.
Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady, who is Catholic, christened their 6-month-old son Benjamin in Santa Monica yesterday.
At a small party at luxury hotel Casa Del Mar, “Gisele arrived carrying Benjamin, who was wearing a little white suit,” a witness told UsMagazine. “She was wearing a skin tight navy dress with heels and she looked great. Tom matched her in a navy suit and carried Gisele’s bag for her. They greeted everyone in the lobby area and then they moved into the restaurant for lunch.”
Adds the source, “Everyone was passing Benjamin around and doting on him. He was happy the whole time and just looking around taking it all in. When he would smile, everyone would marvel and give him kisses. All the family members were taking turns holding him. You could really see how much they love him. After the luncheon, they drove home and Benjamin fell asleep in the car. Gisele carried him inside on her shoulder and he didn’t wake up.”
Shortly after welcoming son Benjamin in December, the supermodel, 29, wrote on her website: “Giving birth was the most intense and life-changing experience. I am blessed to have been able to have a home birth surrounded by love, where I was able to feel safe. It was a powerful experience. I never felt so vulnerable but so strong at the same time.”
Bundchen and Brady, 32, wed last year in a private ceremony in Los Angeles. He has a son, John, nearly 3, with ex Bridget Moynahan.
— lsmith@denverpost.com
