Person of the Week: Charlene Wittstock
Alexey Chernega June 24, 2011
Charlene Wittstock was born on January 25, 1978 in the Zimbabwean city of Bulawayo in a family of immigrants from Europe. Her father, Michael Kenneth Wittstock, was a sales manager for a computer supply company, and her mother, Lynette Humberstone, was a former diver and swimming coach. Charlene became the eldest child in the family, and later she had two brothers - Garrett and Sean.
It was the Wittstock family’s commitment to sports (by the way, her uncle was the captain of the South African football team) that is considered the bridge that brought the girl to the royal palace of one of the richest states in the world. Charlene had barely learned to walk, but under her mother’s supervision she began swimming. At the age of 18 (by that time her family had already lived in South Africa for six years), she won the South African swimming championship. Four years later, Charlene, as part of the South African national team, defended the country's honor at the Olympic Games in Sydney - her team took fifth place in the 4 x 100 m relay.
Before the start of her romance with the Prince of Monaco, Charlene devoted all her free time to sports and more than once won various major competitions both in Africa and in Europe. She planned to defend South Africa's honor at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, assuring that this performance would be her swan song in big-time sport, after which she would focus on charity and coaching. But a shoulder injury prevented her from competing at the Olympics and put an end to her sports career.
Charlene met Albert in 2000, when she won a gold medal at an international swimming competition in Monaco. At that time, Albert was still heir to the throne. But the first meeting was not fatal. The next time Charlene saw her future husband again only six years later - the paparazzi caught them together at the opening of the Olympic Games in Turin. The looks that the couple exchanged (by that time Albert had already become the ruling prince of Monaco after the death of his father in 2005) left no doubt that the ruler and the blonde were having an affair.
For four years, journalists around the world wondered - for how long? Albert II has already earned the title of the most famous womanizer in Europe: more than a hundred novels are attributed to him, and his passions included Claudia Schiffer, Brooke Shields, Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Campbell. He almost tied the knot twice - in 2001 with actress Angie Everhart and in 2004 with pole vaulter Alicia Warlick. In addition, Albert II recognized as his two illegitimate children born from different women - a waitress from the USA and a flight attendant from Togo.
In general, the whole of Europe was betting on the date of Albert and Charlene’s breakup. But exactly a year ago, on June 23, 2010, the royal court of Monaco officially announced the wedding of the reigning prince and Charlene Wittstock.
“I feel great joy and great excitement, as you can see. I understand that this is an important event for the people of Monaco; and I will do everything possible to live up to their expectations,” the future princess said later in an interview.
The wedding of the reigning prince is truly an extraordinary event for Monaco. Firstly, the last time the principality experienced a royal wedding was in 1956, when Albert’s parents, Prince Rainier and Hollywood film star Grace Kelly, got married. Secondly, Monaco has not had a reigning princess for 30 years. And thirdly, this is the question of the heir - the Monegasques finally have hope that the prince’s wife will give them an heir and the throne after Albert II will not pass to his sisters - Princess Caroline or Princess Stephanie, who glorified Monaco even more with their extravagant actions, than Albert with his love affairs.
Charlene herself admits that she and the prince want to have many children. “The more we have, the happier we will be,” she assured in an interview with Gala. “We will accept each of our children as a gift from heaven.”
Charlene's first forays into Monaco society did not go smoothly. Now she is called an icon of fashion and style, but several years ago the former athlete, apparently, did not believe that she would someday become a reigning princess. “I dressed the way I wanted and didn’t pay much attention to it. I spent my days playing volleyball on the beach, combing my hair with my fingers and wearing a green dress. It seemed to me that everything was fine. But today, looking back, I realize that my first social appearances in Monaco could have been better. At that time, I was not confident in myself,” Charlene later admits to reporters.
Now she is intensively studying French and its Monegasque dialect. “The French language, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful in the world. I can already speak it a little and understand it by ear, but, of course, I will need time to bring my knowledge of this wonderful language to perfection,” she said a year ago.
In addition to the language, throughout the year dozens of teachers taught her the etiquette and ceremonies inherent in the royal palace. Moreover, Charlene admitted that before the wedding she would change Protestantism to Catholicism, although the laws of Monaco do not require this from her.
And of course, Charlene no longer wears green dresses - her wardrobe is now looked after by two of the most famous couturiers in the world. She met Giorgio Armani through her friend Roberta, who is the designer's niece. By the way, Charlene, unlike Prince William's wife Kate Middleton, did not make it a secret who would design her wedding dress: she immediately said that the name of Giorgio Armani would be on the dress tag.
The second fashion mentor of the future Princess of Monaco was Karl Lagerfeld. “Karl took me to his workshop in Paris. He told me: “You will soon become a fashion icon. You bring a breeze of freshness and modern glamor to Monaco,” Charlene admitted in an interview with Vogue.
The collaboration with two couturiers bore fruit - fashion magazines recognized Charlene as one of the most elegant guests both at the wedding of Swedish Princess Victoria last year and at the wedding of Prince William in April this year. “Now I know what I like and what suits me. I'm starting to play with fresher, bolder and more risky styles,” says Charlene.
But the former athlete also does not hide the fact that everything is still not going as smoothly as she would like in Monaco. “Of course, I was the envy of the representatives of Monaco,” she says. – And although I have met wonderful people during my life in Monaco, I consider them only acquaintances. I can call only two of them friends.” “The people I interact with in Monaco have little understanding of my South African mentality and sense of humor,” she added.
As the first lady of the principality, Charlene intends to engage in charity work. When she first arrived in Monaco, by her own admission, she was amazed that the country, per capita, spends more on charity than any other country in the world. “When I was very young, in South Africa I helped poor children learn to swim. Then I realized that giving something is the most magnificent thing in life. In Monaco, I hope to be involved in children's affairs, where sport will play a role,” she said.
It is known that Charlene will make her first foreign visit as Princess Charlene to South Africa. But not at all because she considers it her second home - the fact is that from July 5 to 9, Durban (the third largest city in South Africa) will host a meeting of the Olympic Committee, at which Charlene will be present. Because of this, they even had to postpone the wedding ceremony - the celebrations were initially scheduled for July 8, but then were postponed to July 1 and 2.
Charlene admits that she is more nervous not about the upcoming wedding, but about her future status. “Some brides are nervous before the wedding, others are not. I think I feel calm before the wedding,” she said in an interview with Journal du Dimanche. And to their colleagues from Gala she added: “I am afraid of the responsibility that comes with my new official status. Day by day I will continue to study the various customs of the principality, palace etiquette, rules and laws in order to best prepare myself for the mission that the prince has entrusted to me.”
Albert II, speaking about his future wife, assures that he does not care that Charlene is considered a fashion icon. “Her barbecue and curry are unsurpassed,” says the prince, adding that Charlene does not cook often, but “if she starts, then for real.”
In addition to culinary talents, her future husband appreciates in his bride the human intelligence, sense of humor and breadth of nature. “I fell in love with her humor, her straightforwardness and the way she treats people. For me, Charlene is even more beautiful when she is natural – without makeup and with a pigtail,” he told Austria’s Die Presse.
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Charlene Wittstock
2011 turned out to be a fruitful year for august weddings: Kate Middleton and British Crown Prince William, Charlene Wittstock and Prince Albert II of Monaco, and finally the King of Rock Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell. Among the newly-crowned princesses, whom the world continues to watch with bated breath even after lavish wedding ceremonies, the most “prominent”, perhaps, should be recognized as Charlene Wittstock - Princess of Monaco: there is a look, style, and a mysterious smile from which you can’t take your eyes off .
Charlene Wittstock: princess of sad image and impeccable style 21546
Makeup by Charlene Wittstock: noble minimalism
The secret of Sharyn Wittstock's graceful and sad smile could be a mystery comparable to the smile of Mona Lisa. But, fortunately or unfortunately, we now have tabloids at our disposal that have explained in detail why Charlene Wittstock is so sad. It’s all the fault of the princess’s husband, from whom she persistently but unsuccessfully tried to escape before the wedding. The fact is that Prince Albert II, although he lived in the world for half a century, never learned to keep records of either his love affairs or the illegitimate children that appeared as a result of them.
However, let's move on from rumors to facts, and they are as follows: even with a sour and sometimes forced smile, Princess Charlene manages to look tender, and not angry, sophisticated, and not heartbroken. What's the secret? Of course, in the right lipstick! Charlene Wittstock prefers soft pink shades, and if you have to choose between thick lipstick and translucent lip gloss, she will certainly choose the latter. And, of course, no contour pencils: often they try to use them to add volume to thin lips, but in fact they only add rudeness and vulgarity to the image - the august person, like other beauties, does not need this.
Makeup by Charlene Wittstock: noble minimalism 22533
As for the rest of her makeup, during the day Charlene makes do with foundation, blush and mascara, and in the evening she focuses on the eyes, but uses delicate shades of shadows - gray, brown, smoky blue. Charlene Wittstock's intense smoky eyes are not a given status, but it seems that this is not the only reason. The princess has too many wrinkles under her eyes for her 33 years - flashy eye makeup will only draw attention to this problem.
And one more detail that emerged when studying the archival photos of Charlene Wittstock: before, she loved foundations with a hint of tan, or even a natural tan, but having become a princess, she prefers the noble pallor of her skin (and therefore, products with sunscreen filters).
For makeup in the style of Charlene Wittstock you will need:
- Shiseido Concentrate Eye Wrinkle Cream
- Translucent foundation Guerlain Lingerie de Peau SPF 20
- Chanel Aqualumiere Gloss
- Five-color eye shadow Dior Make-Up Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow
Makeup cosmetics in the style of Charlene Wittstock
Shiseido (Japan) Concentrate Eye Wrinkle Cream 21480
Princess of Monaco's wardrobe: discreet luxury
In the past, Charlene Wittstock was a professional swimmer (Prince Albert II noticed her at one of the sports competitions). For South Africa, where she lived from the age of 10, Charlene competed at major international competitions, including the Olympic Games in Sydney. Although it was not necessary to quote this part of the princess’s biography: the swimmer’s past is revealed by her shoulders – large and strong. At the same time, Charlene is not at all shy and does not miss an opportunity to demonstrate them - and she does it very skillfully. She resorts to a fairly simple trick, which is easy to adopt if you have a similar body type: the princess chooses dresses with asymmetrical tops that “cut” the shoulder line, making the overall appearance more graceful and at the same time paying attention to beautiful, harmoniously developed, toned arm muscles. Massive earrings and necklaces, which Charlene loves so much, as well as huge hats, without which royalty is not allowed to appear at some social events, are also a great way to create the illusion of fragile shoulders.
Charlene Wheatstock's wardrobe Princess of Monaco's wardrobe: black dress 23380
But what to do with boyishly narrow hips? Be proud of them and don’t hide them under fluffy skirts and frills! Charlene Wittstock enjoys wearing tight-fitting dresses - fortunately, her waist is as slender as her hips.
What Charlene Wittstock would never wear are Cinderella's glass slippers: they simply wouldn't suit her - the princess has rather big feet. But Charlene was able to make this her advantage: she does not wear rough shoes that would look like mere flippers on her, choosing instead classic pumps, and even more often, very open sandals with thin straps and the same thin stiletto heel. Her legs also look graceful thanks to a discreet French pedicure.
Charlene Wittstock: beauty that will save a marriage
Only the blind man did not pay attention to the fact that Charlene Wittstock is very similar to Grace Kelly, the mother of Prince Albert II. Well, after all, the ruler of Monaco is an earthly man, and earthly men often fall in love with copies of their parents. Charlene has every chance to become the same style icon that Grace Kelly was. True, Charlene’s husband claims that he doesn’t care that the editors of glossy magazines sing his wife’s praises. He is much more delighted by the meat and curry she cooks. It is not surprising that soon after the wedding the prince became noticeably stout. Albert II is definitely happily married. Let's hope that Charlene will find peace and happiness with him (as well as heirs to the throne). If beauty is capable of saving the world, it is certainly capable of saving a single marriage: well, what does it cost a prince to become faithful and devoted to such and such a wife?!
Beauty that will save a marriage: Princesses Charlene Wittstock and Grace Kelly Charlene Wittstock with her husband, Prince Albert II 22360
