Monaco: New wedding date

The date of the religious ceremony for the wedding of Prince Albert II and Charlène Wittstock has been changed from 9 July to 3 July 2011, the Princely Court of Monaco announced last Sunday, 1 August 2010. The civil ceremony will take place on 2 July 2011.

The reason for the change of dates is that a meeting of the International Olympic Committee is scheduled to take place in Durban in the period of 5-9 July 2011, and "the couple wished for the presence of the Olympic family by their sides". I am not sure if this means that all members of the "Olympic family" will be invited to the wedding, or if this was a reference to the Monegasque presence at the meeting in Durban. Prince Albert II has been a member of the IOC since 1985.

The Prince also wanted that their first trip abroad as husband and wife should go to Ms. Wittstock's homeland, the Republic of South Africa.

(Updated on Friday 19 October 2010 at 0800 (link corrected).