Prince Albert II of Monaco, 65, and his ethereal bride Princess Charlene, 45, were all smiles for their three-day wedding in June 2011, but there was one rarely-seen moment when the bride was overcome with emotion.
Celebrations for the South African swimmer and Grace Kelly's son started on 30 June 2011 with a concert by classic rockers the Eagles, followed by their civil ceremony on 1 July inside the Prince's Palace's Throne Room. It was at their religious ceremony on 2 July, attended by the likes of Prince Edward and Naomi Campbell, that Charlene was spotted dabbing tears from her eyes.
She has since confessed that it was caused by the "tension" in the lead-up to her big day following rumours of Albert's infidelity. The royal has shut down any indication of unhappiness, describing her big day as "wonderful."
Charlene said in an interview with The Times: "Everything was just so overwhelming and there were all the mixed emotions because of the rumours, and obviously the tension built up and I burst into tears [immediately after the ceremony].
"And then I burst into tears some more because I was thinking "Oh no, now the whole world has seen me cry"'.
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She went on to add: "It was such a wonderful three days. Even months afterwards I would get flashbacks and think, 'Oh, my goodness, did I really have the Eagles playing at my wedding?' I think back and wonder how we managed to pull it off."
© GettyCharlene's close friend and maid of honour Isabella Kristensen told HELLO!: "It was absolutely beautiful. Albert's speech was touching, Charlene's father’s speech was amazing. Everyone found the whole event to be very romantic. Charlene moved to Monaco for love, and this was special."
How did Princess Charlene and Prince Albert meet?
Prince Albert and then-Charlene Wittstock met in 2007 at the Mare Nostrum International Swimming Meet in Monaco when Charlene was an Olympic swimmer.
They announced their engagement just three years later in 2010 after Albert proposed with a beautiful pear-cut diamond ring thought to be created by Parisian jeweller Repossi.
What wedding dress did Princess Charlene wear?
© GettyAfter stepping out in an unexpected pale blue jumpsuit with a matching jacket designed by Karl Lagerfeld for the concert, Charlene wore a classic Armani Privé silk white gown with off-the-shoulder straps for her religious wedding.
As reported by Vogue, it took "three seamstresses 2,500 hours to make [featuring] 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl teardrops". Ditching tradition, Charlene swapped a bridal tiara for a glittering hairpiece fastened into her chic low bun.
She later changed into a sleeveless second wedding dress with a tiered, embellished skirt.
© Palais PrincierA lot of thought also went into designing the patriotic gowns for her seven bridesmaids, who all represented different areas of Monaco. Designed by her sister-in-law Princess Caroline and Jean-Christophe Maillot, their gowns were inspired by traditional Monegasque outfits and featured lace-up white tops with lace-frill sleeves, red striped A-line and white aprons.
Have Princess Charlene and Prince Albert split?
© Eric Mathon / Royal PalaceThe couple – who share twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques – were recently forced to publicly deny that they were separating after almost 12 years of marriage.
A spokesperson from the Palace delivered a statement from Albert which read: "I would like to formally deny the malicious rumors peddled by the French magazine Royauté. Please disregard this article which is totally unfounded."
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