Andrea Casiraghi and fiancée Tatiana Santo Domingo's high society wedding is rumoured to be taking place inside the Prince's Palace. A Monaco spokesperson has confirmed that "It will be a private ceremony" – a far cry from Prince Albert and South African former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock's famous nuptials, which took place in the courtyard of the Prince's Palace in what was described as Monaco's "biggest party in 55 years" since the wedding of Albert's father, Prince Rainier III to Hollywood legend Grace Kelly.
While it may be private, the occasion – set to take place on 31 August – still promises all the glamour and extravagance owed to a Monaco wedding, and the second in line to the throne.
Andrea and Tatiana, who welcomed their son Sacha to the world in March, may well choose a civil ceremony in the Throne room of the Palace of Monaco. The most prestigious room in the State Apartments of the palace, an Italian Renaissance castle where Monaco's ruling Grimaldi dynasty has resided for centuries, is where Andrea's late grandmother Grace Kelly wed Prince Rainier III in 1956.
Their son – Andrea's uncle – Prince Albert followed suit in 2011 with a private civil wedding in the same glorious setting the day before he married Charlene publicly in the palace's courtyard. With 15th century frescoes, gilded chandeliers, red silk damask covering on the room's walls, chairs and divan, an Empire-style throne that sits on a raised podium and topped by the royal crown and marble floors, it's no wonder the family's most important events take place here.
A grand total of 80 family members, friends, and dignitaries attended Albert and Charlene's 20-minute ceremony, including the groom's sisters, Princess Caroline – who this time around will be the mother of the groom, Princess of Hanover and Princess Stephanie of Monaco.While it is unlikely that the young royal and Tatiana embark on the same level of pomp and ceremony as Andrea’s uncle, who invited thousands of Monaco residents to witness the public ceremony, it is nonetheless expected to be a star-studded event.
Tatiana, whose father is the second richest man in Colombia, according to Forbes magazine, is good friends with fashionistas such as heiress Margherita Missoni, and business partners with Dana Alikhani, daughter of the late Iranian businessman Hossein Alikhani. Never mind her ever-so-stylish aunt Lauren Santo Domingo, the contributing editor of Vogue, who is sure to attend the fabulous affair...
