Charlene Wittstock: Five Things You Should Know

By: Jessica Derschowitz
Topics: News

Charlene Wittstock dances during the Rose Ball in Monaco on Saturday, March 27, 2010.

(Credit: AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, Pool, File)

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) Just days after attending the wedding of Sweden's Princess Victoria, Monaco's Prince Albert II announced he will be walking down the aisle himself.

The royal palace said Wednesday that the prince is engaged to marry South Africa's Charlene Wittstock.

Pictures: Charlene Wittstock and Prince Albert II
Pictures: The Swedish Royal Wedding

So, who is this royal bride-to-be? Here are a few things you should know about her:

1. She's a former Olympic swimmer.

Wittstock represented South Africa at the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney, where she competed in the women's 4x100m medley. The team placed fifth.

2. She's lived in Monaco since 2007.

Laetitia Pierrat, a palace spokeswoman, said Albert met Wittstock in 2000 when she was visiting Monaco for a swimming competition, and the couple made their official debut at the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. According to People magazine, she has lived in the principality since she unofficially ended her training in 2007.

3. She's following in Grace Kelly's footsteps.

The couple's wedding will be the first marriage of a reigning prince since Kelly married Albert's father, Prince Rainier III, in 1956.

4. She's ending the prince's notorious bachelorhood.

While his father's reign was defined by his marriage to Princess Grace, Albert was known for being a longtime bachelor -- so much so that Parliament in 2002 changed the constitution to allow one of his sisters' sons to take the throne if he never produces an heir. He fathered a son and a daughter out of wedlock, but neither can assume the throne.

5. She's been preparing for her royal role.

Colombe Pringle, executive editor of the French celebrity magazine "Point de Vue," which covers Albert's private life regularly, said Wittlock has spent her years with the prince preparing for new role.

"She has learned a lot, she has done a good personal job to fit with her job, there are many years of learning there behind her," Pringle said. "Now it's a question of involvement and engagement in her new role. We'll see how she does. She really wanted the job."

More on Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock:

Prince Albert to Marry Charlene Wittstock
Pictures: Prince Albert II
Pictures: Albert's Enthronement
Pictures: A Princely Birthday
Pictures: Princess Grace Gala
Pictures: Monaco's 2009 Rose Ball