Prince Albert, Princess Charlene party on South Africa honeymoon
(CBS) Continuing to mix royal duties with honeymoon "alone" time, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco celebrated their weekend wedding Thursdaynight with a reception for nearly 500 people at a five-star resort hotel outside Durbin, South Afrrica.
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The newlywed shared a kiss for photographers during their brief time on the red carpet in front of the Oyster Box, a seaside $4,000-a-night hotel in the Indian Ocean resort town of Umhlanga. The couple is staying in the hotel's presidential suite, reportedly at a cost of $8,000 a night.
The bride, an Olympic swimmer who was born in Rhodesia and grew up in South Africa, wore a black sleeveless gown with a sparkly diamond-shaped pattern, and had a sheer black shawl over her shoulders. Albert wore a dark suit and a red tie.
According to reports by the AFP, Zulu drummers in traditional animal-skin garb and a local choir entertained nearly 500 guests, including IOC President Jacques Rogge, South African Sport Minister Fikile Mbalul and former Miss South Africa Jo-Ann Strauss, as they lined up on the red carpet. An assortment of business magnates, local celebrities and world-famous sports figures, dressed in suits and gowns, attended the reception.
The dinner menu included a dish created in Princess Charlene's honor.
"We've created a special dish called Oysters Charlene. It's created by our executive chef, Kevin Joseph," the hotel spokesperson told AFP. "Basically it's oysters baked with creamed spinach, curried lentils and asparagus."
Earlier this week, the royals, who were married in a two-day, $55 million extravaganza last weekend in Monaco, attended a cocktail reception opening the general meeting of the International Olympic Committee and lunched with President Jacob Zuma at a presidential residence. The prince also took part in Wednesday's election of the 2018 Winter Olympics host city (Pyeongchang, South Korea).
Today, the princess is scheduled to meet South African Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and tour several charities
The warm reception the newlyweds are receiving in Africa has overshadowed reports that the princess tried to flee home from Monaco several times before her nuptials. She was reportedly upset over reports that the prince, who has two illegitimate children, may have fathered another child out of wedlock.
