Monaco: Prince Albert’s long-awaited wedding set for July 2011

Monaco: Prince Albert’s wedding set for July 2011

PARIS — The royal palace in Monaco says Prince Albert II will tie the knot with his future bride in July 2011.

Albert is engaged to Charlene Wittstock, a former Olympic swimmer from South Africa.

The palace in the Riviera principality said Thursday that the two have set a date for a religious ceremony: July 9, 2011. A civil ceremony will take place the day earlier.

Alfred met the willowy blonde Wittstock during a 2000 swimming competition in Monaco. His betrothed has iconic shoes to fill, stepping into a role left vacant since the death of much-beloved Princess Grace in a car crash in 1982.