• Flashback: Prince Rainier III marries Grace Kelly

    Lionel Cironneau / AP

    Prince Albert II of Monaco and bride-to-be Charlene Wittstock attend to the St Jean Religious Parade , Thursday, June 23, 2011, in Monaco. Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee Charlene Wittstock of South Africa, will wed on July 1 and 2.

    By Mish Whalen

    According to Reuters: His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, the 53-year-old ruler of the tiny city-state of Monaco and head of the centuries-old House of Grimaldi, will wed Charlene Wittstock, 33, on July 2 at the Prince's Palace. The wedding festivities will begin two days before when the couple hosts a special Eagles concert for 15,000 people at a stadium in western Monaco. A civil ceremony will take place the following day and it will be broadcast live on giant screens outside for the Monegasque people to watch. On July 2, Albert and Wittstock, a South African Olympic Swimmer, will tie the knot for the second time during a religious ceremony at the palace's main courtyard, followed by a procession, an evening reception catered by chef Alain Ducasse, and a gala ball. Saturday's wedding will be the first of a ruling prince in Monaco since Albert's father, Prince Rainier III, married Hollywood actress Grace Kelly in 1956, and locals hope Wittstock could bring back some of the glamour which died alongside Kelly in a 1982 car crash. Below are some photos from the 1956 wedding of Prince Rainier III to Grace Kelly.

    AFP - Getty Images

    Prince Rainier III of Monaco and U.S. actress and princess of Monaco Grace Kelly salute the crowd as they leave Saint Nicholas Cathedral after their wedding ceremony in Monaco on April 19, 1956 in a convertible cream and black Rolls Royce offered by the people of Monaco as a wedding gift. In Monaco, commentators are convinced that the marriage of Prince Albert will be an even bigger event than his parents' 1956 wedding, which saw prince Rainier tie the knot with U.S. film star Grace Kelly.

    AFP - Getty Images

    A photo taken on April 19, 1956 shows U.S. actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco during their wedding ceremony in Monaco.

    AFP - Getty Images

    Official picture of U.S. actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco during their wedding ceremony in Monaco on April 19, 1956.

     

    NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports on the upcoming royal wedding between Prince Albert of Monaco and South African Charlene Wittstock, which is rife with rumors of lovechildren for the prince and cold feet for the princess-to-be.