Prince to wed

PRINCE Albert II of Monaco, son of late Hollywood star Grace Kelly, announced his engagement yesterday to South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, ending decades as one of Europe’s most eligible bachelors.

Albert, 52, has been linked to a string of beautiful women and has acknowledged fathering two illegitimate children, but he sought to shed his playboy image after succeeding his father Prince Rainier in 2005. He has dated Wittstock since 2006.

There was no date given for the wedding.

The last time Monaco celebrated a wedding of its ruling prince was in 1956, when Rainier married Kelly, bringing a huge dose of glamour to the tiny Mediterranean principality.