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Monaco royal wedding date set

Paris - The royal palace in Monaco says that 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 on Thursday that the two have set a date for a religious ceremony: July 9, 2011. A civil ceremony will take place the day earlier.

Albert met 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.

Olympians

Born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Wittstock competed for South Africa in the Olympics in Sydney 2000, and won three golds in the 2002 swimming World Cup.

Her profile rose further when she appeared in a swimwear photo shoot by Sports Illustrated magazine, but she has complained in the South African press of media intrusion into her private life.

Prince Albert is a fellow Olympian, having competed in five Olympic games as a member of his country's bobsleigh team.
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