Prince Albert

A Lexus for Monaco's Royal Wedding

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events

While attention around the world is focused on the impending marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, further south in Europe they're preparing for another royal wedding: that of Prince Albert II of Monaco to Miss Charlese Wittstock. And they've just announced the vehicle that will be used in the July 2 wedding.

This Lexus LS600h has been specially outfitted with the royal flag, "MC 01" license plate and flashing lights. As a hybrid, it will be able to drive at a parade pace on pure electric mode, and has elevated Lexus to the status of Official Supplier to the principality in the process.

Tags: grimaldi, lexus, lexus ls 600h, lexus ls600h, ls 600h, ls600h, monaco, prince albert, prince albert ii, royal wedding

Armani Will Design Monaco's Royal Wedding Dress

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Although speculation still swirls about who will make Kate Middleton's wedding dress (was that recent visit to Bruce Oldfield's boutique by her mother and sister a sign?), one royal wedding dress designer has been confirmed. People reports that when Charlene Wittstock marries Monaco's Prince Albert II in July she will wear Giorgio Armani. Italian newspapers quote Armani himself as announcing the commission after his men's fashion collection in Milan on Sunday. Wittstock has attended Armani shows in the past and she also has worn his gowns to events. Although we know the designer, we don't know anything more about the dress which will be kept under wraps until the big day.

Tags: Charlene Wittstock, prince albert, prince albert II, Prince Albert of Monaco

RSVIP: The Palace Regrets to Inform

by Jeffrey Slonim (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events

When a Prince touches down in the socially ambitious Hamptons, snagging an invite can be a slippery slope indeed.

First of all, author Jay McInerney and his wife, Anne Hearst McInerney, who feted HSH Prince Albert of Monaco this weekend, are sensational hosts, they support the arts and the environment in an enormously generous fashion, and in person, they are nothing but nice. And, especially after this regal shindig, they are the center of social swirl on the East End of Long Island.

If Truman Capote, having published "In Cold Blood," was at the zenith of his society status when he gave the black-and white-ball in 1966 at the Plaza Hotel with Katharine Graham, McInerney, who married Hearst on November 21, 2006, at 21, the former society speakeasy, is now enjoying a longer-term embrace by New York society in Manhattan and the Hamptons.

And Mr. McInerney, a wine expert and world-famous author, doesn't lord his social cachet over others, the way, say, Capote used to drop names while in a glassy-eyed stupor on "The Merv Griffin Show." Mrs. McInerney's grandfather was William Randolph Hearst, founder of the Hearst Corporation and the alleged subject of the Orson Welles classic film "Citizen Kane." During the brutally warm summer of 2010 on the East End of Long Island, Jay McInerney has quietly become a kind of Jay Gatsby.

Idyllic Setting for Princely gathering

While William Randolph Hearst was known for his zoo-like menagerie at San Simeon, the Hearst McInerneys entertain at idyllic Ashgrove Farm in Watermill, where the couple keep an emu (like an ostrich in a ballgown drape of feathers), presentation hens, and two 3-foot-tall geese, out of a fairy tale, that appear to weigh over 100 pounds each. Sadly, their pet Llama succumbed, possibly to Lyme disease, over the winter.

The sprawling shingled main house, designed by Peter Cook in the style of the original farmhouse at San Simeon, includes stone fireplaces, centuries old, collected in Europe by Mrs. McInerney's grandfather. The guesthouse is a modernist structure, recently built, with colorful 1960s-themed art, including bright squares within squares by Frank Stella.

Tags: anne hearst, Charlene Wittstock, jay mcinerney, prince albert, prince albert fiance, Prince Albert of Monaco, rsvip

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Prince Albert Of Monaco Gets Engaged To Charlene Wittstock

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Monaco has a royal wedding in its future. Prince Albert of Monaco has announced his engagement to Charlene Wittstock, a beautiful blonde former Olympic swimmer for South Africa. This would give the principality its first crown princess since Grace Kelly died in 1982. Wittstock bears more than a passing resemblance to a young Princess Grace. At 32, she is 20 years younger than her groom. The announcement did not include a wedding date but according to protocol royal couples must wait at least six months between the engagement and wedding day.

The two first met in 2000 and she has lived in Monaco since 2006. This will be the first marriage of a reigning prince since the marriage of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III in 1956. Prince Albert has two children which were born out of wedlock but has remained a lifelong bachelor. Fearing that he might never settle down with a wife, in 2002, the Parliament changed the constitution to allow one of his sisters' sons to take the throne if he never produces a legitimate heir. No details on the ring have been released yet but diamond watchers are agog at what appears to be one hefty sparkler.

Tags: charlene wittstock, monaco, prince albert, Prince Albert of Monaco, royal engagement, royal wedding

The Classicist: Brit 'Big Shot' Westley Richards

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

Birmingham gunmaker Westley Richards was established in 1812 - three years before the battle of Waterloo - by founder William Westley Richards. In less than 30 years he secured a royal appointment to Queen Victoria's consort Prince Albert, and a "continuous stream of technical innovations" put the Westley Richards name firmly on the map. In addition to beautiful craftsmanship, the company introduced notable improvements in breech loading, military gunmaking and ammunition, and a Westley detachable lock is still the trade standard for many modern shotguns.

Today the firm is thriving, having just moved into new $9 million headquarters in Birmingham's old Gun Quarter to house a revamped retail operation and an ever-expanding team of in-house craftsmen. The 21,000-sq.-ft. site, converted from 19th century brick warehouse buildings, is dedicated to all aspects of the gunmaker's craft. State-of-the-art workshops, a full tannery, engraving studios and an underground shooting range are complemented by an opulent new retail showroom, stocking sporting clothes and accessories, including bespoke leathergoods, books, art and ephemera. It's designed to be the "perfect blend of expert outfitters and enthusiasts den."

A new Westley Richards gun may take anywhere upwards of 600 hours to complete – 800 for a double rifle, "unbeaten in its ability to place two shots in rapid succession precisely on target" - depending on the level of engraving required. The gunroom creates an average of 30 pieces per year, with finished rifles and shotguns dispatched internationally. From consultation to delivery, a Westley Richards handmade double rifle or shotgun will be in production for up to two years; hence the maxim "Passion and patience go hand in hand for a Westley fan." They also stock a selection of second hand guns.

Gallery: Westley Richards