Monaco's sovereign ruler Prince Albert wed South African Charlene Wittstock today in an opulent ceremony attended by European royalty and the international elite, fanning hopes for a new era of glamour.
The 53-year-old prince married the former Olympic swimmer (33), in the courtyard of his palace at the foot of a marble double staircase lined with white flowers.
The long-awaited nuptials are the first of a ruling prince in Monaco since the prince's father, Prince Rainier III, married the Hollywood star Grace Kelly in 1956, and comes two months after Britain's wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton.
Albert winked at his bride, who smiled shyly, as they sat on red velvet chairs holding hands, while the voice of a South African singer filled the courtyard.
The long white train of Princess Charlene's Giorgio Armani duchess satin gown encrusted with thousands of tiny crystals flowed over the red carpet. The groom wore the white dress uniform of Monaco's Carabinieri royal guard.
Albert's sisters Princesses Caroline and Stephanie, both dressed in pink, smiled as they watched the couple wed in front of a crowd including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin, Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, Armani and opera singer Renee Fleming.
Gathered to witness the event was a who's-who of Europe's royal families: Albert, King of Belgium, Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Felipe and Letizia of Spain among others. Another 3,500 attendees sat outside to watch the festivities on giant TV screens.
After the ceremony, a wedding dinner prepared by chef Alain Ducasse and royal ball awaits at the Monte Carlo opera, followed by fireworks.
The couple married in a civil ceremony in the palace throne room yesterday.
The wedding puts a spotlight on the tiny principality built around images of luxury and its ancient House of Grimaldi whose family members have ruled since 1297.
Home to the Monte Carlo Grand Prix, Monaco is still considered a playground of the very rich - residents pay no income or property tax, and huge yachts are common at the port. But tragedy and scandal, including past admissions from Albert that he fathered two children out of wedlock, have chipped away at its mystique over the years.
The son of Prince Rainier III and Kelly - who as Princess Grace ushered in an era of glamour to the tiny city-state before dying in a car crash in 1982 - Albert met his future bride while presiding over a swimming match in 2000.
Ms Wittstock, whose appearance draws comparisons with that of Kelly, is a former national champion swimmer from middle-class roots who retired from competition in 2007.
Within days of the wedding, rumours of discontent threatened to mar the festivities. The palace strongly denied a report in French weekly L'Express that Ms Wittstock tried to skip town on a one-way flight to South Africa and that it took "infinite persuasion" by the prince and his entourage to change her mind.
The culmination of months of painstaking preparations, the event has generated building excitement on the part of the 8,000 Monegasques who hold citizenship from the world's smallest independent state after the Vatican City.
Free concerts by The Eagles and French pop star Jean Michel Jarre preceded today’s wedding.