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Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco returned to South Africa earlier this week for a series of events to attend. The country is Charlene’s homeland and it is where the couple spent a good part of their honeymoon following their July wedding.
 See more photos of the couple in Durban here On Tuesday, the couple attended the United Nations Climate Change conference (COP17) in Durban. There, the Prince gave a speech as part of the COP17′s opening.
The next day, Albert was among 200 who received the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from the MTN Group at the Business Leaders Network Reception, also in Durban. As part of winning the RECs, the Prince is to donate his to rural areas in KwaZulu Natal, a province of South Africa. The RECs are about the same as one megawatt-hour (MWh) of green electricity, which is enough energy for a family of four residing in an urban area for about a year. Since people in rural places use less electricity, it is expected the RECs will last longer for them.
Also on Wednesday, Albert and Charlene a UNEP event called “One Billion Trees” at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. For this occasion, a tribute was made to 2004 Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai, who was on the board of directors of this foundation.
For Thursday, the Prince and Princess met with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whom they previously met back in July. This time, they met to discuss ways to run various charities Charlene is setting up in South Africa. The couple also took the time to give Tutu a check to the Giving Organization Trust. The Trust will give the money to 10 charities including the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation in Cape Town.
While meeting with the Archbishop, Albert and Charlene met with local children, who entertained the royals by singing, “If You’re Happy And You Know It, Clap Your Hands.”
Also on Thursday, the couple attended the presentation of the Polaris project by the Polar International Foundation at the Clock Tower.
Source: 4-traders.com, Palais de Monaco, OryxMedia,
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are currently on a five day visit to South Africa. They are to highlight both social and environmental issues during their trip.
 Click here for more photos of the 1st day The couple arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday, but their itinerary began the next day with a visit to Walter Sisulu Square, or Freedom Square, in Kliptown, Soweto. There, they were welcomed by the Soweto Gospel Choir, with 24 singers and a drummer, singing songs by Miriam Makeba. Also, local children gathered to see the royals.
“It was so cool, I liked that. It’s so long I want to see the Prince,” said Boniswa Msibi, an 18-year-old Soweto high school student who shook hands with Prince Charles. “We’re so happy that they’re coming into Soweto to see us and are not afraid of us.”
Charles and Camilla met with models who showcased traditional Zulu clothes. At one point, the Duchess was given a Zulu hat by Nthabiseng Dibakoane, a local businesswoman who specializes in hand-made bags, hats, shoes and ethnic dresses. Camilla – and the media – were delighted that she tried on the hat.
The Duchess tried to pay Dibakoane for it, but she insisted Camilla keep the hat for free.
The couple then went to the monument to the Freedom Charter, which began the fight against white-minority rule by declaring: “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.”
Afterward, Charles went to Pretoria to discuss the environment with business leaders while Camilla visited a women’s shelter. The pair reunited later on to meet with Graca Machel, the wife of Nelson Mandela. She showed them his personal archives at Mandela’s foundation in Johannesburg.
Mandela did not meet with the royals because he is reportedly not seeing visitors.
In the evening, Charles and Camilla had dinner with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and his partner Gugu Mtshall.
 Click here for photos from day 2 On Friday, the two were faced with a dark chapter in British and Zulu history when they went to Ulundi, site of the last battle of the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War.
They met with Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini at his Ondini Palace in the KwaZulu-Natal province where they reflected on the war.
Our relationship hasn’t always been entirely smooth but it has always been characterised by deep admiration and respect,” said Charles in his speech. “Our meeting is but the latest in a long line and brings our relationship into the 21st century.”
“Our great nation, the Zulus, and the British share a very rich history that is both good and not so good,” Zwelithini said in his speech. “Our meeting today marks a new beginning between our nations, an era of mutual respect and cooperation.”
Both the Prince and the King exchanged gifts – Charles gave Zwelithini a silver cup, similar to the one Queen Victoria gave Cetshwayo, the Zulu King the British forced into exile after destroying his palace and ending his people’s independence. Zwelithini in turn gave Charles a portrait of Cetshwayo.
Later Friday, the Prince and the Duchess went to a game reserve to see how black rhinoceros is being protected. Charles spotted one at the reserve but Camilla did not. The black rhino is an elusive, endangered animal.
Sources: AFP, Press Association, South Africa.info,
At Stockholm’s royal palace Thursday, Crown Princess Victoria met with the Vice President of South Africa.
 Click here to view original photo and another at Kungahuset.se Kgalema Motlanthe is in Sweden to take part in the Seventh Binational Commission, BNC. The purpose of the BNC is to cement bilateral ties between Sweden and South Africa.
Also with Motlanthe was the South African ambassador to Sweden, Mandis Dona Marash.
Later in the day, the Vice President went on to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Jan Björklund to discuss broadening the relationship between their two countries. Representatives of senior officials of both countries met today and will meet again Friday to discuss current issues and common challenges such as the economy and trade, security, environmental and energy issues and social issues.
Also while in Sweden, Motlanthe will make a speech at Uppsala University and visit the grave of Dag Hammarskjold.
Source: Kungahuset, Regeringen
Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa, began a two day state visit to Norway Wednesday. He arrived with his one of his wives, Tobeka Zuma, and they were welcomed in Oslo by the royal family. The purpose of Zuma’s visit is to strengthen ties with Norway and convince its business leaders to invest in South Africa.
 Click here for more photos at Daylife.com
The President and his wife spent the first part of Thursday going through the ceremonies that go with Norwegian state visits. There was the playing of the national anthems in Palace Square, followed by a review of the honor guard by Zuma and King Harald V.
The royal hosts and their guests then went inside the palace to pose for the media and exchange gifts. President Zuma gave Their Majesties a small leather stool and three traditional clay pots intended for drinking beer. The King and Queen in return gave Zuma and his wife a book on Norway and a large glass bowl.
Later, the King and Queen Sonja brought the Zumas to the National Monument at Akershus Fortress to lay memorial wreaths. They also took them to Oslo Cathedral and the Nobel Peace Center.
President Zuma then met with Prime Minister Jans Stoltenberg for talks.
In the evening, there was a state gala dinner in honor of the South African President and his delegation. Both King Harald and President Zuma gave speeches touting Norwegian and South African ties.
The next day, while the President met with Norwegian politicians and business leaders, Queen Sonja brought Tobeka Zuma to Ullevål University Hospital, where they met with its cancer treatment team. Mrs Zuma was briefed on how the doctors tackle cancer in Norway, which has seen its survival rate grow by 68%
Trade between South Africa and Norway increased by 21% between 2009 and 2010. Since 2006, the two nations have worked together on environmental issues.
Sources: NRK.no, Oslo universitetssykehus
Monaco’s newlyweds Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene have been busy since last weekend’s weddings. Instead of honeymooning privately, the couple have been in Charlene’s home country of South Africa for an International Olympic Committee meeting in Durban. Since both are former Olympians, it is understandable that those two will be there.
 Click here for more Albert & Charlene pics Tuesday saw the couple meet with President Jacob Zuma at the IOC meeting. He congratulated them on their wedding.
“She has again done us proud by bringing us the royal in-laws from Monaco,” Zuma said in welcoming Charlene.
“We usually say you can’t get a wife free of charge, you must pay lobola — the cattle,” Zuma joked.
The next day, Albert and Charlene lunched with Zuma and one of his wives, Thobeka Madiba Zuma at the Presidential residence in Durban.
On Thursday, Their Serene Highnesses held a wedding reception at the luxury Oyster Box restaurant and hotel in Umhlanga outside of Durban. Guests included Zuma and Bishop Desmond Tutu, and everyone was entertained by Zulu performers.
Upon leaving the reception, Albert and Charlene took time to pose for the media and even share a kiss for the photographers.
The couple’s stay in South Africa this week is part business, part honeymoon. They are having private time when they are not meeting with dignitaries or attending IOC meetings.
The rumors that the Prince might have fathered a child during his five year courtship with Charlene have yet to die down. It is being reported that Albert already took a paternity test but it is unknown when the results will be revealed. Despite the friendly appearances in South Africa, behind the scenes, Charlene is supposedly being convinced by the Prince to stay married to him.
Because of the rumors, Prince Albert’s playboy ways, and Princess Charlene’s seeming unhappiness during the Roman Catholic wedding ceremony on Saturday, many are wondering if the legend of the monks who cursed the Grimaldis’ – the family that rules Monaco – is real. The curse is said to be that the family will never see a happy marriage.
Judging by the marriages of Albert’s parents and two sisters, perhaps there is something going on.
Sources: AFP, AP, ABC News
This past Tuesday saw Crown Prince Willem Alexander represent the Netherlands in South Africa for the World Water Day conference. This year’s event focused on “Water for Cities” and discussed how urban areas could have clean drinking water and sanitation.
 Het Koninklijk Huis For World Water Day, Willem Alexander took part in several events, including the Amanzi Moola match where five teams competed for their solutions for water related problems and presented their findings to a jury. The Crown Prince also ran for the Walk for Love of Water, plus attend two meetings, one being the “Water and Disaster” seminar, and the other for the General Assembly of the Global Water Operators Partnerships Alliance.
Willem Alexander is President of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) and has held this position for a few years.
World Water Day was created in 1994 by the United Nations to campaign for sufficient and clean water for everyone.
Sources: De Telegraaf, The Royal Forums blog
On the outside, Vusani Tshivhase is just another student at the University of Georgia on a Fulbright scholarship. But in truth, she is no ordinary student.
 Kathryn Ingall/The Red and Black “I kind of come from a royal family,” she said. “In a way, I’ve got royal blood flowing in my veins.”
Vusani is the daughter of the King of the Venda tribe in rural northeast South Africa. She is studying health promotion in order to increase the number of health clinics in her region.
The Princess talked to the University’s school newspaper – The Red and Black – about being a tribal princess.
“We do have — I guess you could call it a palace. It’s not like the Buckingham Palace — it’s more traditional.”
“When you go back to the palace, or the royal kraal, we kind of strip off this city-girl persona and you go back to being that traditional girl,” she said. “You walk around wearing traditional attire and being respectful.”
“When you talk to the king you need to bow,” Vusani said. “He’s my dad at home, but when I talk to my dad outside, I have to bow to him and I cannot look at him straight in the eye.”
Traditional as her father might be, he is looking to modernize some of the old ways. One of them is a festival which includes a dance where the women dance like snakes. As they do that, men watch them and then choose which women they want as a wife.
But Vusani’s father the King wants things to be different.
“Right now my dad is kind of doing away with the fact that people can just come and pick a wife,” she said. “He’s like, ‘I’m not going to do that. We’re going to keep the dance, but you cannot just pick a wife.’”
However, Vusani is expected to marry someone of her social class, which she considers to be a “downside”.
Until then, this Fulbright scholar is going to continue to enjoy her time at the University of Georgia.
“When you get educated and you move away from home and you go somewhere else and you interact with other people and you learn all this stuff, you change and you grow and whatever you used to settle for is not enough anymore.”
Source: The Red and Black
Former Olympic swimmer and Monegasque royal fiancée Charlene Wittstock took part in the 38th aQuelle Midmar Mile Race at Midmar Mile Dam in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Saturday morning. It was her first time swimming in the race and she did it for charity, specifically to raise money for the Special Olympics.
 Michelly Rall/Getty Images The Midmar Mile Race was the final appearance for Charlene during her stay in her native country this week. Tomorrow, she will do the final part of it.
Before the race, she participated in charity events for the Special Olympics.
On Friday, the future Princess of Monaco was at the St. John’s Diocesan School, also in Pietermaritzburg, where she hosted a charity breakfast for her favorite charity. The breakfast raised $2,300.
After that, Ms. Wittstock inaugurated a swimming pool meant for the school’s competitive swimmers. She cut a ribbon that was reaching across the pool and also unveiled a plaque commemorating the occasion. Charlene even told the students she hoped to see an Olympian come from this school.
In the evening, Ms. Wittstock attended the launch for the “Nelson Mandela Intimate Moments Exhibition” by Kerry Muldoun at Liberty Midlands Mall.
The next time Charlene will return to South Africa will be right after her July wedding to Prince Albert II of Monaco. On the 11th of that month, she and Albert will be attending the International Olympic Committee meeting.
Source: Royal News Examiner
The fiancée of Monaco’s Prince Albert II is back in South Africa for a few days this week. Charlene Wittstock is there mainly to compete in the Midmar Mile swimming race, but also for some appearances. On Thursday, she handed over a check for South Africa’s Special Olympics at The Golden Horse Casino Hotel in Pietermaritzburg, and on Friday she has more appearances to make.
 Michelly Rall/Getty Images But in the meantime, Charlene is spending time with some family and also took time to chat with a local reporter about her becoming a Princess and her wedding to Prince Albert this July.
“I am very happy about the wedding; Monaco is a beautiful country and I love everything about it,” she told Benoni City Times reporter Clyde Meela.
“Some of the interests that the Prince and I share are sports, environmental and humanitarian causes.”
Benoni is the name of the town Charlene grew up in.
Although she has adjusted to life in Monaco, the Princess-to-be admitted to being a tad homesick. “I miss my relatives, the friendly people and the Bunny Park,” she said.
But she aims to meet up with some friends in Durban during her stay. “I am really looking forward to a braai [barbeque], seeing my friends and, if possible, even going to a Sharks’ match.”
Mostly, Charlene talked about the Midmar Mile race to Meela. “I am thrilled about the visit and while I have not had time for much training due to my commitments and I am not in Olympic condition, I am sure I will enjoy my first Midmar Mile,” she said.
“It’s a fantastic, world-class event and, as I have been involved in the Special Olympics in Europe, I saw this as an opportunity to give back and raise funds for the Special Olympics in South Africa, while swimming the race at a social level.”
Getting back to her future life as a royal, Charlene was asked if she believed she was living a fairytale.
“If any woman can find someone who truly loves her and is lucky enough to marry him, then that is a fairytale to me,” she replied.
The Midmar Mile takes place on Saturday. After that, it is back to Monaco to prepare for her wedding. But Charlene will still find time to visit South Africa: in July, right after her nuptials, she and the Prince will return for an International Olympic Committee meeting.
Source: Look Local
 REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/FILE Charlene Wittstock, the fiancée of Monaco’s sovereign Prince Albert II, will be one of the participants in this year’s Midmar Mile. The Mile is a major swimming event in South Africa, her native country.
“I simply cannot wait,” Ms. Wittstock said of her entry. “[T]his is a huge undertaking for me and it’s going to be great to eventually give something back by way of swimming the Mile.”
“Taking part in the Midmar Mile will allow me to raise funds for the Special Olympics in South Africa and to support those athletes who really need the financial assistance.”
Charlene is a former competitive swimmer, having had taken part in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics in the backstroke division.
She and Albert are scheduled to marry in July 2011 in what would be an open air wedding. For their religious ceremony, the Prince and his Princess-to-be will tie the knot in front of Monaco’s royal palace, rather than its cathedral. This is to be done so more people could attend.
Source: News Time
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