Live Streaming... The F/W 2025.26 Fashion Shows
You should check the royal correspondent. There are a lots of interviews/videos posted there and you can hear her voice
I guess they are on their honeymoon since they both went under the radar. Hopefully she'll get more engagements in the near future 
Charlene Wittstock: "I'm still very proud of South Africa, for their achievements from the World Cup last year, and I'm glad to see South Africa is doing really great, really well."
Bulawayo-born, Benoni-bred Charlene Wittstock is South Africa's own princess in waiting. On the 2nd of July this year she'll marry Prince Albert II of Monaco who asked for Charlene's hand in marriage in June last year, days after they attended Princess Victoria of Sweden's marriage. Despite their fairytale courtship, Charlene surprisingly has her feet firmly on the ground.
Derek Watts (Carte Blanche presenter"Charlene, can you tell us about his proposal?"
Charlene: "I had no idea; it was a complete surprise to me. It was the same day that South Africa was playing France in the World Cup. Ja, so it was kind of hard to contain myself at this stage because I didn't know, I was full of emotion; I can't tell anyone, I don't want to tell anyone right now."
Back in Benoni, Charlene's parents, Mike and Lynette, had other priorities when they got that surprise phone call.
Derek: "He had to get permission from your dad, Mike?"
Charlene: "Yes, he phoned my dad unfortunately at the wrong time. It was about five minutes before kick-off and I don't think my dad was really focused on that at the time. And he couldn't wait to get off the phone because the National Anthem was coming on."
Derek: "Did you cry?"
Charlene: "Did I cry? (laughs). No, of course not."
Derek: "You didn't?"
Charlene: "No, why would I cry?"
Derek: "How did you react?"
Charlene: "I was shocked! I still was in a bit of disbelief, I guess. So I was happy, and then I thought about it and I was happy..."
Derek: "Now, did he get down on one knee?"
Charlene: "I'm not going to give you that."
We spent time with Charlene in Durban at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Despite being bombarded with media requests since her engagement to Prince Albert, she gave Carte Blanche the world's first one-on-one interview.
Derek: "Charlene, essentially why are you here in Durban?"
Charlene: "Every year we have South African swimmers that come to Monaco to swim... that same tour that I was on, called the Maenostrom, when I first went to Monaco and met the Prince. I met up with coach Wayne Ridden and he said, 'You should come and swim the Midmar.' And I thought... I had never swum the Midmar Mile before... and thought 'that would be nice... go back, have a barbeque'."
Derek: "You are already calling it a barbeque?"
Charlene: "Braai! And 'cause I thought it's a great atmosphere, and get to see some of my swimming friends - Ryk, Roland, Penny - that I haven't seen in a while. And I thought, since I'm swimming there, maybe it's a good idea to raise some funds for the Special Olympics."
Derek: "Now, one of your aims is to do a lot of charitable work, sealing a bond really between the Principality and South Africa."
Charlene: "I've always been involved in charity in one way and another - even while I was swimming for South Africa. I was training and I was teaching underprivileged children to swim. Anything that's going to be charity-based in my life is going to be about sport."
Before 33-year-old Charlene's destiny became intertwined with royalty, she was no less of a star. As South Africa's 50m backstroke champion, she was dedicated to the sport. In 2000 she represented South Africa at the Summer Olympics in Sydney.
Charlene: "I had a dream to go to the Olympic Games since I was eight years old. I achieved that goal and I was over the moon. It was very sentimental to me."
Derek: "And that was the 4 x 100?"
Charlene: "4 x 100 individual relay medley... we came fifth. And then the same team - two years later - we went to Manchester for the Commonwealth Games and we won a silver there. So it was a great moment, good feeling."
Derek: "2000 was really a significant year for you. That was the year you met Prince Albert?"
Charlene: "I met the Prince in Monaco after the swimming meet and he was extremely charming, wonderful person, very sporting himself, and very interested in sports... and so had a conversation with him and that was that."
Derek: "Now going back 10 years to that meeting - was there a touch of chemistry there?"
Charlene: "I was too focused on my swimming then - nothing else was getting in the way of me achieving my goals."
But this was a match that was meant to be and five years after their first meeting the couple met again, this time at a New Year's party in Cape Town. It was fireworks all round.
Within a year-and-a-half Prince Albert had a new belle on his arm at the opening of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Charlene: "Torino was probably the first time I had been publically seen with the Prince. And at that stage of my life I was not aware of media and paparazzi and, next thing I know, I'm on the cover of magazines and the 'princess girlfriend' and all that sort of thing. And not really absorbing much of it, just thinking it would blow over, or whatever the case. It's just been a continuous thing ever since then."
Derek: "I would think the real rude awakening just a few months later was the Grand Prix?"
Charlene: "That was quite spectacular; the first Grand Prix, 2006. It was an amazing event. And, also, I'd never seen so many cameras before. I remembered going into the sporting club where we had the ball after the event and I was standing and I was looking... and I saw about maybe like 20 photographers... And there [was] flashes everywhere, and I got such a fright - I was so nervous."
Derek: "Do you think over there you are living in a glass bowl?"
Charlene: "I think it comes with the territory, I think it's the nature of the beast and that's that."
Derek: "I'm not being rude, but you're an athlete and suddenly you had to get into the world of high fashion, fine dining; cultural events...?"
Charlene: "It's something I had to get used to because obviously, being an Olympic sporting athlete, we eat to live. So it's taken a bit of time to get used to all that."
Derek: "Have you enjoyed that part of the process?"
Charlene: "I have, really, yes."
The only country smaller than Monaco, is [the] Vatican City. Despite its size, this Mediterranean port has vast wealth with a glittering financial centre and its tax-free laws for the rich. Prince Albert, the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, is also the Head of State, and as his wife, the soon-to-be Princess Charlene will have never-ending duties and social responsibilities. In a way her life to date in Monaco has been a rehearsal for this new role.
Derek: "Charlene you've been living in Monaco since 2007. Was it difficult to get integrated into that society?"
Charlene: "It was a different mentality - South Africans are so open and we say what we feel and we wear our hearts on our sleeve. It's an interesting place to live - it's beautiful, it's exciting and [there's] some wonderful, lovely people there."
Charlene and Prince Albert were in South Africa last year. One of the highlights of this trip was the opening ceremony of the World Cup.
Charlene: "It was a very special moment because I didn't realise the enormity of all these beautiful stadiums, first of all, and then we arrived and were escorted to our seats and Bishop Tutu was sitting in front of us. And, for me, I was filled with emotion because I was so proud of my country at this time, and he was just dancing away, really happy, very festive - he's such a wonderful person."
On her marriage Charlene will gain the title Her Serene Highness the Princess of Monaco, a position once occupied by Prince Albert's mother, Grace Kelly. It's been nearly 30 years since Grace died; 30 years Monaco has been waiting for another dream princess. For the glitterati and fashion rags, Charlene fits the bill.
Derek: "Already people are saying you bring back memories of Princess Grace?"
Charlene: "You know, the thing is I don't think anybody should be compared to anybody. I think people are different."
[Clip] With the picturesque Mediterranean bay for a background, crowds of citizens and visitors waited outside the palace in Monaco. And inside, the privileged ones handed their gifts to the ruler of this tiny principality and his lovely film-star bride, Grace Kelly."
When Grace Kelly married Albert's father Prince Rainier III in 1956, the cameras of the world were trained on this little principality. In just over four months, Charlene's going to be the focus of the frenzy of cameras, royal watchers, their twitters and blogs.
Derek: "Charlene, has it given you strength to have your mother over there for some months now?"
Charlene: "I just enjoy that my mom is close to me and I can get to spend some time with her. My mom is not just my mom... she's also one of my best friends."
Derek: "And your poor Dad's left back in Benoni?"
Charlene: "He commutes (laughs)."
Derek: "From now until the wedding in July, it is surely one big rush?"
Charlene: "Gee! Derek, I've got a file this thick on my desk (laughs)... I won't begin to tell you about that right now."
Derek: "Your dress, has it been designed?"
Charlene: "Yes, it has."
Derek: "You chose Armani?"
Charlene: "Armani is doing one of the dresses, yes."
Derek: "One of the dresses?"
Charlene: "But it's a suspense... I've got to keep a little bit to myself."
