Royal duo shine at bling cocktail do
                   SUBASHNI NAIDOO, MONICA LAGANPARSADand BIÉNNE HUISMAN | 09 July, 2011 23:38
               
		
		
	
	
              Princess Charlene of Monaco this week visited the Cotlands  Hospice for children in Somerset West near Cape Town Picture: ESA  ALEXANDER
  
 
         A Charming  Prince Albert had guests eating out of his hand  during his week in Durban while his new bride was moved to tears in Cape  Town at a charity do.
                         
              The prince and his wife, former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, cut short their honeymoon and yesterday returned to Monaco.
 The newlyweds had a rocky start to their marriage as rumours swirled  that the prince had fathered a third child out of wedlock and Princess  Charlene had tried to flee Monaco before the nuptials.
 The couple hosted a private cocktail reception on Thursday at the  Oyster Box Hotel. They flashed smiles, held hands and kissed before  joining 400 guests who included Princess Anne, tycoon Patrice Motsepe  and first ladies Thobeka Madiba and Nompumelelo Ntuli.
 In a short address, the prince greeted everyone with a ''sawubona".
 ''He added African colloquialism to his speech, which brought light  humour," said a guest. "The crowd loved that he was embracing the Zulu  culture."
 Wearing a black and bronze beaded " mermaid" dress, the princess thanked the city for its hospitality.
 The bash was described as an opulent and flawless "red-carpet  evening" filled with "bling and lots of diamonds". There was a large  white floral display in the main conference room, with lollipop roses  and silver candelabra.
 Municipal speaker Logie Naidoo said it was "a regal affair", with the couple's wedding photographs on display.
 
However, the prince flew solo on Friday evening when he attended a  dinner to celebrate the end of the International Olympic Committee  conference, held at the Sibaya Casino.
 The princess spent the day in Cape Town at charity engagements with businesswoman and close friend Bridgette Radebe.
 She assumed co-patronage of The Giving Organisation with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
 At the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation in the impoverished Masiphumelele  township, she was moved to tears as Fezeka Gxwayibeni, 20, recite d a  poem about the harsh realities of township life.
 "I watched your wedding. Sometimes, when you are like me, you wonder  when will the fairy come and see you, and tell you that everything is  going to be okay," read the poem.
 Meetings with World Wildlife Fund officials and the Choc Childhood Cancer Foundation were cancelled at the last minute.