( CNN ) -- Prince Albert of Monaco will tie the knot to former South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock next July , the palace announced Thursday . The pair have set July 8 , 2011 , as the day for a civil wedding at the palace . The next day , they will take part in a religious ceremony , the palace said . The 52-year-old prince and ruler of Monaco , the only son of Princess Grace and the late Prince Rainier , has never married . In a 2004 interview with CNN 's Larry King , Albert admitted it had taken him `` longer than most '' to find a wife . `` There have been some relationships where , had they gone on a little bit more , they would have headed that way , '' Albert said . `` But I think it 's -- it 's so much your own timing and your own agenda and the person you want to be with . '' Like his fiancee , Albert is also an Olympian , having competed in five Olympic Winter Games -- from Calgary in 1988 to Salt Lake City in 2002 -- in bobsledding . He is a member of the International Olympic Committee and president of Monaco 's national Olympic committee . Albert has two sisters , Princesses Caroline and Stephanie . The prince and Wittstock have been photographed together many times in the past four years , leading to speculation they would eventually marry . Albert has two children from previous relationships -- a 6-year-old son born to Nicole Coste , a flight attendant from Togo , and an 18-year-old daughter born to American Tamara Rotolo , a former waitress . Neither child is in line for the throne under Monaco law , which says succession passes only to direct legitimate descendants . Albert was formally invested as Monaco 's ruler following the death of his father in 2005 . Monaco , a sovereign principality , is one of the smallest countries in the world , measuring just under 2 square miles . It sits on the French Riviera and is bordered on three sides by France . It has a population of about 33,000 people .
two ceremonies are planned for Thursday . Monaco 's Prince Albert has never married . The ruler of Monaco is the son of Princess Rainier and Prince Albert . Albert and his fiancee are both CNN .