Monaco’s royals were out in force at the annual Rose Ball in Monte Carlo on Saturday, March 27, and for two of the royal couples, love was evidently in the air.

Prince Albert II arrived again this year with both his sister, Princess Caroline, and his longtime partner, South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock. Albert was demonstrative in his affection for Charlene, even kissing her on the cheek as they danced.

The younger generation of Monegasque royals were also in attendance at the Morrocan-themed ball, which helped to benefit the Princess Grace Fund. Pierre Casiraghi, youngest son of Princess Caroline, arrived hand-in-hand with Italian girlfriend Beatrice Borromeo. His brother and sister, Andrea and Charlotte Casiraghi, arrived together without their significant others, Tatiana Santo Domingo and Alex Dellal, though Tatiana and Alex were also spotted attending the ball. Could there be trouble in paradise for these two royal romances?

Click below to view a gallery of photos from this year’s Rose Ball…

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Prince Albert II of Monaco and companion Charlene Wittstock kicked off their Valentine’s Day weekend with a bang: they attended the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver on Friday evening.  The couple stood and cheered when the Monegasque athletes entered the stadium and chatted to each other during the show.

Both Albert and Charlene are old hat when it comes to the Olympics.  Albert is a five-time Olympian, having compted in the bobsled competition in the ‘88, ‘92, ‘94, ‘98, and ‘02 Winter Games.  He is now a member of the International Olympic Committee.  Charlene, a swimmer, competed for South Africa in the 2000 Summer Games.  They also attended together the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy.

Monaco’s Prince Albert and his longtime companion, Charlene Wittstock, were a matching pair at the awards ceremony for the 34th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, both sporting dark suit jackets and bright festival scarves.  The two attended the annual event on January 19 with Albert’s sister, Princess Stephanie, and her daughter, Pauline Ducruet.  Albert and Stephanie handed out prizes at the ceremony.

Charlene debuted a new hairstyle at the event: a soft, feminine waved ‘do reminiscent of Albert’s late mother, the movie star Princess Grace.  I think it’s quite flattering!

Skiing holidays are almost mandatory for European royals this time of year, and the Monegasque family was no exception.  The lovely Charlotte Casiraghi and her boyfriend, Alex Dellal, were spotted at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps on December 30, enjoying a little snow and sun.

The trip wasn’t a romantic getaway for two, however; Charlotte’s mother, Princess Caroline, and two of her siblings, Andrea Casiraghi and Princess Alexandra of Hanover, were also on the slopes with the couple.  Caroline may have been along on the trip to enjoy a few days of relaxation before heading back to reality.  In recent days, she’s testified at the trial of her husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover — and endured seeing photos of him cavorting on the beach with a younger woman.

P.S. — Check out the puff-ball on that hat, hm?  Look for it on Mad Hattery in the next few days!

Happy New Year, Royal Romance readers!

We all looked over a review of the year in Royal Romance yesterday: now, since it’s official the New Year all over the world, let’s get out our crystal balls and make our predictions for what romantic royal events we’ll all be talking about in 2010!

Will Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding to Daniel Westling and Princess Madeleine and Jonas Bergström’s nuptials be the most glittering royal events we’ve seen yet on the blog?  Will Prince William and Kate Middleton or Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock get engaged at last?  Will there be another baby for Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, or any of the crown princely couples?  Will any of the royals experience heartache or find new relationships?

Let’s hear your predictions now … who knows, maybe you’ll be the one to correctly guess what stories will be in our Royal Romance Review for 2010!  Talk about your bragging rights!

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Want more end-of-the-year royal fun?  Check out The Top Ten Royal Events of the Decade or The Mad Hattery Awards 2009!