Stuff's top 10 lifestyle stories

This year wedding fever swept the globe. The fairytale came to life when Prince William wed Kate Middleton - now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge - on April 29 in a glittering ceremony.

Two billion viewers worldwide were swept up in the royal magic, making this Life & Style's most viewed story of the year.

The royal wedding also launched Kate's sister Pippa Middleton into the limelight after she wore "that" bridesmaid's dress. In fact, Pippa's curvaceous derriere was one of the most-searched subjects on the internet this year.

Image via WikipediaMonaco also hosted a royal wedding in July, when Prince Albert II married South African former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock.

And while Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall's wedding wasn't quite on the same scale, the queen's granddaughter wed her own Prince Charming in July.

Here are the ten most popular Life & Style stories of 2011.

1. WILLS AND KATE

It should come as no surprise that Stuff readers devoured anything to do with Prince William and his wife Catherine this year.

Prince Harry's best man speech for the "Dude and Duchess" tops the list as the most-read Life & Style story of 2011.

The Prince donned a fez and had some 300 close friends and family in stitches at the wedding reception at Buckingam Palace.

Prince William's James Bond moment, when he drove a vintage Aston Martin convertible after the wedding reception, and his tribute to his mother, Princess Diana, were also click magnets.

And people wanted to read anything to do with the beautiful Duchess of Cambridge, from her similarities to William's mother to her secret scar from a childhood operation.

2. PIPPA MIDDLETON

The royal wedding also introduced Kate's little sister, Pippa Middleton, to the world stage.

From her love life to what she was wearing to her relationship with Prince Harry, millions couldn't stop reading about "the other people's princess".

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3. MONACO WEDDING

One Royal Wedding that didn't end in happily ever after was that of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco. The couple made headlines for all the wrong reasons: he faced a third paternity suit while she allegedly ran away several times only to be dragged back with financial inducements.

They reportedly spent their honeymoon in separate hotels 16 kilometres apart and left early so Prince Albert could undergo DNA tests to counter claims by at least one woman that he had fathered his third illegitimate child.

4. MIRANDA KERR'S WELLINGTON SHOOT

Stuff readers were keen to check out Miranda Kerr's New Zealand photo shoot.

The supermodel sizzled in a series of shots taken by her husband Orlando Bloom on Wellington's Miramar Peninsula. The couple were in town in October for filming of The Hobbit.

5. WHY I WORE NO PANTS ON TV

High-waisted knickers would be confined to the bedroom for most woman, but not for Stuff blogger Bronwyn Williams.She donned a pair on TV to prove that Paris Fashion Week had gone a step too far.

6. NEWSWEEK'S DIANA AT 50 COVER

The front cover of Newsweek featuring a computer-generated picture of Princess Diana at age 50 sparked outrage around the world, with one writer calling it "beyond tacky".

The magazine speculated that, had she lived to see 50, Diana would have twice remarried, used Botox, and been slightly jealous of daughter-in-law Kate Middleton.

7. NEW ZEALAND'S NEXT TOP MODEL

Showing she's not above school balls, New Zealand's Next Top Model winner Danielle Hayes went back to high school with her cousin Joel Claydon.

The 19-year-old is now based in Sydney, and is signed with modelling agency Chic.

8. PARALYSED BRIDE

A tragic accident didn't stop a bride from marrying the man of her dreams.

A year after she was paralysed in poolside horseplay at her bachelorette party, Rachelle Friedman finally make it down the aisle with her partner, who had been waiting to exchange vows with her since the accident.

The bridesmaid who changed her life by shoving her into the shallow end of the pool was also at the wedding. Friedman, a Beatles fan from North Carolina, got a tattoo on her neck after the wedding with the words "let it be".

"It symbolises that I'm at peace with it," she said.

9. ZARA PHILLIPS

Eager to avoid the fuss of her cousin William's wedding, world champion eventer Zara Phillips and rugby star Mike Tindall had a low-key ceremony in a small Edinburgh church.

The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Harry, Prince William and Catherine were amongst the guests. One advantage of your granny being the Queen - the reception was at Holyroodhouse, the monarch's official residence in Scotland.

The England player later embarrassed his bride during the Rugby World Cup when he was seen embracing a woman later revealed to be ex-girlfriend Jessica Palmer.

10. WIFE SUES OVER LACK OF WEDDING BLISS

Rounding out the top ten, a wedding story with a twist.

A 51-year-old Frenchman was sued by his ex-wife for not having sex with her enough during their 21 years of marriage.

The couple were granted divorce in Nice, southern France, two years ago. The 47-year-old women later took the matter back to court to seek 10,000 euros (NZ$17,000) in damages for the inactive sex life.

The woman was successful under France's civil code, which states that a married couple must share a communal life.

Related articles

• Kate Middleton Shines in Magenta on Christmas (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Kate Middleton and Prince William Celebrate First Christmas as Royal Newlyweds (popsugar.com)
• Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton Really Need to Hook Up This Weekend (thehollywoodgossip.com)
• Is Prince William in Love with Pippa Middleton? (celebs.gather.com)
• Prince Harry and David Beckham Go Clubbing Together! (popsugar.com)

The Year That Was: Famous Royal Weddings of 2011 [PHOTOS]

As we reflect back on the year 2011, glimpses of some of the most famous royal weddings ought to sweep across our memories. From Britain’s royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton that appeared to herald the season of royal weddings to Bhutan’s royal wedding of the “Will and Kate” of the Himalayan kingdom, here are the top pictures of royal weddings that happened in 2011:

1. UK Royal Wedding: Prince William

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, walk up the aisle after their wedding ceremony in Westminster Abbey, in central London on April 29. Photo: REUTERS

Prince William and Kate Middleton inaugurated the year of royal weddings as they walked the aisle to be pronounced husband and wife at London’s Westminster Abbey on April 29. The royal couple turned their courtship of nearly a decade into marriage, bringing cheer across the world. The ceremony was watched online by 72 million viewers, earning the title for "Most Live Streams for a Single Event" from Guinness World Records.

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2. Monaco Royal Wedding

Prince Albert II of Monaco reaches out for Princess Charlene's hand during their wedding ceremony at the Palace in Monaco on July 2. Photo: REUTERS/Bruno Bebert/Pool

Britain’s royal wedding was followed by the wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene on July 2. Princess Grace’s son, Prince Albert II, married Princess Charlene, a former Olympic Games swimmer for South Africa, in a lavish ceremony at the Palace in Monaco.

3. UK Royal Wedding: Zara Phillips

Britain's Zara Phillips, the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, poses for a photograph with her husband, England rugby captain Mike Tindall, after their marriage at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland July 3. Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Britain's Zara Phillips, the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, married England rugby captain Mike Tindall at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 30.

4. German Royal Wedding

Prince Georg Frederich of Prussia and Princess Sophie von Isenburg pose after their wedding ceremony in Potsdam, Germany, on Aug. 27. Photo: REUTERS

Prince Georg Frederich of Prussia and Princess Sophie von Isenburg got married at the Church of Peace on the grounds of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany, on Aug. 27. The 35-year-old head of the House of Hohenzollern and great-great-grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II married Princess Sophie, 33, in a civil ceremony.

5. Bhutanese Royal Wedding

Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck kisses Queen Jetsun Pema in front of thousands of well-wishers gathered for the third day of their wedding ceremony at the Changlimithang stadium in Bhutan's capital of Thimphu on Oct. 15. Photo: REUTERS

Bhutan's fifth “Dragon King,” Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, married his longtime girlfriend, Jetsun Pema, in Bhutan's ancient capital of Punakha on Oct. 13. Wangchuck, often called "Prince Charming" because of his Elvis Presley looks, married a commoner. The couple has been dubbed the "Will and Kate" of the Himalayan kingdom.

6. Indonesian Royal Wedding

Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo Yudanegara, center right, and his wife, Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Bendara, center left, walk to their horse-drawn carriage after their wedding in Yogyakarta on Oct. 18. Photo: REUTERS/Beawiharta Beawiharta

Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Bendara, the youngest daughter of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, monarch of the historic Yogyakarta Sultanate in Indonesia, married Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo Yudanegara at the palace in Yogyakarta, Java, on Oct. 18.

7. Spanish Royal Wedding

Spain's Duchess of Alba Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva and her husband, Alfonso Diez, walk to the entrance of Las Duenas Palace after their wedding in Seville on Oct. 5. Photo: REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo

Spain's 85-year-old Duchess of Alba, Maria del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, married civil servant Alfonso Diez at Sevilla's Palacio de las Duenas on Oct. 5.

Related articles

• The Year That Was: Famous Royal Weddings of 2011 [PHOTOS] (ibtimes.com)
• Bridal Reflections Featured on Barbara Walters' 20 20 Royal Wedding Special April 29, 2011 (bridalreflections.com)
• Royal Wedding Rings of Prince William and Kate Middleton (prweb.com)
• Ate Yourself Sick? Novelty Barf Bags Are Here For The Holidays (newsfeed.time.com)
• Royal Wedding Watch - Trends and Themes of the Big Day (prweb.com)

Tale of two iconic princesses

When England’s Prince William married Kate Middleton in appropriately regal rites months ago, over a billion viewers worldwide empathetically thrilled to their attendant rush of ravishing royal romance.
But, it now turns out that the royal rush isn’t over – far from it. Because elsewhere in Europe another royal wedding has just taken place, with the Principality of Monaco’s Prince Albert pledging his troth to another “commoner” bride, Charlene Wittstock.
The much more modest event was seen by fewer viewers, but they still gave the event due importance, because the prince’s mother, Princess Grace, like Prince William’s celebrated mother, Princess Diana, was an iconic personage in her own right.
Similarities
Now that coincidental circumstances have “superimposed” recollections of Princess Diana and Princess Grace psychically together for the first time, their lives turn out to have had more striking similarities and congruencies than previously perceived.
Diana wasn’t a big Hollywood star like Grace Kelly before she became Princess Grace, but she became equally celebrated for her beauty, which emanated from within. Both princesses were deeply involved in charitable endeavors, and were admired worldwide for their innate goodness and selflessness.
Many celebrated beauties are so wrapped up in themselves that they can’t think of others. But Grace and Diana were able to avoid that trap with an inspiring clarity of purpose and value – which is why they are loved and cherished to this day, many years after their deaths, while other famous beauties have gone the way of all flesh – and flash.
Affinity
The mention of their deaths reveals another affinity that Diana and Grace have with each other: They both died in sudden and most untimely car accidents. Thus, in both instances, their fabled lives were snuffed out in an instant – which indubitably added to the pain so many people felt – a psychic sadness that is palpable to this day.

Given such iconic resonances, it’s likely that both Prince William and Prince Albert had a hard time choosing their own brides – after all, Grace and Diana are the hardest possible acts to follow!
To his credit, William didn’t look for his mother’s junior version, but Kate’s spirit is similar to Diana’s, as verified and vivified by the zest with which she has launched into her own charitable endeavors.
Choice
But, Prince Albert’s choice is another story entirely: His bride, Charlene, is a blonde beauty very much like his mother. An achiever in her own right as a former swimmer in the Olympics, Charlene has more obviously subsumed her personality to suit Grace’s ethereal ethos.
In terms of “projection,” in fact, she looks like Albert ordered her from Central Casting – (“Get me my mother’s most perfect clone, please!”) – and Central Casting delivered.
Let’s hope that, a few years from now, Charlene doesn’t act against type, and cracks the perfect veneer and mystique that has made her embody Princess Grace so perfectly for the delectation of a new generation of viewers.