Princess Charlene of Monaco appeared in high spirits as she travelled to Fort Lauderdale in the US with her husband Prince Albert, new pictures reveal.
The Olympic swimmer, 44, has faced a challenging few years, spending 11 months away from the Mediterranean principality in her native South Africa, undergoing treatment for an unspecified condition.
However over the past few months, she has been stepping back into the spotlight with a number of royal engagements – with this visit being her biggest foreign trip to date.
The couple travelled to the US city to celebrate the completion of the City’s world-renowned Aquatic Center following a multimillion-dollar revitalization project.
Princess Charlene of Monaco appeared in high spirits as she travelled to Fort Lauderdale in the US with her husband Prince Albert this week
In the snaps, which are undated, Charlene looked elegant in a black polo neck and a red patterned midi skirt.
The royal mother-of-two can be seen beaming as she met with swimmers around the pool.
Mayor Dean J. Trantalis tweeted snaps of the visit, writing: ‘The City of Fort Lauderdale recently welcomed Monaco’s princely family, their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene to celebrate the completion of the City’s world-renowned Aquatic Center following a multimillion-dollar revitalization project.
‘The reimagined Center boasts one of the tallest dive towers in the world and state-of-the-art competition pools for both competitive and public use.
In the snaps, which are undated, the former Olympic swimmer looked elegant in a black polo neck and a red patterned midi skirt
‘Their Serene Highnesses have a keen interest in the Aquatic Center and the adjoining Int’l Swimming Hall of Fame(ISHOF).
‘H.S.H. Prince Albert II is a 2011 gold medallion ISHOF honoree, and his uncle Jack Kelly Jr. served as ISHOF President in the ’80s.’
At the event, Prince Albert said: ‘We hope these ties will continue even beyond the celebration here today.
‘We have wonderful plans of maybe getting one our major events both in Monaco and here in Fort Lauderdale, the Boat Show and the Monaco Yacht show, to collaborate in a much more fruitful way. We really look forward to all these opportunities.’
Princess Charlene met Prince Albert in 2000 during a swimming competition in Monaco and the pair married in 2011, before welcoming twins Gabriella and Jacques in 2014.
At the event, Prince Albert said he hoped the ‘ties would continue even beyond the celebration’ (pictured with the mayor)
News of the visit comes after Prince Albert praised his wife, Princess Charlene of Monaco, for ‘turning it around in an incredible way’ after a long-running health battle.
Speaking in December, the 64-year-old royal told People he was ‘really proud of my wife,’ adding: ‘Charlene’s doing really well.’
He continued: ‘As you know, last year was a very tough year for her – and the beginning of this year.’
Albert added that after being admitted to a Swiss treatment facility for exhaustion and keeping out of the limelight, Charlene, 44, has been ‘active in any number of different events.’
He highlighted a number of events where the former Olympic swimmer had been visible at lately, including a recent outing to the Monaco branch of the Red Cross.
‘She’s really enjoying doing things together and with the kids, so this year is ending on a very, a very high note. We’re truly thrilled about how things are,’ Albert said.
Whereas photos from last year show Charlene looking frail, she now looks back to her former self with a healthy complexion and impeccable style to boot.
In another recent outing for a traditional Christmas tree ceremony at the Monaco Palace with her family, Charlene also looked to be in good spirits.
Commenting on their children, eight-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, Albert said they were also doing ‘really well’ and instead of being distracted by social media they were ‘very sports-oriented’ and ‘still very curious about things.’
Following in their mother’s footsteps, one of their favorite extracurricular activities is swimming, along with Taekwondo and tennis.
Showing another sign of unity the Monaco royals released their family Christmas card last month with all four seen dressed in fancy attire by their Christmas tree.
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