Prince Albert of Monaco has stepped out for a yachting event in a solo appearance after the palace confirmed Princess Charlene has returned to the principality.
The 64-year-old royal was joined by Prince Charles of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies as he celebrated the tenth anniversary of the ‘Monaco, capital of yachting’ label at Yacht Club de Monaco this evening.
It comes after his wife Charlene, 44, returned to the principality following an extended stay away due to health problems, including what the palace has previously referred to as a ‘state of profound general fatigue’.
The mother-of-two was reportedly admitted to a private Swiss clinic in late November, within days of her return to Monaco following a 10-month absence in her native South Africa.
The palace said in a statement issued earlier this month stating: ‘The next few weeks should allow for Princess Charlene to further strengthen her health, before gradually resuming her official duties and commitments.’
Prince Albert of Monaco (pictured) has stepped out for a yachting event in a solo appearance after the palace confirmed Princess Charlene has returned to the principality
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene pictured together during her time in South Africa
The Monaco palace has consistently denied media reports of a rift between Charlene and the principality’s ruler Prince Albert, who were wed in 2011, following the princess’ long absence.
Prince Albert put on a smart appearance when attending the Yacht Club de Monaco this evening.
He opted for a sophisticated navy blazer teamed with grey trousers and a light blue shirt, as well as a dark blue and red tie for the outing.
‘In accordance with her doctors and while her recovery is going well, their royal highnesses have agreed together that Princess Charlene can now continue her convalescence in the principality with her husband and their children,’ the palace statement said earlier this month.
It added that ‘the coming weeks should enable her to recover completely in order to be able to resume her official duties progressively’.
The 64-year-old royal (pictured) was joined by Prince Charles of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies as he celebrated the tenth anniversary of the ‘Monaco, capital of yachting’ label at Yacht Club de Monaco this evening
It comes after Prince Albert’s wife Charlene, 44, returned to the principality following an extended stay away due to health problems, including what the palace has previously referred to as a ‘state of profound general fatigue’. Pictured, Albert at the event (centre right)
The mother-of-two was reportedly admitted to a private Swiss clinic in late November, within days of her return to Monaco following a 10-month absence in her native South Africa. Pictured, Albert at the event
The former Olympic swimmer was admitted to a private Swiss clinic for treatment for ‘extreme fatigue’ in late November, sources told AFP at the time.
She is also thought to have undergone dental treatment.
‘She was clearly exhausted, physically and emotionally. She was overwhelmed and couldn’t face official duties, life in general or even family life,’ Albert told People magazine in November.
Zimbabwean-born Princess Charlene was hospitalised after collapsing in September in South Africa, where she had been living for several months.
The royal couple has been dogged by rumours about their rocky relationship almost since their marriage, which was briefly hailed as a fairy-tale match for a prince long described as the world’s most eligible bachelor.
Princess Charlene returned to Monaco in November, following a 10-month absence in her native South Africa, before being admitted to a treatment centre abroad. This photo was released to mark the reunion
Prince Albert, Princess Caroline of Hanover, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella of Monaco appear on the palace’s balcony during the Sainte Devote Celebrations in Monaco on January 27, 2022, without Princess Charlene
Charlene’s prolonged absence in South Africa last year sparked speculation in European celebrity magazines that they were headed for divorce.
She underwent surgery in October for an ear, nose and throat infection after checking in under a pseudonym in a Durban hospital, a palace source said at the time.
Friends previously told Page Six that the mother-of-two ‘almost died’ while she was in her home country, while her husband spoke out to say she is suffering from ‘exhaustion, both emotional and physical’.
A palace statement released on December 23 revealed Albert and the couple’s children were planning to visit Charlene during the Christmas holidays, as well as asking for the family’s privacy to be respected.
It added that the princess ‘is recuperating in a satisfactory and reassuring manner, although it may take a few more months before her health has reached a full recovery.’
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.
Charlene returned to her husband and twins Jacques and Gabriella in November following almost a year in South Africa.
While on a solo charity trip to the country, she contracted a severe sinus infection which prevented her from travelling. She subsequently needed surgery to treat the medical condition, which again delayed her return to Monaco.
In the weeks after her arrival, Charlene remained absent from public duties.
Albert later revealed the family reunion had gone ‘pretty well’ in the first few hours, but it then became ‘pretty evident’ that Charlene was ‘unwell.’
He said the former Olympian ‘realised she needed help’, adding: ‘She was overwhelmed and couldn’t face official duties, life in general or even family life.’
Albert explained: ‘I’m probably going to say this several times, but this has nothing to do with our relationship. I want to make that very clear. These are not problems within our relationship; not with the relationship between a husband and wife. It’s of a different nature.’
He went on to tell a magazine her current state was a result of ‘several factors which are private’.
Albert continued: ‘She hadn’t slept well in a number of days and she wasn’t eating at all well. She has lost a lot of weight, which made her vulnerable to other potential ailments. A cold or the flu or God help us, COVID.’
He said it is ‘not cancer-related or personal relationship issue’ and later said she is suffering from ‘exhaustion, both emotional and physical’.
He later confirmed Charlene has been admitted to a treatment facility for undisclosed medical issues, as she works through a period of ill health. The location of the facility was not confirmed, though several sources claim it is in Switzerland.
However friends of the princess spoke out to suggest the issues were more physical than Albert appeared to suggest.
Speaking to Page Six, a source described as the royal’s friend said: ‘It is unfair that she is being portrayed as having some kind of mental or emotional issue.
‘We don’t know why the palace is downplaying that she almost died in South Africa.’
The source explained the royal had a severe ear, nose and throat infection, which resulted in ‘severe sinus and swallowing issues stemming from an earlier surgery’.
Elsewhere friends of Princess Charlene gave Tatler a rare insight into what the royal is really like, insisting that the former swimmer is a force to be reckoned with.
One source rubbished any public perception that Charlene is ‘naive’ and trapped in an unhappy marriage with Albert, saying: ‘I don’t for one second think she did not know what she was doing when she married him.’
But one warned the mother of Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, seven, is not the type to be blindly controlled by the Monaco royal household.
‘Charlene is no Princess Di.’ one said. ‘She may come across as being extremely naïve, but nothing could be further from the truth. She is very good at keeping her smarts under wraps.’
Doubts about the central relationship of Monaco’s royal family are not new.
Several residents living in the narrow medieval alleys of Monaco Ville confirmed to MailOnline that before she left for South Africa Charlene was spending most of her time outside the Palace, living in a modest two-bedroom apartment above an old chocolate factory about 300m away, rather than in the 12th Century Palace itself.
‘We often saw her outside the Palace and she would usually be alone or with a bodyguard,’ said one source, ‘but she was never with Albert – it was obvious she chose to spend most of her time in the apartment rather than the palace.’
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.
Born in Rhodesia- a previously unrecongised state in Southern Africa colonised by the British, she relocated to South Africa aged 11.
She had a successful swimming career and went on to win three gold medals and a silver medal at the 1999 All Africa Games in Johannesburg, as well as representing South Africa at the 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games and winning a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay in the latter competition.
However the pair’s marriage has made numerous headlines over the years, with a third paternity suit emerging in December 2020.
Soon afterwards Charlene famously shaved half her head in the style of a punk rocker. Months later she left for South Africa.
The allegations in December 2020 claimed that Albert had fathered a love-child (which would be his third, if proven) with an unnamed Brazilian woman during the time when he and Charlene were already in a relationship.
He has also fathered two other children outside of wedlock. Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, who is now 29 and the result of Albert’s affair with an American estate agent, and Alexandre Coste, 18, whose mother is a former Togolese air hostess.
Both children were struck off Monaco’s line of succession in return for vast financial settlements.
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