Prince Albert of Monaco attended the St Devote Day cathedral service without his wife Princess Charlene today – and instead appeared alongside his seven-year-old twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques and his sister Princess Caroline.
The royal’s former mistress and mother of his love child, Nicole Coste, 50, was also spotted at the principality’s traditional ceremony – which marks the national holiday in remembrance of Monaco’s patron saint, a Christian martyr who was killed and tortured for her faith in the 4th century.
Nicole’s attendance at the event comes after she joined Prince Albert, 63, and their love child Alexandre Grimladi-Coste, 18, at Monaco’s the Red Cross Ball in July 2021, during Princess Charlene’s 10-month absence in her native South Africa. It’s unclear if Nicole has attended the annual St Devote Day occasion before.
Princess Charlene, who turned 44 on Tuesday, was nowhere to be seen today as she continued to receive treatment outside the country – and the ceremony marks yet another missed milestone, after wasn’t there for either her twins’ birthday or Christmas last month.
The former Olympic swimmer – who is suffering from ’emotional and physical exhaustion’, according to her husband – was admitted to an undisclosed treatment facility in November, within days of her return to Monaco. Last month it emerged she is still ‘months away’ from a full recovery.
Prince Albert of Monaco attended the St Devote Day cathedral service without his wife Princess Charlene today – and instead appeared alongside his seven-year-old twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques and his sister Princess Caroline (pictured together)
The 63-year-old royal’s former mistress and mother of his love child, Nicole Coste (pictured far left), 50, was also spotted at the principality’s traditional ceremony – which marks the national holiday in remembrance of Monaco’s patron saint, a Christian martyr who was killed and tortured for her faith in the 4th century. Pictured right, Jacques on the palace balcony
Princess Charlene (pictured with her husband), who turned 44 on Tuesday, was nowhere to be seen today as she continued to receive treatment outside the country – and the ceremony marks yet another missed milestone, after wasn’t there for either her twins’ birthday or Christmas last month
Albert took their children to visit their mother over the Christmas holidays but it is not known whether they saw each other on her birthday on Tuesday.
Dressing up for the occasion, both Jacques and Gabriella wore smart black and red ensembles today, while Jacques made a cross sign with his fingers while on the palace balcony during the traditional Sainte Devote procession in Monaco.
Their aunt Princess Caroline of Hanover, 65, was seen standing behind the children, and next to her brother Albert, on the balcony, dressed in a grey and black outfit.
Meanwhile, Albert’s former mistress Nicole commanded attention in a white coat with a matching dress and leopard print heels as she arrived at Monaco cathedral.
St Devote’s Day is a national holiday in Monaco in remembrance of their patron saint, a Christian martyr who was killed and tortured for her faith in the 4th century.
Nicole’s (pictured left) attendance at the event comes after she joined Prince Albert and their love child Alexandre Grimladi-Coste, 18, at Monaco’s the Red Cross Ball in July 2021, during Princess Charlene’s 10-month absence in her native South Africa
The former Olympic swimmer – who is suffering from ’emotional and physical exhaustion’, according to her husband – was admitted to an undisclosed treatment facility in November, within days of her return to Monaco. Last month it emerged she is still ‘months away’ from a full recovery. Pictured, Albert with his children
Albert (pictured today) took their children to visit their mother over the Christmas holidays but it is not known whether they saw each other on her birthday on Tuesday
Princess Caroline of Hanover (pictured left, behind Albert), 65, was seen standing behind the children, and next to her brother Albert, on the balcony, dressed in a grey and black outfit
According to legend, Christians saved Saint Devote’s body and cast it off in a boat to Africa in the hope that once there she would receive a Christian burial.
A dove then flew from her mouth and guided the boat to Monaco where it ran aground and the Saint has helped the principality in times of peril ever since.
Shortly before Christmas it was revealed Princess Charlene is still several months away from making a full recovery.
In November, Charlene was admitted to a treatment facility in an undisclosed location within days of her return to Monaco following a 10-month absence in her native South Africa.
Her husband spoke out to say she is suffering from ‘exhaustion, both emotional and physical’, while friends told Page Six that the mother-of-two ‘almost died’ while she was in her hometown of Cape Town.
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.
Dressing up for the occasion, both Jacques and Gabriella (pictured) wore smart black and red ensembles today, while Jacques made a cross sign with his fingers while on the palace balcony during the traditional Sainte Devote procession in Monaco
St Devote’s Day is a national holiday in Monaco in remembrance of their patron saint, a Christian martyr who was killed and tortured for her faith in the 4th century. Pictured, Albert’s twins
Princess Charlene returned to Monaco in November, following a 10-month absence in her native South Africa. This photo was released to mark the reunion
However the pair’s marriage has made numerous headlines over the years, with a third paternity suit emerging in December 2020.
Soon afterwards Charlene infamously 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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