Prince Albert of Monaco has revealed his wife Princess Charlene has been admitted to a ‘treatment facility’ where she will remain for ‘at least several’ weeks after it became ‘evident she was unwell’ within hours of her return to Monaco following 10 months in South Africa.
In interviews published today, Albert, 63, explained his wife, who has appeared increasingly frail, acknowledged she needed help after he staged a family intervention with her brothers and sister-in-law.
Albert, who earlier this year said his wife was suffering from a sinus infection, did not reveal details of her illness but ruled out cancer and Covid. He hinted at mental health struggles, saying she ‘was overwhelmed and couldn’t face official duties, life in general or even family life’ and is suffering from ‘exhaustion, both emotional and physical’.
Speaking to People magazine, Albert said the family reunion in Monaco last week initially went ‘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.’
The Prince said the final decision making process about treatment involved an intervention-style meeting with family members, explaining: ‘I sat her down with her brothers and a sister-in-law. She had already made her decision, and we only wanted her to confirm it in front of us. She wanted this.
‘She already knew the best thing to do was to go and have a rest and have a real medically framed treatment. And not in Monaco. For privacy reasons, it would have to be someplace outside of Monaco.’
Meanwhile he revealed Gabriella and Jacques would ‘visit’ Charlene once they had the ‘medical go-ahead’, saying the six-year-old twins ‘knew she was tired’ and ‘not quite herself.’
French magazines such as Voici claimed that Charlene has gone to Switzerland, where there are numerous specialist private medical clinics.
It comes as the children held up signs which said: ‘Miss you Mummy’ during the National Day celebrations earlier this morning.
Princess Charlene is receiving treatment in a facility ‘outside of Monaco’ after the extent of her illness became clear ‘within hours’ of her arrival from South Africa and her family staged an intervention to get her help, her husband, Prince Albert, has revealed. It comes as the children held up signs which said: ‘Miss you Mummy’ during the National Day celebrations earlier this morning (pictured)
In interviews published today, Albert, 63, explained his wife, who has appeared increasingly frail, acknowledged she needed help after he staged a family intervention with her brothers and sister-in-law (pictured earlier this month)
Meanwhile he revealed Gabriella and Jacques would ‘visit’ Charlene once they had the ‘medical go-ahead’, saying the six-year-old twins ‘knew she was tired’ and ‘not quite herself’ (pictured today)
Prince Albert held his hand to his heart as he watched his two children lift up banners which featured messages for Princess Charlene today
The six-year-old twins could be seen holding up signs today which read ‘We miss you Mommy’ in a message to the absent Princess Charlene
The royal family of Monaco put on a glamorous display as they celebrated the country’s National Day at the Monaco Palace today (pictured Prince Albert II of Monaco, Princess Caroline of Hanover, Princess Stephanie, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella)
Pictured, Charlene at a Monaco gala in September 2020 (left) and looking frail in South Africa in October (right)
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 the 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.’
Claims she will stay in Swtizerland were backed up by a source who knows the couple well, who said: ‘The South of France is too close, but Switzerland has superb private medical facilities, and Charlene will be well looked after there.’
The mother-of-two, 43, last night shared an Instagram post from the ‘secret location’ where she is recovering from a ‘fatigue that’s not just physical’, after Prince Albert revealed she had left the principality.
Royal fans sent their well wishes to Princess Charlene on Instagram, with one writing: ‘Best wishes for your recovery take care of yourself’, while another said: ‘Stay strong, follow your heart. God bless you and your kid.
The royal marked Monaco’s National Day – one of the biggest events in the royal calendar – with a video of the Monaco flag set to the national anthem. Meanwhile Prince Albert, 63, lead members of the Monegasque royal family at today’s festivities, after confirming earlier this week that his wife will not be in attendance.
Instead, Princess Caroline of Hanover, 63, and Princess Stephanie, 56, joined the monarch for the mass and outdoor ceremony at the palace.
The trio could be seen chaperoning Prince Albert’s children Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, six, who appeared in a particularly playful mood and at one point could be seen being disciplined by his aunt.
The little boy could be seen blowing raspberries at the crowd, playing with his uniform and pouting before Princess Caroline bent down to speak to him.
Princess Charlene last night shared an Instagram post from the ‘secret location’ where she is recovering from a ‘fatigue that’s not just physical’, after Prince Albert revealed she had left the principality.
The royal marked Monaco’s National Day – one of the biggest events in the royal calendar – with a video of the Monaco flag set to the national anthem.
Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of Princess Charlene after Albert his wife, who has appeared increasingly frail, had left Monaco less than two weeks after her return from a 10-month stay in South Africa.
‘She is better but she still needs rest and peace,’ he said in an interview in Monaco-Matin, translated from French. ‘She is not in the Principality but we will be able to visit her very soon.
‘I cannot tell you more out of discretion. There is tiredness, not just physical, which can only be treated with a period of rest and monitoring.’
Yesterday, Albert said their children, Jacques and Gabriella, had ‘suffered from the absence of their mother’ but that he had compensated by stepping up to take a more active role in their lives.
‘For me, it’s pretty simple – my priority is my family,’ the prince said, when asked about juggling the role of being a head of state and a father.
He continued: ‘This is an extremely important time in [the children’s] life – the way they grow up helps them see the world.
‘And if one of the parents is away for medical reasons, the other parent has to be there. I have heard too many friends and acquaintances telling me that they wish they had been there for their children, at a certain age, taken up by their work or their professional life. I don’t want to have these regrets.’
Asked if the children had been ‘more protected’ during their mother’s absence, Albert added: ‘They should be protected in general, but of course they suffered from the absence of their mother. But they had enough distractions and a family circle that made sure they were not lacking in affection.’
The prince also said rumours around the state of his marriage ‘don’t bother him too much’.
It comes after the House of Grimaldi confirmed Charlene will not attend Monaco’s National Day celebrations – one of the biggest events in the royal calendar.
Charlene returned to her husband and twins Jacques and Gabriella in Monaco last Monday following a 10-month absence while she recovered from surgery following a sinus infection she contracted during a solo charity trip to her native South Africa earlier this year.
In the days after her arrival, Charlene’s sister-in-law Chantell Wittstock, told MailOnline the princess may not be returning to the palace and did not plan to immediately return to public engagements, although she later retracted the remark.
Before she left in January, Charlene had raised eyebrows in Monaco by living in a modest two-bedroom apartment above an old chocolate factory about 300m away, rather than in the 12th Century Palace itself. It is thought she could return to living at the property.
Charlene’s time away followed fresh allegations last December 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, a former Olympic swimmer for South Africa, were already in a relationship.
Photographs of their reunion earlier this month were greeted with a hefty dose of scepticism by the French media.
Albert was waiting for her at the Monte Carlo helipad, along with their six-year-old twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques. The family were joined by a hand-picked photographer inside the Palace walls for the ‘reunion’ photos.
Among a series of snaps shared to Instagram, the mother-of-two can be seen posing for a family photograph as she places her hand around her husband Prince Albert’s neck, while wrapping an arm around their six-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella.
But there was already doubt cast over the couple’s living arrangements.
‘Reunion of Albert and Charlene of Monaco: but where exactly do they sleep?’ was the headline question in the respected French celebrity outlet Gala on Tuesday.
And Voici – another popular magazine read widely across Monaco and France – ran with: ‘Charlene of Monaco back: the Princess breaks the silence and forgets to mention her husband’.
This was a reference to Charlene using a social media video to thank everybody who had helped her through months of ill-health, without name-checking Albert at all.
And body language Judi James told FEMAIL Charlene was using overexaggerated gestures of closeness with Albert and appeared ‘needy’ in the images – while Prince Albert did ‘not reflect’ his wife’s body language.
In the streets in the shadow of the 12th century Prince’s Palace, people could not conceal their concern for Charlene this week, having seen the photos of her looking so obviously frail.
‘We are glad to have her back, but she doesn’t look well and it feels we don’t yet have the full picture,’ said one cafe owner on the Rock, in his 50s, who asked not to be named.
He admitted that in years past, he like many Monegasques, had expressed frustration at the way Charlene has been less visible than other royals.
‘There was a while when there was a sense that she was a reluctant princess,’ he said, ‘but this is different – there’s obviously something not quite right either with her or the marriage and for whatever reason we’re not being told what.’
There certainly appears to be a wall of silence around Charlene, especially since she retreated behind the ramparts of the Palace, at least for the time being.
Princess Caroline of Hanover, Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Beatrice Borromeo could be seen looking out over the balcony. Other young royals in attendance today include Beatrice’s sons Stefano , and Francesco (right)
Charlotte Casiraghi, Princess Caroline of Hanover and Tatiana Casiraghi appear at the Palace balcony during the Monaco National Day Celebrations
Pictured: Camille Gottlieb, Pauline Ducruet, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Marie Chevallier and Louis Ducruet appear at the Palace balcony (left) as well as Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Beatrice Borromeo (right)
Prince Albert received a kiss from his sister Princess Stephanie as the siblings joined together on the balcony earlier this morning
Meanwhile Albert and Charlene’s twins could be seen gesturing around the balcony as they joined the leader on the balcony today
Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella could be seen waving to crowds from the palace balcony as they stood alongside their father earlier today
Prince Albert II was joined by Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella to stand on the palace balcony during the celebrations marking Monaco’s National Day (pictured)
Prince Albert also took a moment of reflection on the balcony earlier today after opening up to several media outlets about Princess Charlene
Beatrice Borromeo appeared to bask in the autumn sunshine as she stood on the balcony of the palace earlier today alongside Princess Alexandra
Family members crowded the balcony after Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella as they celebrated National Day in Monaco (pictured)
At one stage, Princess Caroline could be seen appearing to wag her finger at the little boy (pictured)
Princess Caroline could be seen chaperoning Prince Albert’s children Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, six, who appeared in a particularly playful mood and at one point could be seen being disciplined by his aunt
The six-year-old, who wore a miniature military uniform for the occasion as he has on other years he has attended, could be seen pouting and scowling at the crowd
Princess Caroline of Hanover could be seen giving Princess Charlene and Albert’s son Jacques a harsh word during the celebration today
Meanwhile Princess Gabriella covered her hand with her hand as she attended the celebration earlier today in Monaco (left and right)
Her Palace press officer said she could not return calls from MailOnline and did not reply to a list of questions we sent her.
Doubts about the central relationship of Monaco’s royal family are not new of course.
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 at the Chocolate factory apartment.
‘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.’
Another Monte Carlo source who knows the couple well told MailOnline: ‘The way to stop all the friction and put an end to the speculation about their marriage is for Charlene to proudly move back into the Palace and start living like a proper Princess.
‘That’s what the people of Monaco want, because they love their Royals, and don’t want them living separate lives.’
Charlene came in for criticism before she travelled to South Africa for dividing her time between several properties outside the Palais, the official residence of the Sovereign, Albert II.
Instead of enjoying palatial rooms overlooking the Mediterranean, and a domestic staff including butlers and cooks, Charlene chose the Chocolate Factory.
It only had two bedrooms, and had been used in the past by Albert’s sister, Princess Stéphanie.
Stéphanie, 56, led an extremely turbulent personal life herself that included two divorces and high-profile affairs with security guards and an elephant trainer.
Charlene also escaped Royal protocol by staying at Roc Agel, a mountain retreat on the outskirts of Monaco originally restored for Albert’s late mother, the Hollywood star Grace Kelly who became Princess Grace before her tragic death in a car crash on the treacherously steep road approaching Roc Agel.
Charlene was also a frequent visitor to a holiday home owned by friends on the Mediterranean island of Corsica.
Paris Match, the celeb bible, has always had particularly close ties with the Grimaldis – the ancient dynasty now headed by Albert and Charlene.
‘Charlene and Albert on the Verge of Breaking Up?’ was the lead headline in an edition of Match in August.
‘There will be no photo for their 10th anniversary wedding anniversary,’ it noted.
All the high-end French publications – the kind that Albert and Charlene would normally grant fawning interviews to – concurred.
The upmarket and very conservative Madame Figaro ran with the stark headline: ‘Are Charlene and Albert II of Monaco on the verge of divorce?’
Historian and author Philippe Delorme told the magazine: ‘Lots of people got the impression it was an arranged marriage, it’s true.
‘Albert chose a wife who resembled his mother and Charlene clearly felt very ill at ease in this Grace Kelly role they wanted her to play.
‘As Karl Marx put it: History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.’
The 2011 wedding itself was an ostentatious three-day event featuring a concert by the Eagles. But onlookers were concerned by photos of the bride in tears with her husband appearing distant, but Charlene insisted later she was just emotional.
Charlene has been notable by her absence from every single flagship event in the tax haven principality this year.
They have included the Monaco Grand Prix on May 23, and the Fashion Awards hosted by the Princess’s own charitable foundation on May 18.
Charlene infamously shaved half her head in the style of a punk rocker last December.
This was seen as the first public sign of a worsening crisis that could end in a multi-million pound divorce.
Charlene’s exile in South Africa began a month after it emerged last December that Albert was facing yet another paternity suit.
A Brazilian woman who cannot be named for legal reasons said her 15-year-old daughter was the result of an affair with Albert in 2004.
Albert and Charlene were not yet engaged at this time, but they had known each over for four years after meeting at a swimming gala in Monaco in 2000.
Lawyers for the claimant were scheduled to demand a DNA test from Albert at a court in Milan earlier this year, while his own counsel branded the action ‘a hoax’.
Neither party is now commenting, suggesting some kind of generous settlement may have been reached, as happened with Albert’s earlier love children.
They are Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, who is now 29 and the result of Albert’s affair with an American estate agent, and Alexandre Coste, 17, whose mother is a former Togolese air hostess.
Both children were struck off Monaco’s line of succession in return for vast financial settlements.
Meanwhile Prince Albert continued to put on a display at Monaco’s National Day celebrations, looking dashing in his formal military dress.
Meanwhile Princess Gabriella wore a pretty pink coat dress for the occasion, with a matching pink beret and white wool tights to keep warm.
Also in attendance at the event are Princess Alexandra of Hanover, 20, Pierre Casiraghi, 32, his wife Beatrice Borromeo, and their children Stefano, 2, and Francesco, 1.
They are likely to be joined by Caroline’s elder son Andrea Casiraghi, 35, and his American-born wife Tatiana Santo Domingo, 35.
Meanwhile Princess Stéphanie of Monaco’s son Louis Ducruet, 26, his wife Marie Chevallier, 26, are also likely to be present.
The National Day of Monaco, also known as the Sovereign Prince’s Day, is celebrated every year on November 19.
The annual holiday takes place on the same day as Prince Albert of Monaco ascended to the throne.
Carabiniers of Prince Albert II of Monaco, wearing protective face masks, arrive at Monaco Cathedral during the celebrations marking Monaco’s National Day
Prince Albert could be seen whispering to his children as they joined him on the balcony to wave to crowds during the National Day celebrations today (left and right)
And it wasn’t just Prince Jacques having all the fun! During the outing today, Princess Gabriella couldn’t keep her hands off her brother’s military style hat
The six-year-old, who wore a pink coat with a white dress and matching accessories, including a white beret, for the outing could be seen fiddling with her father’s uniform
Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline of Hanover attended a thanksgiving mass at the Cathedral of Monaco this morning
Meanwhile Princess Stephanie cut an elegant figure in a grey coat, which she paired with a tonal top and shorts, as well as a black mask and leather gloves
Meanwhile, Princess Caroline of Hanover, 63, and Princess Stephanie, 56, joined the monarch for the mass and outdoor ceremony at the palace (left and right)
Prince Albert of Monaco cut a dashing figure in military dress in his first public appearance since he revealed Princess Charlene is no longer in the principality
The National Day of Monaco, also known as the Sovereign Prince’s Day, is celebrated every year on November 19 (pictured)
The annual holiday takes place on the same day as Prince Albert of Monaco ascended to the throne. The date of the National Day was traditionally determined by the reigning Prince. The previous Princes often chose the day of the saint they were named after.
The date of the National Day was traditionally determined by the reigning Prince. The previous Princes often chose the day of the saint they were named after.
However, when Prince Albert II ascended the throne he ended this tradition by choosing the same day as his father Prince Rainier III.
National day is typically celebrated with fireworks over the harbour the evening before and a mass in the St. Nicholas Cathedral the next morning.
The people of Monaco may celebrate by waving the Monegasque flag.
Earlier this summer Prince Albert flew out with their six-year-old twins to South Africa to visit Princess Charlene (pictured)
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