Since Princess Charlene of Monaco gave birth to twins late last year, things have been pretty quiet in Monte Carlo. Pre-pregnancy, all of the gossip was about Charlene being a mess and a disappointment, and how Charlene and Albert kind of hated each other and their marital bed was pretty cold. But then Charlene “did her duty” and provided an heir and a spare in one go. Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella are already more than three months old! I think Charlene might be done, don’t you? She gave him an heir. Now it’s time for Charlene and Albert to enjoy a “traditional” royal marriage, which is to say… living separately. But Albert gave a lengthy, exclusive interview to People Mag about his life as a new dad (cough… he has a bunch of other kids) and how he and Charlene are just fine. Some highlights:
On the rumors of marriage trouble: “It’s totally incredible that we have to justify ourselves all the time. It’s ridiculous. It’s just impossible to believe that these stories have come up again. It’s surreal! It’s impossible to believe responsible media would pick up on these totally false stories.”
Charlene took the babies to the South of France: But not because of marriage trouble, she moved away temporarily because the Prince’s Palace is being renovated. Albert says: “We’ve been planning to renovate and redecorate for a long time. It’s not totally calm and quiet the way you would like to have when there are very young children around. There’s a lot of work going on, lots of noise, a lot of people running about. We thought it was a lot of work to have done around kids.”
Gabriella & Jacques will share one nursery: “My sisters [Princesses Caroline and Stephanie] and I shared one nursery and I know times have changed, but they can get by with one nursery as well I think.”
Charlene got to have a big say in the renovations: “As far as redecorating the apartments. I’ve had some input of course, but I’ve let my wife decide things. And she’s let me have some input. I mean, c’mon, I need my man cave!”
Taking care of the babies: Albert has “been involved with the children, and with them as much as I can, ever since their birth…I try to help out with their feeding, I give them their midnight bottles, I change and bathe them, and thank goodness we have help because it’s twins. But it’s been an incredible experience.”
Baby personalities: “Jacques is a little more loud and he moves a little bit more. Gabriella takes her time, she’s more, well, of a baby. But it changes quickly. It changes in a few days, in a week, they’ve already changed personalities, several times.”
There’s a lot of stuff about the extensive renovations to the Prince’s Palace. Apparently, the grand pink palace hasn’t had a major overhaul since the 1950s or early 1960s. Albert says he hopes the main part of reno is done “by Easter,” but if Monegasque contractors are anything like American contractors, they’ll be lucky to have the reno done by the babies’ first birthday. I think it’s sort of sweet that Albert just wants the one nursery, so Gabby and Jacques can play together as they grow up. And I don’t really think there are major marriage problems with Charlene and Albert right now – I think she’s just focused on the babies and he’s focused on the reno, so he was just like “Fine, go to the South of France for a few months and I’ll see you when I see you.”
Oh, and we’ll see the babies again on May 10, for their christening in Monaco.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
The body language in that picture is terrible! I can’t figure out these two. Is she the imprisoned wife who cries all day? A Golddigger? Or does she actually like him? She can move elsewhere and focus on her kids now.
Actually she probably can’t move elsewhere – as with Mary of Denmark and other commoners who marry into these families, there are very strict pre-nups ensuring that the new “princess” understands that in the event of divorce or separation, the kids stay with the Golden Groom Catch. They “belong to the nation” as well as the parents in these cases. Charlene should be grateful: with two heirs safely arrived, she can quietly structure a life of her own as long as she does the necessary re her “duties” in public, and at least she doesn’t have to sleep with him anymore. Albert has proved he CAN get married to a reasonably nice girl. And she stays rich and privileged, living on Pleasure Island at someone else’s expense. Kind of like Bendy and Sophie but rather higher up the social/economic food chain. Hey babycakes – you made the bed, you got to sleep in it! No pity here.
It is fun to speculate, but as someone who is shy and awkward in public, I also would believe that she doesn’t have an easy, warm way about her, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that she is miserable or hates her husband.
This! She was with him a LONG time before they got engaged/married. It’s not like she didn’t know who he was or what he was like (in and out of bed). I don’t think they would have stayed together “just dating/living together” if she couldn’t stand him. She wanted him, the title and all that goes with it. She got her brass ring and I think they are happy. Do I think it’s the romance of the century? No. But I think they love one another and are set on building a life together. I also would not be shocked if she ended up with at least one more child down the road.
There was definitely some shenanigan right before they got married (which was reportedly because she found out he’d had another illegitimate kid and didn’t know if she could go through with the wedding) and of course there was the infamous wedding. But folks that actually see them say that they’re very close and genuinely care about each other. It may not be a traditional marriage in the way us plebs would think of the subject, but they do seem to be making it work. The reported thorn in Charlene’s side is Albert”s sister Caroline, who is a nasty piece of work. After years of bachelorhood I think part of why Albert was finally spurred to get married was to spite Caroline, who would succeed as Princess if Albert had no legitimate children ofhis own.
Re: Caroline. I think she always hoped that he would never marry as her son would succeed. And yes, out of the 3 siblings she’s always been the more calculated and driven. She would have made a better ruler of Monaco than her brother thats for sure.
Caroline wouldn’t have ruled – word is that she would have immediately abdicated for her son Andrea. And she is a nasty piece of work herself.
Why, bridget? I don’t know much about these generation of royals, but I always thought Caroline was the normal one.
If he said it was impossible one more time, It would have been impossible to keep reading. Also, he never really denied it. And if he’s doing any midnight feedings, they’re his own, not the twins’.
I like how “the South of France” is being described as some far away place. She could be 5 minutes away from Monaco and still be in “the South of France”.
yeah i find it funny too. It sounds as if they can´t see each other for days because of the distance. The Grimaldis all the time live, work, party etc in “the south of France” simply because it is 2+ km away and they own property there.
There are already pictures showing Charlene, Albert and two nannies with the twins in the “South of France” LOL. They live in a villa and Albert drives to work a few minutes.
@gigi
Excatly what I thought too.
IKR? It’s a longer trip from Calabasas to Rodeo Drive but celebs seem to manage it.
I mean, Monaco is *surrounded* by the South of France… literally… does no one know Geography anymore, lol!?
You’re right, Monaco is 2 sq kilometers or around .78 sq miles. Nowhere in Monaco is far from “the south of France.”
Thank you! I scratched my head at that. My daughter studied in the south of France for a while, in a little village (Cap d’Ail) right on the coastline that was literally an eight minute drive west of Monte Carlo. She went there all the time.
My man is older than me and was/is an ‘older’ dad to young kids. He’s great with the kids a lot of the time, but he has his ways that he has to have things be. And he doesn’t have that instinct that if he’s hot, the kids might be; if he’s hungry, the kids might be etc. And we’re expected a lot of the time to fit in with his schedule/wants. He’s still very much the focus of his world (but he is trying). I can’t imagine how much that would be amped up if he were also a pampered Prince.
He creeps me out big time – always has. There is something very predatorial (if thats a word) about him – he seems to prey on young and/or vulnerable women, just like his father did (who also creeped me out). There is just something about him that would not let me leave any 16+ teenage daughters alone with him.
Yes! He is so creepy. I hate the term “man cave” anyway but somehow when he says it it’s a million times worse.
Decades ago, I worked with a man who who was a classmate of Prince Albert’s at Amherst College. I had asked him if all the women would fall all over him since he was a prince. He told me that they would initially, but then they would avoid him after he proved himself to be a “repulsive, entitled dork.”
First, how did the awful term “man cave” make it into the vernacular of the Prince of Monaco? Ugh.
And . . . that first quoted section . . . methinks he doth protest too much?
I cringed at “man cave”, too. Albert skews somewhere between “sleaze” and “skeevy” on my CreeperMeter.
My thoughts too on that first quote. Okay, OKAY! We still don’t believe you.
Oh come on. The Prince of Monaco’s mother was from Philly! He probably picked up “man cave” from one of his American cousins or something.
edit: Or maybe he watches international cable television 🙂
Those boots on PC!!! Me likey!!
Me too! She looks great! Love the coat/dress/boots combination.
Yes- that whole white ensemble is fierce and those boots are on another level. Maybe she married for a fabulous wardrobe, Carrie Bradshaw would understand.
I like his answers re: the babies. A lot better than ‘the baby screams/roars like a lion’ rinse and repeat William.
Me too!
Yeah, I’m kinda of surprised he seems to be involved with them. I believe him when he says he gives midnight bottles but thank goodness for help. It indicates he knows how much work the twins are, and appreciates the help, because he’s actually done the work.
*Gasps* You’ve made me realize that Albert already seems more involved/interested in his (legitimate) children than awkward Prince William does! Ouch.
He’s actually quite involved with the other two also ( at least with his daughter, his sons mother kind of ruined that relationship). In fact, Princess Stephanies daughter just posted a photo on her social media account this week of her with Alberts daughter. They seem to have a good relationship all around.
I think people are way too hard on her. She probably has a resting bitch face, which can be hard to fix.
… and it’s not like she hasn’t tried to fix it.
Proof: all the surgeries she’s had.
Boot p0rn! Love the leather and the color and the gentle slouch.
I wouldn’t say I’m concerned or even sad for her. She knew the deal and accepted it. In exchange for marrying this awful man, she gets a life of luxury, a royal title, probably had the best IVF treatment to have twins who will be prince and princess. Not a bad deal if one does not care about marrying for love. I felt a bit sad for her before the babies, but now that she has given him an heir, she is free to live her life as long as she is discreet about any affairs.
I feel the same, she dated him for a long time before they got married. Something must have happened though, all the pictures of her after the wedding are strange. Completely different to the ones in the years when they were dating.
Perhaps the early marital unhappiness was a result of infertility struggles on both sides. Neither partner is a spring flower, and infertility with the self-doubt and the frustration is a tense hardship for newlyweds to go through…
I’m actually very surprised at how well Albert comes across in this interview. The South of France/ Monaco is like living in an adjacent neighborhood in Manhattan while your penthouse is being renovated. Even undertaking the renovation, it seems like Albert is thinking long term about raising his kids happily in Monaco. I’m glad they had twins, because they’ll always have each other. Also surprised that Albert seems to be more than a little involved with raising the twins. I believe him when he talks about how much work and how busy they are – he acknowledges the help – which makes it more believable to me.
BS. Complete, utter, total BS.
Ah come on.
South of France and Monaco are practically neighbours. I would believe their marriage were in trouble IF they were hundreds of kilometres apart. But seriously, Monaco – South of France???