Prince Albert stepped out with his niece while Charlene’s absence continues

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Here are some photos of Prince Albert and his niece – perhaps his favorite niece – Charlotte Casiraghi in Monaco. Charlotte was his “plus one” at this dressage event. Albert’s sister Princess Caroline has frequently stepped in as “Monaco’s first lady” over the years, and I kind of wonder if Charlotte does that now too. Especially since… well, Albert’s wife Charlene is still in the wind.

I feel like we were one of the few sites questioning whether Princess Charlene had escaped Monaco back in May. Most people, even hardcore royal-watchers, tended to believe Charlene’s cover story about why she had to stay in South Africa. The cover story was an ENT infection, one which is so bad that she needed to be hospitalized. Yeah. Never bought it! Charlene missed the Monaco Grand Prix back in May and she’s been in South Africa ever since. She missed her tenth wedding anniversary, which was July 1st. She did escape Monaco on the tenth anniversary of her first escape attempt though, which was just a few weeks before her 2011 wedding to Prince Albert. So… people are starting to notice! Some highlights from this incredibly shady Page Six piece:

History repeating itself: Thursday was the 10th anniversary of the marriage of Princess Charlene and Prince Albert, the sovereign ruler of Monaco. But this royal couple was separated by thousands of miles, as Charlene is holed up in her native South Africa. The palace says she’s suffering from a serious ear, nose and throat infection and needing multiple “procedures” that will keep her there “indefinitely.” But some in Monaco — a gossipy, postage-stamp principality smaller than Central Park — wonder if history is repeating itself. A decade ago, Princess Charlene reportedly tried to bolt Monaco right before her splashy, $75 million two-day wedding, possibly because of her prince fathering yet another illegitimate child.

No one has seen Charlene in Monaco since January: She hasn’t been seen in Monaco — which lies just west of the Italian border and east of Nice — since January, leaving her husband and their 6-year-old twins, Gabriella and Jacques, to carry on at public events like the Monaco Grand Prix without her.

The paternity suit & the haircut: Rumors are flying that it’s because of new claims that Albert fathered an illegitimate child — his third. Last December, word got out that he had been hit with a new paternity suit, from a Brazilian woman who said he fathered her 15-year-old daughter while Albert and Charlene were dating. Soon after, Princess Charlene turned up in public with a shocking new punk buzzcut and heavy black eyeliner. “She cut her hair the day she found out,” a longtime resident of Monaco who is close to the palace told The Post. “It was a radical move designed to show him and all of us how bad she felt and what terrible news this was — at least to her.”

The subjects of Monaco do not have much sympathy. Charlene, 43, is viewed by some residents as a dull, vapid version of the vibrant, cultured Princess Grace, Albert’s mother, who won an Oscar as Grace Kelly before marrying Prince Rainier in 1956. Charlene rarely smiles in public and has been dubbed the “sad princess.” People have even criticized her name, saying she should be called “Charlotte” rather than the downscale “Charlene,” and accusing her of having had too much plastic surgery.

Yikes!! “Have you tried to talk to her?” another longtime Monaco resident said to The Post. “She can’t move anything at all, can’t smile, can’t show any expression, cold as ice all the way around. Compared to Kate [Middleton] she’s not even human.”

[From Page Six]

Yeah, I’ve heard some gossip too, and basically Charlene is loathed within Monaco. The citizens/subjects of Monaco like Albert, I’ve heard that a million times. They think he’s a good sovereign and he’s quite popular. But Charlene is not well-liked, popular or respected. She barely works and I don’t even think she speaks French that well? And we all knew the haircut was a cry for help. Anyway, she escaped and I hope she’s doing okay.

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Prince Albert II of Monaco and Charlotte Casiraghi attend the 15th International Jumping of Monte-Carlo.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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116 Responses to “Prince Albert stepped out with his niece while Charlene’s absence continues”

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  1. Andrew’s Nemesis says:

    I hope she never returns to that snobby little enclave and that appalling philanderer. Be at peace, Charlene, and I hope you win the custody battle.

    • Myra says:

      I feel so relieved for her. I haven’t followed her closely over the years but I remember when she tried to escape and how unhappy she seemed at her wedding. Maybe she’ll return for the kids but I won’t blame her for taking as long as she needs.

      • LillyfromLillooet says:

        No doubt the children will be very well cared for, get great educations. Maybe it was a thing where Charlene had to choose between being physically present and severely unhappy and her kids growing up with a miserable and trapped parent, or her trying to recover and be present in their lives as she’s allowed. I will never forget the image of her crying not tears of joy as she walked down the aisle and his looking at her stone faced.

      • Myra says:

        I won’t judge her if she chooses to stay away. She’s probably judged that the situation is safe for the children, but not for her.

    • Me says:

      The Monégasques would have preferred a titled Frenchwoman no doubt. And that sort of person who have turned a blind eye to the outside children, as one does when you sign up to marry into that level of French society. What is wrong with Albert that his best option was to strong-arm a South African woman into becoming his princess? The Grimaldi have always been louche, that’s pretty much their brand—Vegas with more financial crime—but this saga with Charlene is gothic even for that galère.

      • TIFFANY says:

        Honestly, he needed legitimate heirs and Charlene was the quickest way to get it. They were together for something like ten years and he put a lot of money into the relationship.

        It sounds crass but I really think that is the reason.

      • Me says:

        I understand the need for heirs; I’m surprised he didn’t make a deal with a relatively impoverished French noble family of which there are many. Instead this weird situation with Charlene happened —I don’t understand the decision to go for bizarre. Because this whole thing is messy and bizarre. He must have really wanted someone with no real family to fight her corner or demand decent treatment.

      • TIFFANY says:

        @Me. This is true, but remember, he and Willnot were getting married around the same time and Albert saw how people were questioning Willnot’s reluctance to propose to Keen and the public embarrassment of his treatment of her.

        Albert really thought he was being discreet and respectful of his treatment of Charlene and the people on Monaco thought so as well. So to turn around and dump your partner of ten years and just show up with someone no one knows about and marry them, yeah, I don’t think that would have gone over well for image obsessed Albert. He knows he can always divorce Charlene, control the narrative and then remarry.

      • Aud says:

        I think he wanted heirs very quickly. I remember this all happening as his nephew announced that he was engaged and they were expecting a baby. I think Albert started to panic a bit and wanted to get married asap. He didn’t want to wait long enough to date someone new.

        I just don’t know why Charlene stayed with him for so long, she never looks happy at all.

    • GRUEY says:

      This article is so disgusting and I agree it makes the whole loathsome country sound complicit. We have no idea what happened to her but i would believe anything. After what we’ve learned about how Britney Spears was treated or Princess Diana, nothing would shock me. If she told the world she was drugged and locked in a room and deprived food and access to her children, I would be like “yep, checks out.”

      • BothSidesNow says:

        GRUEY, I agree! Also the way in which he manhandled her before the marriage and kept her from escaping, twice, no less!! She was clearly wanting out, immediately and his precious ego would not allow her to leave him, as that would have been unheard of. Albert seems to look at Charlene as a possession, not as a person, just like his 2 children. Albert has always come across as a narcissistic POS with no regard to anyone except his wandering penis. He “kept” Charlene prisoner, away from family and friends, to keep his chains tightly against her, as is a classic trait of an abuser.
        Hopefully she has escaped from his clutches, unfortunately without her own children. Which Albert made perfectly clear should she divorce him, he would retain full custody before the 10 year mark.

      • Meg says:

        I agree, they like him more despite how poorly he treats her. He seems to compulsively cheat and get women pregnant but they dont like that she looks sad? Of course she is!

    • Mrs.Krabapple says:

      This is what’s wrong with monarchies, the people are stuck with who they get simply by accident of birth. And particularly Monaco, which gave preference to Albert over Caroline because of gender, even though Caroline was first born, helped her father after Grace’s death, and probably knew more about being a figure head than Albert did.

  2. Jais says:

    Yeah v shady article. Can’t imagine why she doesn’t want to go back to there. Jeez.

    • cassandra says:

      Yeahhhhh is Charlene hated by all of Monaco or is this a PR piece to make Albert look good?

  3. Muffin Topper says:

    Do we know where the kids are?

  4. Anna says:

    There been gossip for years that she wasn’t well-liked in Monaco. From what I read people would call her trashy behind her back.

    • Alexandria says:

      Why though? She seems harmless. I mean she’s like any average royal doing minimal work. And Albert is not charming, is he?

      • Bread and Circuses says:

        Albert apparently IS charming. He’s reported to always be very good to his mistresses, and he’s had so many of those that I suspect he’s got some real charisma, even if he looks like a thumb.

        The rumours around Prince William is that he had trouble getting girlfriends during the short period when he did break up with Kate, and if Rose Hanbury is the only mistress he’s had since marrying the woman who did want him (but he seems uninterested in), then it seems like being a royal is not a guarantee of anything.

        Which implies Prince Albert honestly is good with women.

    • Lemons says:

      Albert shouldn’t have married her. All he wanted was an accomplished Grace Kelly look-alike to have his children. Charlene didn’t want to be a royal wife. It is incompatible, and anyone in the same situation would be miserable. It’s too bad that one of her outlets seems to be cosmetic tweaking because she has messed up her face.

      I’m curious as to what would happen regarding their children. While she is in South Africa will be she be able to see them? Does her “escape” count as abandonment?

      • Digital Unicorn says:

        But she wanted to marry him – stuck around for years and put with the cheating and illegitimate children. She is the Kate Middleton of the Monaco royals. And like Kate found that being a royal wife was not what she thought it would be.

      • BothSidesNow says:

        @ Digital Unicorn, no, Charlene did NOT want to marry Albert. She made 2 escape attempts which he has his personal guards “arrest” her in France and made her return against her will. That doesn’t sound like someone who wanted to marry the tyrant. Plus she cried all during the wedding ceremony, from tears of unhappiness, not joy.

    • equality says:

      So Albert’s behavior is fine but Charlene is trashy? For what reason? Maybe the poor girl was depressed and all these hateful people can do is label her “sad princess”?

    • Mia4s says:

      The irony of people in Monaco calling someone “trashy”. *sips tea* 😒

      Seriously though, Monaco is aesthetically beautiful and some wonderful people live there…but I’m not sure I’ve been to a more “surface-level” place that wasn’t Disney World. Shady beyond belief.

      • ArtHistorian says:

        yeah – the irony of the monegasques calling her trashy when when they have the trashiest monarch in Europe. Albert is the trashy one.

      • Natters says:

        Especially since the citizens of Monaco are basically all tax evaders.

      • The Recluse says:

        I think you nailed it. The monarchy of Monaco lost their only class when Grace died. They’re a messy family.

    • HeyJude says:

      What astounds me is they don’t think Grace Kelly was trashy?! That was her general reputation in Hollywood behind the scenes back in the day. She was regarded as a desperate social climber, purporting to be upper crust North Eastern society folks when her family were bricklayers largely funded by her playwright uncle. And she very deliberately paired sexually with directors and numerous aging actors to vault herself to parts. Beloved people like Gary Cooper and Clark Gable, who legitimately fell for her and she chewed and spit out. And of course she was widely panned for her phony baloney fake English accent for being from Philly.

      Then there’s the multi-million dollar dowry Rainer literally paid her father for her.

      You’d think all things would have been ridiculed and considered the opposite of a classy background for a European royal.

      • Holland S says:

        That was my thought too! It’s all about the appearance of looking like you belong. Just like Melania Trump—she’s tall, model like, and white so she gets the benefit of being “classy”. It’s all fakery. For a lot of people appearance and the ability to project is enough to call someone elegant or whatever.

      • Starkille says:

        They definitely thought Grace Kelly was trashy too. She was loathed as a gauche tacky American. Whomever wrote the quoted article trying to make it seem like she was beloved is playing fast and loose with historical facts.

      • Arpeggi says:

        “she very deliberately paired sexually with directors and numerous aging actors to vault herself to parts. Beloved people like Gary Cooper and Clark Gable, who legitimately fell for her and she chewed and spit out”
        Oh come on! As if poor little Clark Gable couldn’t keep it in his pants if he wanted to. It’s not his fault, he was bewitched by this young succubus! Same for dear Frank Sinatra and so many others! Those poor boys! Also, it’s Kelly’s father that had to pay a multi-million dollars dowry for Rainier to marry Kelly not the other way around.

        I’m not saying that Grace Kelly didn’t have multiple affairs with lots of costars and directors, she did but so did other actresses, actors and directors of the time. She was slut-shamed as many actresses were once they displeased some head of the studio that owned them, and Hitchcock would find ways to break the reputations of actresses if/once they refused to sleep with him or behave in the way he wanted so that probably didn’t help her reputation either.

      • BothSidesNow says:

        @ Arpeggi, thank you for clarifying what actually happened back then. We all know how manipulative and controlling Hitchcock was, and eeww! He ruined Kim Novak’s career also, plus, let’s face it, Gable was no choir boy either!! He had multiple affairs including with Vivian Lee. Talk about someone who used women and spit them put, Gable was notorious for that!
        Hollywood and the rest of society are quick to label women as sluts but overlook the fact that they had willing partners also, but they were seen as gods not the perpetrators that they actually were. Still do!

      • Jais says:

        Huh, I did not know all these details about grace kelly. Always thought she was beloved or at least the American press portrays her that way now. So was the Monaco press brutal to her when she was alive but does the revisionist history of her now?

      • The Recluse says:

        She wanted to marry a fashion designer, but her father interfered with that: he wasn’t macho enough for him.

      • Kitty says:

        @Jais, yes they didn’t like her. She had to work hard to please them.

      • SnoodleDumpling says:

        Um, no, her father paid Rainier 2 million USD, that’s what a dowry is. Rainier paying her father would have been a brideprice, totally different.

        And her accent is called ‘Mid-Atlantic’, it’s what all the northeastern old money has, she had lessons with a vocal coach specifically to drop the Philly accent and acquire the Mid-Atlantic one. It made her more marketable as an actress.

  5. Merricat says:

    Charlene has never been happy in Monaco. I’m glad she got out.

    I did not know that Monaco is the size of Central Park. That’s kind of hilarious. From now on, when I think of Albert, I’ll have to giggle.

    • Lauren says:

      It’s the second smallest country in the world after the Vatican. I can only imagine how miserable it is to have to play nice with people that hate you every day, all day.

    • Southern Fried says:

      Monaco is gorgeous and definitely worth visiting.
      Haven’t seen pix of Charlotte in years, beautiful woman.

    • salmonpuff says:

      When I was in Nice, a bunch of us walked to Monaco, walked all over the country, and walked back to our hostel in Nice in less than a day. It’s tiny.

      • Bettyrose says:

        Same! Stayed at a pension in Nice in my twenties, walked over to a casino, walked around, left.

      • gilda says:

        I hope you manage to casually work that in regular conversation… “I walked through a country, you know?” No need to tell them it was Monaco, though. Let them be in awe of you!

    • Coco says:

      I’ve been to Nice but not Monaco. The population is only about 40,000. If Charlene isn’t well liked there, it sounds like everyone hating the wife of the long-serving mayor of a really, really affluent town in Connecticut (but with more nudity).

      • nina says:

        In his mind he rules over vast and fertile lands. The palace guard looks like out of work taxi drivers. Some with beer bellies, ill matched uniforms, out of step marching. Seems like the whole guard consists of ten people.
        BAWHAHAHAHAAAAA.

  6. Izzy says:

    She used to look much happier. Hopefully she will again now that she has escaped.

  7. Amy Bee says:

    The royal watchers can deny it all they want but Charlene has left Albert. If all was well in the marriage Albert would’ve joined her in South Africa for their tenth wedding anniversary. Instead he stayed in Monaco.

  8. Lauren says:

    Yikes! I had read on some royal gossip blogs that it was bad, but I would have never imagined it being that bad. I hope she never returns and has enough dirt on Albert to get even partial custody of the kids.

    • ArtHistorian says:

      If I recall correctly they spent their honeymoon on two different hotels. That and her visible distress at the wedding really shows that things were wrong in that marriage from the very beginning.

  9. Yup, Me says:

    Those Monaco royals really do age like milk, huh?

    Stay free, Charlene. “Prince” and ruler or not, who needs to be married to a skank who’s too dumb to wrap it up and keeps popping up with side babies? Especially not for some snob filled janky little principality barely the size of a damn park.

    • Mina_Esq says:

      I knooowww, and I hate being mean. Charlotte is very beautiful, but more in early 50’s kind of way than late 30’s. Yikes. As for Charlene, it doesn’t surprise me at all that she is not well liked in Monaco. They are a peculiar group of self-important trashy snobs. She may very well never see her children again, and my heart breaks for her. How bad it must have gotten that she is taking that risk.

      • Ann says:

        They’re something rancid about that family.

      • Sadezilla says:

        Mina, she’s not even late 30’s! She’s about to turn 35 next month according to Wikipedia! I had to double check her birthdate, because my first thought was, isn’t Charlotte younger than me? (she is, I’m turning 39 later this month.) That woman looks older than I thought Charlotte is.

        I do think the first picture is particularly unflattering. She looks more her age to me in the other two. I do like the dark hair on her, in my head she has lighter brown hair.

      • AmelieOriginal says:

        Charlotte is the mother of a toddler. She probably isn’t getting much sleep which is why she may look a bit rougher now. Also she is THE spitting image of her mother Princess Caroline when she was young. I look at young pictures of Princess Caroline and I can’t tell the difference between her and Charlotte.

        (I noticed another Amelie posting on this site and I’ve been posting under Amelie longer than that person has so going by AmelieOriginal from now on).

      • BothSidesNow says:

        @ AmelieOriginal, I have always thought that she is the spitting image of her mother, Princess Caroline who has always held her head high, given the number of tragedies she has experienced. I wish she would have been named as the Princess of Monaco instead of her trashy brother who is nothing but a lazy POS sticking his tootsie roll anywhere he can.

    • Mrs.Krabapple says:

      I think Charlotte looks fine. She doesn’t look like she over-did the hideous fake tan, or heavy black eyeliner, or major botox, or overly-styled hair, etc. She looks more natural and self-assured, and I much prefer that.

  10. Onomo says:

    I hope this is the next Disney or Pixar movie – a princess escaping her abusive royal family, only to find her super power (relating to the commoners, being an ice queen, being really good at self-love for example). J would watch the ish out of that by myself, with friends, and kids.

    • Alexandria says:

      It can be a like Love Actually film featuring Mariah Carey, Katie Holmes, Meghan my Duchess and Charlene and a cameo by Angelina Jolie! lol

      • Jais says:

        I’d watch it! Mostly feel bored during hallmark Christmas movies bc they have mined just about every storyline and trope. This idea, however, is a goldmine. Was kinda done with the netflix Vanessa hudgens twin film and technically enchanted but there is more to delve into for sure.

  11. India says:

    She will never have custody of her twins.

    • Ana Maria says:

      I think you’re right…things must have been really bad if she escaped without her kids; I wonder what really went down

    • Merricat says:

      She must have come to a crucible in her life. I won’t judge her. I think she is in great pain.

    • Lemons says:

      I questioned that above…Leaving the marital home w/o your children is not a good sign. If she’s up against Prince Albert…well…I just don’t see how she can fight anything in court.

    • MissMarirose says:

      Agreed. Jacques is the heir to the throne with Gabriella right behind. They would never even let them leave Monaco with her temporarily, much less give Charlene custody.

  12. Sue Denim says:

    Grace Kelly seemed so sad on her wedding day too, I’ve always wondered about that… And, maybe related, I’ve heard Monaco called “a sunny place for shady people.”

    • Mel says:

      I could be really wrong about this, but if I remember correctly, there was a documentary I watched where they mentioned that right before the wedding she was told if she ever got divorced any kids from the union would have to remain in Monaco with their father, I think it was a person who was part of the wedding party, a bridesmaid maybe, who said this really shocked her and stressed her out as this was not at all discussed beforehand with all other wedding discussions they had leading up to the day.

    • TIFFANY says:

      Rainier married her for her family money and Grace accepted the proposal because her reputation was catching up with her and was affecting her career.

      This was never a love match. They just lucked out in actually getting to know each other and liking each other as a result.

      • Lizzie says:

        Iirc, Grace moved to a house in Paris at sometime with Caroline. It was a separation presented as Caroline was attending school there and devoted Grace stayed with her. Grace did privately tell people this was their version of a divorce.
        Of course I have know idea what the laws are but the family is Catholic so a separation is more palatable than a divorce.

      • Arpeggi says:

        Yeah, Grace Kelly was basically being slut-shamed out of Hollywood (Hitchcock could have given Harvey Weinstein masterclass on how to abuse actresses and make sure they get a bad rep when they refuse you) and Rainier needed to glam up Monaco to increase its revenues/clean its reputation as a money laundering paradise full of shady criminals (which it absolutely still is).

        I don’t think GK fully realized what she was giving away before her wedding (money, a right to work, friends and her own social life, etc.) and it must have been quite a shock. Absolutely not worth it

      • Jessica says:

        The books I’ve read have said that Aristotle Onassis got it into Rainier’s head that the way to restore some glitz and glamour to Monaco at the time would be to marry a Hollywood star. A list was drawn up, and there’s a famous anecdote about someone visiting Marilyn Monroe, who was staying at photographer Milton Greene’s estate in Connecticut at the time, recovering from one of her divorces, and she didn’t know anything about about Rainier or Monaco. The person who told the story said that she said, “Give him one night with me and he’ll want me,” and it was decided instead to seek out the second name on the list, which was Grace Kelly. I don’t think Rainier wanted her family money. She had a lot of siblings after all. I think he wanted her star power to put Monaco back on the map, and she did. It definitely wasn’t a love match but they grew fond of each other. One of Grace’s biggest problems was her loss of career/autonomy (which Meghan can relate to) and her sheer boredom. There was plenty of unhappiness but I think Charlene’s level of misery is even worse.

        Hitchcock, like Cary Grant, remained a friend of Grace’s for years after she left Hollywood, so if he did pull any Weinstein-esque shit on her, it doesn’t seem to have affected their relationship. He even tried to entice her back to Hollywood in the ’60s to do another movie with him, and she wanted to go, but Rainier nixed it. She did visit her Hollywood friends and there are photos of her in the ’60s and ’70s with Hitchcock, Grant and others, at their homes in Hollywood. Grant attended her funeral and was especially close to her. Grace got around but so did Liz Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, etc. I think her career would have remained on track if she hadn’t gotten married. Her Oscar win was only months before.

      • Tiffany says:

        @Jessica.

        Rainier was, in a word, broke. The Kelly family paid a huge dowry before the wedding. Yeah, Grace did bring the glamour, but she also brought the blue chip that Rainier needed.

      • FHMom says:

        I love this old Hollywood gossip. Rainier was broke and Grace’s family had money and class. Plus, she was Catholic. Any princess to be would have had to convert. Really, she was the perfect choice for him.

      • Arpeggi says:

        Kelly’s father had to give a $2,000,000 dowry (which was ginormous in 56) and she had to pass a fertility exam before being deemed acceptable to marry. Also had to get MGM’s approval before meeting Rainier since she was under contract and studios basically owned actresses back then. Once she moved to Monaco, she needed Rainier/his office approval in order to do anything (seems like things haven’t changed much). She was told to walk out of Marnie because of taxes… Absolutely not worth it (she told Diana so in a bathroom).

        Rainier got what he wanted/Onassis promised though: it did clean up Monaco’s reputation a bit and brought tons of $$$ and I’m sure all the tabloid scandals have brought up money because everyone loves a good train wreck

      • Mrs.Krabapple says:

        Rainier had been living with the woman he really loved for 6 years. But she was deemed “inappropriate” for a wife, so he shopped around for someone who fit the part. Grace was examined by doctors, and when it looked like she wasn’t a virgin, she had to make up the excuse that she rode horses a lot, and that’s why her hymen was gone. This is how backwards that country was. So Rainier and Grace were never a love match, and they cheated on each other for years. But I think they each got what they wanted out of the marriage.

  13. fluffy_bunny says:

    They must hate her a lot if they think she worse than Duchess Doolittle.

    • equality says:

      What’s with that anyway? What has Kate got to do with Monaco?

    • Merricat says:

      They’re talking about procedures done on their faces, Charlene’s and Kate’s, and how Kate’s face is better because she moves other parts of it and Charlene does not.

  14. Over it says:

    Would you be smiling if you were married to a man who cheats more than he sleeps?I hope she never comes back to that jerk but I hope she gets joint custody of her children

  15. Loretta says:

    Here in Italy the press is more informed on the Charlene issue and it’s very serious. She has recently undergone a second brain sugery and it’s thought that the famous punk haircut was done because she had to undergo a first brain surgery.
    I think Charlene is suffering from a serious illness

  16. SShehheh says:

    Sounds like she had some plastic surgery gone awry and is in hiding

  17. J ferber says:

    Loretta, do you know more about the brain surgery? Thanks.

    • Loretta says:

      Albert and the children went to visit her in South Africa during the period in which she had undergone the first surgery and in June she underwent a second surgery.
      For me it’s a very serious illness.

  18. Sofia says:

    If she has left it’s a tough uphill battle for her. She’s left her kids’ behind and taking Albert to court for custody and sorting out finances is going to be nothing short of hell for her. And I think her family has jobs in Monaco so that’s going to be another fun thing to sort.

  19. rawiya says:

    “She can’t move anything at all, can’t smile, can’t show any expression, cold as ice all the way around.” LIEEEESSSS!!! She’s happy when she visits the maternity ward at Christmas, and when she visits the seniors’ home, and when she’s with the F1 peeps, or doing swimming stuff. They’re snobs who treated her badly, probably made fun of her accent or her attempts at French, and then got mad when she decided to not bother try for them anymore.

  20. Paperclip says:

    My God. Charlotte looks exactly like her mother. It’s uncanny.

  21. MegJ says:

    It must have been bad for her to leave her children and not know when she’ll see them again. Very sad. I hope she’s okay.

  22. SusanRagain says:

    Well, if she has a serious illness, I can understand why she would want to be in her home country.
    What a terrible situation to be in.
    Separate from an awful spouse to have some peace in your own life but at the cost of losing your children.
    Monaco is some pretty, tiny country. The Royals have no power but are wealthy.
    Does anyone care about any Royalty, seriously?
    Real life soap opera, and Monacos family pretty much kept the tabloids in biz.

  23. RoyalBlue says:

    Incredible, she has an ear, nose and throat infection that it appears no antibiotics can cure.

    Charlene could not live up to the terms of her contract it appears.

    And yes, that haircut meant she gave no more effs, and was about to spread her wings and fly.

    • Julia K says:

      Sinus infections and ear infections can spread to the brain and cause abscesses, among other things, thrombii, etc.

    • fluffy_bunny says:

      I had a sinus infection for 18 months that couldn’t be cleared by antibiotics. I cycled on and off of them. I finally convinced a doctor to operate to correct some issues I had and they also scraped the infection out.

    • Thirtynine says:

      Royal Blue- Yes, that haircut was not a cry for help, it was a power move, it said ‘just watch me’. She’d made up her mind, and we can see she took her power back.

  24. sassafras says:

    South Africa has just entered its third wave and their lockdowns are quite severe. There are very few, if any, vaccinations. I completely understand that she’s a royal with money and can arrange any type of accommodation/ care that she likes in SA, but if she’s truly very ill, it’s not a great idea to be in SA right now and anyone else who was a princess with an ENT infection would be flying a jet back to a private clinic in Europe ASAP.

    Okay – editing after I read the Italian news about the brain surgery above. Perhaps she cannot fly. Still, the fact that she’s still there during a very serious situation with the pandemic underscores the severity of her illness OR confirms she’s left her husband, IMO.

  25. Chica1971 says:

    Charlotte was/is an equestrian and often competed. There are many events with her Albert and Caroline. This is not unusual to not see Charlene at this type of event.

  26. Wendy says:

    I couldn’t find mention of brain surgery specifically but a cursory search did reveal that she had a first procedure and required a second due to complications. Also that the family has visited her and she issued a public statement about the anniversary.

  27. Jayna says:

    Charlotte is beautiful.

  28. FuefinaWG says:

    I can’t get past the fact the Charlotte’s dress needs tailoring in the sleeves.

  29. Nlopez says:

    I hope she’s not ill. I loved her shaved haircut. I hope she gets shared custody too. Albert seems like a d#*k!

  30. AmelieOriginal says:

    I thought the ENT was a cover like most people but now she may be having brain surgery? Or maybe that’s a mistranslation of sinus surgery? If she truly is having health problems and being forced to be separated from her kids and Albert, I hope she recovers enough to be able to fly back to Monaco soon.

    But if this is what we all think it is, a story being spun to explain Charlene’s extended absence after escaping Monaco, it can’t have been an easy choice to make. We already know she allegedly try to escape once before her wedding, so it seems this time she succeeded. I’m sure she weighed the pros and cons of leaving her children behind but Jacques and Gabriella belong to the throne, or at least Jacques does. Gabriella could pull a Harry and move to the US or South Africa if she wanted to when she gets older but Jacques will have the burden of being the heir. Hard to believe Monaco is one of the few remaining European royal families to observe male preference with inheriting the throne. Gabriella was born first but it’s her brother the Crown Prince.

    Anyways back to Charlene: we know she saw her kids recently in June so at least Albert isn’t keeping them from her. But I don’t blame her for not wanting to stay in Monaco if she truly is not liked. She also never really learned much French which probably did not help matters. I wonder why the heck she married him if she was miserable in Monaco pre-wedding. Was her family pressuring her to marry him as a meal ticket out of South Africa? I don’t think she came from a struggling family though so I always wondered why she stuck with him with all the illegitimate children controversies and his reputation as a ladies’ man.

  31. Theothermia says:

    I still think that haircut was hot, no matter what prompted it

  32. Scarlet Pimpernel says:

    Not too dissimilar to Nicole Kidman. She left the children to save herself.

  33. Bettyrose says:

    I’m currently watching the season of Gossip Girl in which all the Charlene drama is played out through Blair’s engagement to Albert’s fictional nephew Louis.

  34. Lizzie says:

    Well I hope things look up for Charlene soon, whether she is escaping an awful marriage or really has serious health problem.

  35. Sunnyvale says:

    Good for Charlene! I hope she divorces this creep & sues for joint custody. It’d serve him right after all the scandals & immense presure/stress she faced miles away from home. I want the idiot to suffer & be humiliated for once. I get angry remembering his bbc rant of telling Harry (he should not air his family disagreements) 🤯this from a creep who’s sued twice for paternity(+pending third) & who’s fathered unknown number of children outside of marriage(maybe even more than bozo🤮)

  36. DuchessL says:

    Well look at that. I think they all got a ten year mark in their princess contract. Produce an heir, give us a spare, make it 10 years and you’re free to go. Willie and katie made it 20 years, and look at that, how weird separation rumors are spreading and someone’s looking for a house near the middletons. Hmmm…

  37. SenseOfTheAbsurd says:

    Something very, very sinister about Albert. He pings my radar big-time and I hope Charlene stays safe.

  38. L says:

    There’s the rumours of Albert raping or forcing himself into women, that was swept under the rug. As for Charlene, I wonder what really happened. Fathering children out if wedlock is super disrespectful, but I think there’s more to that. Shady business or connections? Maybe she was being medicated against her will in a Britney/Kidman/arab princess situation? Or situation similar to Andrew’s case, that she saw people in Monaco engaging in disgusting things with minors and she can’t say anything?

    For sure there’s more that caused her depression, because if it were only a failed marriage, she could live discreetly in a luxury mansion while only pretending for the public, like Grace did and many royal wives do.