A week ago, Princess Charlene apparently collapsed in South Africa. Weeks before, she had a lengthy surgery to fix something related to her ENT infection and what was apparently something serious with her jaw and nasal passage. Following the surgery, Prince Albert brought the kids for a visit and they posed for photos and everything seemed okay-ish. Messy? For sure. But they seemed to be on the same page when it came to messaging. Albert took the kids home to Monte Carlo and began giving interviews about how Charlene is desperate to return to Monaco and that he had spoken to her doctors and he had high hopes that she would come back soon. That’s when she collapsed. That’s the timeline, I’m not saying anything shady. Charlene was released from the hospital last Friday and we’re in another cycle of hearing about how no one knows when Charlene will return to Monaco, and how all of this is probably a cover for “marriage problems.” Well, Albert went to People Magazine again and here we go:
As Prince Albert awaits the return of his wife Princess Charlene to Monaco, His Serene Highness wants to set the record straight on rumors that have bubbled up in the midst of the Princess’s extended stay in her native South Africa.
“She didn’t leave Monaco in a huff!” Albert, 63, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “She didn’t leave because she was mad at me or at anybody else. She was going down to South Africa to reassess her Foundation’s work down there and to take a little time off with her brother and some friends. It was only supposed to be a weeklong, 10-day maximum stay, and [she is still there now] because she had this infection all these medical complications arose.”
Albert emphasizes, “She didn’t go into exile. It was absolutely just a medical problem which had to be treated.”
But as his wife’s time away from Monaco and their children — 6-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella — has gone on, it has sparked speculation about the state of the royals’ marriage. Now Albert now sees he “probably should have addressed” the rumors sooner.
“But I was concentrating on taking care of the kids,” he tells PEOPLE. “And I thought it would just probably go [away]. You know if you try to answer everything that comes out then you’re constantly [responding], you’re wasting your time.”
He does acknowledge that the chatter has taken its toll: “Of course it affects her, Of course it affects me. Misreading events is always detrimental. … We’re an easy target, easily hit, because we’re in the public eye a lot.”
Well, that’s interesting. Interesting that he addressed it at all, interesting that he’s flatly denying all of it. As I’ve made abundantly clear, I have no idea what’s really happening between them, but I feel strongly that a number of cover stories are being thrown out there. There’s just too much chatter about their marriage, about how much Monaco hates Charlene, about Charlene’s family purchasing new properties in South Africa. Something is happening behind the scenes. But is it what we think? Is it a separation or divorce? That I can’t say, honestly. I don’t believe Albert would be this direct in his denials if he truly believed a divorce announcement was about to happen.
Photos courtesy of Charlene’s Instagram.
I think there’s a big tangled mess of issues here. I do think their marriage has been “in name only” for some time but I also think she has had some severe health problems, possibly some emotional/psychological problems in the mix. Life can pile up on you. This year I lost my best friend of almost 50 years, Mr. Jaded had to be rushed to hospital after collapsing 3 times in one day (he’s type 1 diabetic), he’s been having some family problems related to his batshit crazy ex-wife who won’t leave us alone, and his daughter who won’t get vaccinated. I had to have surgery related to post-breast cancer complications and recovery has been painful and tiring. Life can suck and sometimes it gets the better of you.
Ugh, I’m so sorry Jaded.
im sorry youre dealing with this. Life can get crazy but things do get better!
Sending positive energy your way. I hope things get better for you.
Jaded I hope you and your husband heal and have peace and calm soon. You deserve it.
Sending you a big virtual hug.
Healing hugs & energy to you, Jaded.
Aw, Jaded, I appreciate your willingness to be so open with your pain. I wish nothing but the best from here on out.
That’s a lot to deal with Jaded, wishing you the best going forward.
It makes me wonder if this has been a lifelong issue she has dealt with and she went home to South Africa for treatment to continue her care with doctors who know her case well. I feel for her—medical stress is awful and effects everything in your life. —Also, that pic of her kids is STILL the best. The haircut her daughter gave herself is adorably normal for that age.
They look so very uncomfortable together. And she does not look well. Princess Gabriella, however, looks fierce!
She looks MISERABLE all the time,if this was a marriage just so he can have heirs,then he should let her be happy however she sees fit moving forward.
She looks so frail in those photos! I wonder if she is going through chemo or something else invasive and wanted to get out of the Monaco spotlight. This whole things seem weird. I don’t buy the infection thing. Something is being held back and she seems to be hiding her hair. I hope she is ok and can recover from whatever it is
That’s what I thought. I bet she is being treated for cancer.
Well, if she is, as the patient, it’s up to her how much or how little she wants to share with anyone.
Divorce or not, she is clearly ill – we should leave her alone to deal with her medical issues.
Those pictures show me that she is absolutely dealing with something serious. I don’t think she looks well and I think speculation about her should stop.
Didn’t Albert say after the Oprah interview that he was against talking about personal issues in the public? I guess he couldn’t stay silent anymore.
Was he silent, or silenced 😉?
Well he tried to silence Harry and Meghan with his comments. He should take his own advice.
Doesn’t seem like she’s in a hurry to get back to Monaco, regardless of health. She keeps delaying. They have excellent medical care in Monaco, just saying. Meanwhile, Paris Match has his son Alexandre,(one of the ex-girlfriends kids) on the cover and there is some shade toward Charlene in there. I remember when Albert was so self righteous toward Harry and Meghan, now look at him now, with an AWOL wife ( who may actually be seriously ill),kids popping up everywhere ( deny but can’t deny DNA), having to talk to People magazine and tabloid speculation; messy b*tch.
He’s also set himself up to be the ‘poor unexpecting father of two who obviously loved his wife’ if she says/does anything that leads to a divorce/separation. He went to a magazine himself, no “sources”, and said everything was fine. Poor man didn’t see it coming!
(But, according to his mother Charlene moved Albert’s black son’s room from the family wing to the employee wing, so she can stay in South Africa for all I care.)
Whatever the state of their marriage and relationship, Charlene appears to be ill and very fragile. I sincerely hope for her sake that it’s not life threatening. It would be horrible for her children to lose their mother at such a young age. These pictures are painful to look at and not because she and Albert look awkward together. Charlene looks very drained and week. I hope she recovers.
My heart broke when I saw these pics – she looks so hallow. I hope what ever is wrong heals quickly. I know divorce is never easy – especially with kids and add a royal marriage….I can’t even begin to imagine. It’s a confusing mess (this story) but there is no denying the fact that she looks unwell.
She is not well.
I don’t just mean a sinus snafu, I mean seriously unwell.
Did anyone else see the People Magazine article yesterday about Albert taking the kids to Ireland? That was what did it for me in terms of steering right back to knowing something is really really really wrong that extends beyond her medical issues. If Albert were actually a decently behaving human, he would have extended his stay in SA and let Charlene be with their children. Honestly she looks gravely ill and like someone who should not be left to deal with a medical crisis whilst her spouse takes the kids abroad elsewhere for a friendly public appearance. That was just chilling to see. Did anyone else notice this and wonder?
He has a Principality to run and Foreign visits to make . How long did you want him to stay as he is in charge
Monaco is not THAT big, it’s the size of Central Park. I’m sure it can run itself without Albert. It’s not like he’s Joe Biden neglecting his presidential duties of a major superpower country. And I think most people would be understanding if he took an extended leave of absence from his duties to go be with his wife. That is what a normal husband would do. Look at Harry and Meghan, they gave up far, far more for Meghan and Archie’s safety and Meghan wasn’t even physically sick (but mentally she wasn’t okay). We were all side eyeing Charlene in the beginning and her extended absence from Monaco but the recent photos prove she’s dealing with some serious health issues. So now it’s more suspicious for Albert to be away from his wife for months on end when she clearly is struggling apart from two brief visits with the kids.
When they announced she “collapsed,” my mind went straight to “suicide attempt.” I know that’s a dark theory and it’s probably not what happened, but my guess is if it did happen, they wouldn’t want that to be made public.
It’s Monaco, for heaven’s sake. I’m sure they have big money at stake, but like any big company, the man in charge will have backup. And no need to take the kids with him–they could have stayed with their mom and/or with nannies and/or with any number of uncles & aunties & cousins.
I think there is truth to all of these elements. Charlene is clearly genuinely ill. She doesn’t like Monaco and Monaco doesn’t like her back. Charlene and Albert have a marriage in name only, and she wants to leave. But I don’t think she will leave her very young children. If she hasn’t already, she’ll find a spot nearby in France and lead a quietly separate life until the kids are out of the nest, or at least old enough to understand.
I think she went to South Africa to get away from Albert’s latest scandal. But she got really sick there and was like — I’m not leaving my supportive environment here to go back and be miserably sick in Monaco. I think she’s going to hunker down there until she’s better (unless the ENT infection is a cover for an even worse illness) and then she’ll go back to Monaco. But she’ll probably also develop a fervor for her Foundation’s work in South Africa and use it as an excuse to spend lots of time there from now on.
The recent comments by his former mistress ( the mother of his oldest son) and the reports that she and her son attended a high profile charity event that members of the Monaco royal family attended raised all kinds of questions. She has stayed out of the press all these years and now all of sudden while Charlene is away she’s attending events and talking to the press. Including talking about how her and Charlene had issues. IMO. That’s why he decided to address it now. It was so blatantly disrespectful. The situation is so concerning. Charlene looked so frail in those last pictures.
The mother of his oldest son is not a former ‘mistress’. Why do people keep saying that? She’s his ex girlfriend. They were in a serious and very public relationship well before he even met Charlene.
He even asked his father if he could marry her but his father said no (guess why).
Yes she gets invited to events because they’re on friendly terms and she’s still the mother of his child. Their son is often with her when she attents these events.
The last one was for their sons 18 birthday party.
Why didn’t he marry her after his father died?
I’m always fascinated by the logistics of photos released by royals. The photo at the top was released to show how happy and fine everyone was, and she looks terrible. Neither happy nor fine.
Did they take many and that’s the best of the bunch? Is she like QEII and it’s one and done? Did Albert think he looks good, so who cares about her? I’m dying to sit in on the comms meeting where those things get decided.
Exactly. Who took these photos, anyway? I try to give people (royal or otherwise) a break on pictures that are obviously selfies or whatever. But these photos were taken by someone other than the four of them and they are awful. If this is as good as it gets for them, then all is not well.
I hope she’s okay. I feel bad speculating about any of this, but when they put these photos and stories out as proof that they’re all happy, you can’t help but wonder what is going on.
Women do leave their children. That is a possibility. If Charlene is desperate enough, she will. Witness Diana and Fergie’s moms. Letizia is the only royal wife who seems even remotely happy, despite all her challenges. It is a horrible job, especially in the age of social media.
Maxima seems happy (at least I hope- I stan!), but your point definitely stands. I’d never want that job, not matter how many jewels.
Nicole kidman is another example
As a physician, it looks like she’s had a stroke. Right facial weakness, left body weakness. Would explain potential deficits in balance and speech. Her arm is posed on that left side, no weight on left leg.
That third pic with her sitting you can really see it in her face. And I don’t follow the royals so I don’t know anything about her hair but that haircut…could be growout from having it shaved for a crani. She looks unwell.
edit: forgive, didn’t realize this just happened last week. I have no answer for that haircut but she definitely looks not right in the face.
Isabella, yes to everything you said. The children will be fine. Whatever ails poor Charlene, she MUST be able to stay in South Africa to deal with it. Her husband is a toxic man and he MUST release her from his bondage. I wish she could get really good people around her to fight for her to forever remain in S.A. I don’t care WHAT they say or HOW they do it. Just get that poor woman refuge in her home country. Please.
She is clearly very sick. It is time for this conversation to stop.,
Well look who wants to clear the air after what he said about Harry and Meghan Oprah interview. Albert the wandering snake should try to remember his own words
I’m a cancer patient—had a bone marrow transplant this year. I would bet dollars to donuts she is fighting cancer. The head coverings, the frailty. The layered clothing. It all adds up. And the kids can’t be vaccinated and that’s a covid risk for cancer patients. She’s probably safest with family in SA where she can isolate and recuperate.