Princess Charlene spent the better part of six months in South Africa last year, dealing with what sounded like a very rough ENT infection. There were rumors that other things were happening, of course, like a possible separation between Charlene and Prince Albert, and reports that Charlene was buying real estate in South Africa to live there permanently. Finally, around November 8th, Charlene returned to Monaco. Quickly, people saw that she was still physically unwell, and less than two weeks later, Albert told the world that Charlene was seeking treatment somewhere in Europe. Albert made it sound like he and the Wittstock family did some kind of intervention, and there were mixed reports about just what was still happening to Charlene. So, she was sent away and we only got a handful of vague updates over the past four months. Now it seems that Charlene is back home in Monaco?
Monaco’s Princess Charlene is back in Monaco. The 44-year-old royal mother returned to the principality and reunited with her family earlier this week, PEOPLE has exclusively learned.
A statement issued by the palace late Saturday afternoon confirmed that the mother of twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella has returned home and will continue her “convalescence in the Principality with her husband and her children by her side.”
Charlene has been receiving care in a Swiss clinic since November. Her return to Monaco after four months, in consultation with her physicians, is a result of her “encouraging recovery,” according to the palace communication sent to PEOPLE.
The Princess is expected to resume her official duties gradually and only after several weeks of continuing care and repose. The Palace statement indicates that her return to public appearances and commitments will occur “as soon as her health is strong enough. The communique restates the Princess looks forward to once again spending time and socializing with the Monegasques.”
As with previous announcements concerning the Princess’ health, the palace communication includes a request for continued respect for family privacy (It also notes that Charlene and Albert “have the joy of sharing the following information”).
The Princess, the press statement concludes, “still needs peace and calm, The Princely Couple therefore asks that their private life and family environment continue to be respected.”
It sounds… okay. It sounds like she’s doing better but she’s not ready to undertake duties or make public appearances. Which is to be expected, and honestly… pre-2021, it’s not like Charlene was working constantly anyway. We usually only saw her once every few months. I wonder if she’s at the Prince’s Palace or Roc Agel, the “country home”? I wonder if we’ll see her any time soon? Hm. I hope she gets to spend some time with the kids.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
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- Princess Charlene of Monaco, Prince Albert II of Monaco stand at the Palace balcony during the Monaco National Day Celebrations on November 19, 2019 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco USA, OZ, NZ, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, AND CHINA ONLY Photograph: © CRYSTAL/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 540985332, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: USA, OZ, NZ, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, AND CHINA ONLY – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: CRYSTAL/PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Princess Charlene of Monaco arrives at the Cathedral for the annual traditional Thanksgiving Mass as part of Monaco’s National Day celebrations at Cathedral Notre-Dame on November 19th, 2019 in Monaco. USA, OZ, NZ, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, AND CHINA ONLY Photograph: © CRYSTAL/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 540985387, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: USA, OZ, NZ, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, AND CHINA ONLY – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: CRYSTAL/PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Princess Gabriella of Monaco and Princess Charlene of Monaco attend the Fete de la Saint Jean on June 23, 2020 in Monaco, Monaco. USA, OZ, NZ, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, AND CHINA ONLY Photograph: © CRYSTAL/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 563920407, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: USA, OZ, NZ, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, AND CHINA ONLY – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: CRYSTAL / Avalon
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- Prince Albert II of Monaco with his children Princess Gabriella of Monaco and Prince Jacques of Monaco appear at the Palace balcony during the Monaco National Day Celebrations on November 19, 2021 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.,Image: 643960190, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Olivier Huitel / Avalon
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- H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, H.S.H. Prince Jacques of Monaco, H.S.H. Princess Gabriella attend the Sainte Devote procession from the Palace balcony. On January 27, 2022.,Image: 656876001, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Olivier Huitel / Avalon
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- Princess Charlene of Monaco, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Princess Gabriella of Monaco and Prince Jacques of Monaco stand at the Palace balcony during the Monaco National Day Celebrations on November 19, 2019 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco USA, OZ, NZ, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, AND CHINA ONLY Photograph: © CRYSTAL/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com
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- Princess Charlene of Monaco and Prince Albert II of Monaco with their children Princess Gabriella of Monaco and Prince Jacques of Monaco greet the crowd from the palace balcony during the Sainte Devote Ceremony. Sainte devote is the patron saint of The Principality Of Monaco and France’s Mediterranean Corsica island. on January 27, 2020 in Monaco, Monaco USA, OZ, NZ, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN, AND CHINA ONLY Photograph: © CRYSTAL/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com
This poor woman. She seems so unhappy and has had health problems that kept her from her children, for months on end.
I can’t even snark about it. I hope she has some true happiness in her life very soon.
Yes, amen to that.
I wonder if she had Covid. The way she could barely walk reminds me of some healthy people I’ve seen post Covid, who got too winded to walk far. I’ve heard there are clinics in Switzerland that treat post Covid for those who can afford it.
Oh good theory! That would match with the whole, ear nose throat thing, and being isolated, and not being able to travel etc
No, why we wouldn’t they just say that then? There’s no shame in having Covid.
Whatever her issues are, it would be difficult enough for a private citizen to manage a long, complex recovery, but for a high profile, public figure (who’s already the object of inordinate curiosity and gossip) to navigate and balance the public/private demands would be unreal. I feel for Charlene and hope she comes through this intact.
I agree. Charlene has experienced such vitriol years. How she is able to stand with dignity and grace when she is seen must be incredibly taxing, though we have seen her mask slip a few time. Though I think PA cares for her, his is based on ownership and control, must IMO. I hope that PA at least allow her to spend as much time as she can with her children now that she is at home.
“Ownership and control” — exactly. Charlene’s a prisoner, albeit in a cushy prison. They’ve taken away her access to SM so she’s silenced. Her family is complicit in PA’s controlling her every move. I hope to god he’s not also controlling her access to her children, but I know that’s futile. Of *course* he’s controlling her time with the children — protecting them from the emotional upheaval of seeing their mom in such a fragile state. It’s terribly sad.
Re-programming, not treatment, more likely. I believe HE’S the problem, not her. See her eyes downcast in the first pic?
And she’s also standing slightly behind him in shadow and clutching his arm. Portrait of the shadow wife, a very telling photo.
In all of her photo’s, she looks incredibly sad. It makes my heart hurt for Charlene. She deserves to be happy but PA has other plans for her.
I hate DST. I have read that for some people it takes the entire period of the the following adjustment to recover for the body to conform and there is a tremendous increase of heart attacks the following Monday. 😳
What is DST?
Daylight Savings Time. I don’t mind setting clocks back in the fall, but “spring ahead” makes me out of sorts for that first week.
She reminds me a lot of the Japanese empress Masako who spent over a decade out of the public eye. The pressure to produce a male heir because the Imperial Family is so antiquated and being forced to give up a promising diplomatic career were the cause of so many mental health issues. I’m honestly surprised she stayed married to her husband. Maybe they truly love each other. I think Masako occasionally comes out for events but it’s very limited and they are careful not to overdo it.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the same with Charlene. She’ll come out once in a blue moon for public appearances but will spend most of the time in private with her kids. I do wonder if she’ll divorce Albert when the kids are 18. The kids will be mostly free to do whatever they want by that time and Charlene can go wherever she wants, whether it’s back to South Africa or somewhere else in Europe.
Why in the world does Albert have a queen who has to be held captive not to flee? WTF is wrong with him and his institution? I don’t think Grace was happy in Monaco either. She wasn’t allowed to make movies anymore, gained a lot of weight, became diabetic and died young (52). For all the talk of poor Judy Garland dying young (47), Grace died just 5 years older. I think they were both unhappy for different reasons. Kate is practically hanging on by her teeth to keep her marriage intact. My idea is this: Kate should divorce William and marry Albert. Why? No matter how bad it is to be married to a royal in Monaco, Kate and Carole will do everything in their power to make it work. Then Charlene obtains her release. I’m not sure what will happen with the 2 sets of children, but that can be negotiated. Free Charlene!
I love this theory. Kate married the wrong Royal.
This has been one of the strangest stories to follow. This poor woman has been through something so awful. As much as I hope she can rest and recover, I absolutely believe we will see her return to duties at some point. She was dragged out looking awful and sent away again for months. What’s the point of even saying that she’s back in Monaco, unless it’s to eventually have her make one public appearance? She has looked awful for months. I honestly felt like she probably had cancer….maybe throat cancer or some other oral cancer. We may never know what was truly going on, but I hope she is truly well and wish her all the best.
Albert gives me an off-the-scales case of creeps. Every photo he’s radiating cruelty and menace. Serious vibes of gleeful sadism. In that first photo he looks like a Nazi death camp commander who really enjoys his job. I worry for Charlene.
That is an inappropriate comparison to say the least.
I read somewhere that her ENT issues and because of surgery, she couldn’t swallow. She had trouble swallowing, thus eating and drinking. That is major. I don’t know why it wasn’t reported more widely.
Those poor children!
She could’ve developed a balance issue as part of the ENT problems. A friend had that and his lack of balance profoundly changed him. He couldn’t leave his house. He became depressed and paranoid, and doctors were baffled. He met a doctor while taking an infrequent walk and this guy suggested it might be a ‘rock slide’ in his inner ear. The fix was simple in the end, but that was a year of his life dealing with crippling vertigo.
I hope she and her family find health and happiness together after her extremely rough year.
And, as an aside — they have the cutest kids. Both of them have such personality!