Princess Charlene and Prince Albert share intimate moment in behind-the-scenes anniversary photo
Princess Charlene marked 13 years of marriage with Prince Albert II of Monaco on Monday 1 July.
While the royal couple did not share any throwback photos from their three-day wedding to honour the special occasion, they did post an intimate picture of themselves on the official Palais Princier de Monaco Instagram account.
It showed Grace Kelly's son tenderly placing his arm on the small of his wife's back as he smiled at her during a balcony appearance with their twin children. Charlene wore a knitted grey bodycon dress with a wraparound bodice while Princess Gabriella rocked a white frock and Prince Jacques wore a dark jacket which could just be seen as he stood in front of his mother.
"Happy Wedding Anniversary to Their Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene. Photo credit: Eric Mathon / Princier Palace," the caption read.
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The family photo was taken during Prince Albert's 66th birthday celebrations in March. They held a special event on the Palace Square where thousands of people came to wish the royal a happy birthday.
Royal wedding
Former Olympic swimmer Princess Charlene (née Wittstock), then 22, met Prince Albert II of Monaco, then 42, at the Mare Nostrum International Swimming Meet in Monaco in 2000, but they didn't go public with their relationship until six years later.
The couple announced their engagement on 23 June 2010 and kicked off their wedding weekend on 30 June 2011 with an Eagles concert, where Charlene wore an unconventional powder blue bridal outfit.
They then tied the knot in a civil ceremony on 1 July inside the Prince's Palace's Throne Room, followed by a religious ceremony.
After wedding photos emerged of Charlene dabbing tears from her eyes, she opened up about her emotional wedding day and shut down any rumours of unhappiness.
Charlene said in an interview with The Times: "Everything was just so overwhelming and there were all the mixed emotions because of the rumours, and obviously the tension built up and I burst into tears [immediately after the ceremony].
"And then I burst into tears some more because I was thinking 'Oh no, now the whole world has seen me cry"'.
She went on to add: "It was such a wonderful three days. Even months afterwards I would get flashbacks and think, 'Oh, my goodness, did I really have the Eagles playing at my wedding?' I think back and wonder how we managed to pull it off."
The royal bride wore an Armani wedding dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline, 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl teardrops.
Georgio Armani's niece Roberta spoke to Vogue about designing the "sophisticated" dress. "My uncle wanted to make sure the dress was timeless and sophisticated," she said. "Charlene is blessed with an amazing body and spectacular shoulders, which is a fantastic base for any dress. The shade of ivory we chose suits her skin so well."
Monaco royal family
Charlene and Albert welcomed twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella in December 2014.
Shortly after their birth, Charlene gushed about her kids in an interview with Paris Match. "What I can tell you is that they are both very active and very expressive. They are beautiful, adorable, I'm crazy in love with them," the doting mother said.
She added: "I look forward to spending more time in their presence. Watching them grow is wonderful. It changes lives forever."
Jacques and Gabriella often join their parents for public appearances, even choosing to wear coordinating outfits. Just cast your mind back to Monaco National Day in 2023 when Charlene and Gabriella wore almost identical blue and red coat dresses and hats for proof!
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