Princess Charlene and Prince Albert's love story: how they met, relationship issues and twin children
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene had their love on full display on Saturday when they attended the annual Monegasque picnic, a picnic hosted by the Monaco City Hall for citizens of the principality and their spouses.
The royal couple are frequent attendees to the yearly event and we couldn't help but think of their love story as we saw the sweet pictures from the event. The duo initially met in 2000, before starting dating five years later and going official with their relationship at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
However, it has not been plain sailing for the couple throughout their relationship. Charlene spent an extended time away from her husband and children in 2021 after she came down with a long-term ear nose throat (ENT) infection, which prevented her leaving South Africa, where she had been on a trip. Upon her return to the country, Charlene checked herself into a medical facility before rejoining the family in 2022.
And in 2023, the couple formally denied "the malicious rumours" that they were separating after almost 12 years of marriage.
Chart the couple's love-story below...
First meeting
The royal met Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock at the Mare Nostrum swimming meet in Monaco in 2000 and made their public debut as a couple at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
In an interview with Paris Watch during the 2024 Olympics, Albert confessed of their first meeting: "I don't know if we fell in love back then. You know, after that, I didn't see Charlene again for several years. I thought that she was an excellent swimmer and that she was friendly, cheerful, and approachable."
In an interview with Vogue, Charlene said: "Our first public appearance was at the Turin Olympic Games in 2006. Albert put me at ease. It was clear that we shared the same passions; we both became very emotional watching the athletes. Sport is the common denominator of our lives."
Wedding day
The couple announced their engagement in 2010 and their wedding in July 2011 made headlines around the world.
The three-day celebrations began with a concert on 30 June 2011 by classic rockers the Eagles and ended with a lavish reception on 2 July attended by the guests, who ranged from the Monaco royal family to Prince Edward, with wife Sophie, and Naomi Campbell.
A day after their civil ceremony, Charlene and Albert were married in a Roman-Catholic ceremony on July 2 in the presence of global celebrities and various heads of state.
Charlene was the epitome of sophistication donning an off-the-shoulder Armani Privé silk gown, which took three seamstresses 2,500 hours to make.
Twin children
Princess Charlene gave birth to twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, on 10 December 2014 at The Princess Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco.
Despite being younger than his twin sister, Prince Jacques is the heir apparent to the Monegasque throne as the crown passes according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture.
Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques also have two half-siblings. Albert fathered Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, born in 1992, with real estate agent Tamara Rotolo. She was confirmed as Prince Albert's daughter in 2006 when she was almost 16 years old. He had previously said he wanted to protect her identity until she was an adult.
He also confirmed he was the biological father of Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, born in 2003, whose mother is Nicole Coste, a former Air France flight attendant from Togo, in May 2005, just before he was enthroned as Prince of Monaco.
Neither Jazmin nor Alexandre are in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne as their parents never married.
Relationship issues
After spending months apart, including on their ten-year wedding anniversary, rumours spread that the royals were hitting marital difficulties.
Setting the record straight, Albert told PEOPLE: "She [Charlene] didn't leave Monaco in a huff! She didn't leave because she was mad at me or at anybody else. It was only supposed to be a weeklong, ten-day maximum stay, and [she is still there now] because she had this infection all these medical complications arose."
Charlene reunited with her family in March 2022 and the Monaco royals have been going strong ever since.
