Rumors of a troubled marriage have surrounded Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene since the pair first tied the knot well over a decade ago in 2011.
From tears on the wedding day to a rumor claiming Albert paid his wife to stick around, here’s a peek inside the troubled marriage of Monaco’s monarchs.
The Prince of Monaco
In the early 2000s, Prince Albert II, the head of Monaco’s monarchy, met his future wife, Charlene Wittsock.
In the beginning, their relationship was a bit hush-hush. But eventually, word got out, and the couple got married several years later, in 2011. However, everything wasn’t perfect for the royals in Monaco.
Problems Begin to Arise for the Couple
It appears relationship problems between Prince Albert II and his wife, Charlene, began to arise before the pair tied the knot.
One rumor, according to Tatler, suggests the princess had planned to call off the wedding altogether.
Child Conceived Out of Wedlock
Rumors in France at the time, according to The Daily Mail, suggest that Albert had conceived a child out of wedlock a few years after they began dating.
This rumor probably gained momentum because Albert fathered two children before marriage. Jazmin Grace Grimaldi was born in the U.S. in 1992. Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste was born in 2003. In July 2005, just before he was crowned, Albert confirmed Alexandre was his.
Tears on the Wedding Day
The royal wedding eventually went ahead in the summer of 2011 and was split over three days. On the third and final day, a religious ceremony took place in which Charlene wore an elegant Armani dress embedded with over 40,000 diamonds.
However, it wasn’t the dress that caught the media’s attention. Instead, it was Charlene, who was photographed crying on several occasions.
Charlene Brushes Off the Rumors
Charlene later cleared the air surrounding the tears, claiming the ceremony had just gotten to her.
“Everything was just so overwhelming, and there were all the mixed emotions because of the rumors, and obviously the tension built up, and I burst into tears,” she said, per The Daily Mail.
The Princess Travels Back to South Africa
In early 2021, Charlene traveled back to her home nation of South Africa to carry out philanthropic work.
Not long after arriving, the princess contracted an infection and was ultimately forced to remain in the country to have surgery.
Missing the Wedding Anniversary
Months after having arrived in South Africa, the Princess of Monaco remained there. After missing her 10th wedding anniversary, rumors began circulating that marital problems were behind her extended stay.
After almost one year away from Prince Albert, Charlene eventually returned to Monaco in November 2021. Yet, she was absent from her husband’s side during the National Day of Monaco just 10 days later
Princess Again Squashes Any Rumors of Marital Problems
Halfway through the following year, Charlene spoke with the Monaco-Matin newspaper and tried to clear up any rumors.
She said she was “very happy to be back home in Monaco and with my family” (via Tatler).
Rumors of Separation in 2023
According to The Daily Mail, the French magazine Royauté reported that Prince Albert and Princess Charlene’s marriage had hit rock bottom in 2023, and the pair was living apart.
Albert was said to be living with their twin children in Monaco. Meanwhile, Charlene was said to have been living in Switzerland.
Palace Calls News a Hoax
In the wake of the rumors, Monaco’s palace was forced to release a statement to “formally deny the malicious rumors peddled by the magazine.”
The statement continued, “I would like to formally deny the malicious rumors peddled by the French magazine Royauté. Please disregard this article, which is totally unfounded.”
Paid to Stay
In January 2024, rumors again began circulating from French media that claimed the prince had been paying his wife a large sum of money to remain with him, according to Mercury News.
According to French magazine Voici, Albert paid his wife over $12 million to remain at his side (via Mercury News). As things stand, it appears the troubled couple are happy with the way things are, and neither will be filing for divorce anytime soon.
