Star battle for Prince Albert: why the sister of the monarch of Monaco became the enemy of the “crying princess” Charlene

Prince Albert II Grimaldi, Duke of Valentinois, married at the age of 53, and before that he went through brides and did not deny himself anything, becoming a stepfather twice. In addition, the mother of his youngest natural son Eric Alexander, dark-skinned flight attendant Nicole Coste, became a real problem for Charlene: the woman not only achieved a DNA test that recognized Albert’s paternity, but still does not give up and does what she can. to keep her place in the prince’s life.

Also read: All the illegitimate children of Grace Kelly’s son Prince Albert of Monaco: which one does his sad wife know about?

Perhaps if the lawful wife of the ruler of Monaco found support in his family, it would change the balance of power. But, unfortunately, based on her appearance alone, Charlene has made herself a powerful foe. And it looks like the former member of the South African Olympic swimming team will not win this competition.

The heir’s marriage to Wittstock broke the heart of the eldest daughter of the late ruler of Monaco Prince Rainier and movie star Grace Kelly. Princess Caroline, now 66, felt she had lost her role as First Lady, which she had enjoyed for many years when her brother was a bachelor. And it’s not about Charlene’s personality – any woman in her position would cause Caroline displeasure.

But it was Wittstock who found herself in the cruel chaos of her loving husband’s dark past and her noble sister-in-law’s antipathy. And it seems that she cannot cope with it at all – the princess leaves Monaco at every opportunity. She recovered in her native South Africa, “treated for exhaustion” in Switzerland, and now, as they say, does not live permanently with her husband and children, but only appears from time to time to perform ceremonial duties – in exchange for communication with the twins Jacques and Gabriella, who was born in 2014.

Caroline née Grimaldi is third in line to the throne of Monaco. In 1999, she married Prince Ernst August of Hanover and became Princess of Hanover. 10 years later, Caroline separated from her husband and returned to her homeland to officially represent the ruling house of Monaco, which has more influence and preferences than the German nobility.

Older sister Alberta has always been an important person, her role in the royal family came to the fore after the death of her mother Grace Kelly. Since 1982, Caroline has served as de facto First Lady of the Principality, first alongside her father Rainier III. and then with his brother.

“A miracle happened after Grace died,” said Prince Rainier. “Princess Caroline stepped into her mother’s shoes. She is strong like her mother. I am very satisfied with the way she handles the work assigned to her.”

After Rainier’s death in 2005, Albert ascended the throne – and his sister was always by his side. “I was brought up with a sense of duty, obedience, and guilt,” she said once. “What I needed to do was always more important than what I wanted.”

According to the European expert on the modern monarchy, Brittany Barger, firstly, Caroline has been used to being in the public eye since childhood, and secondly, she took on the role of first lady and all the responsibilities that came with this role. For a long time she was the only “official” woman besides Albert – and she handled both the pitfalls and the advantages of the position equally well.

And when Caroline needed to step into the background so Charlene could come to the fore, it caused tension in the family. “Albert took a long time to settle in, so maybe Caroline thought she’d have the lead role forever,” suggests Barger. “It should be noted that before Charlene, Caroline was first in line to the throne, followed by her children. Until Albert married Charlene and gave birth to twins, Caroline had a real chance of taking the throne.’

Insiders shared information about the mutual enmity of Caroline and Charlene literally from the day of the wedding: the palace was even forced to spread the information that in fact the two women became good friends and Charlene borrowed a bun from her sister-in-law. the bride’s hair (where brunette Caroline got her blonde bun and whether it was he who made Charlene cry at the altar is an open question). Of course, in rare joint appearances, the current and former first ladies did not grab each other’s hair, but they did not show signs of much love for each other.

The first years of Albert’s marriage gave hope – when the twins were born, Charlene seemed quietly happy. However, she soon continued her transformation into the “Nesmeyan princess”: Wittstock appeared increasingly lost and depressed at official events. One of the reasons for this confusion is undoubted: Nicole Costa tried her best to attract Albert’s attention, insisting that he communicate as much as possible with both her and her illegitimate son Alexander.

Also read: Attacks from the dark past: how the mother of Monaco prince’s natural child survived his legitimate wife Princess Charlene from the palace

And what was saddest for Charlene, the Grimaldi family accepted the boy and his mother into their fold. The younger sister of Alberta and Caroline, Princess Stephanie, became his godmother, Caroline’s children met the flight attendant’s son and began to maintain a family and friendly relationship with him.

In 2021, Wittstock’s nerves gave way. She went to South Africa, completely disappeared from the radar and reportedly contracted a complex infection that prevented her from choosing to return. This explanation was apparently stitched together by a white thread: Charlene had shaved half of her head before she disappeared, had lost a painful amount of weight, and was clearly suffering from serious psychological problems.

And Caroline once again found herself in the main roles – she returned not only to the functions of the first lady, but also helped Albert take care of Gabriella and Jacques. By the way, they immediately began to spend time in the company of the prince’s illegitimate children, Jasmine Grace and Eric Alexander. All this is unlikely to have contributed to poor Charlene’s speedy recovery…

However, the princess officially returned to Monaco in 2022. But it quickly became clear: this woman is broken. Formally, she remains the ruler’s wife and diligently appears in society, her every appearance attracting attention. The result is the same: Wittstock’s face is impenetrable, her body language telling of maximum distance from her husband and even more so from her sister-in-law, who also follows protocol at many important receptions. It seems that it could not be worse: when in August 2023 Eric Alexander gave an interview to the French press in honor of his 20th birthday and became indignant at being called the illegitimate son of Prince Albert, there was no comment from Monaco court. Both Albert and Caroline are happy with everything – but Charlene’s feelings don’t particularly concern them.

But she can rest easy, thanks to the laws passed by Prince Rainier, her son Jacques will definitely inherit the throne. But is it worth living in unhappiness and loneliness for so many years? We don’t know.

You can find even more interesting materials here telegram channel