The battle for Prince Albert: why the sister of the sovereign 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 wives and did not deny himself anything, twice becoming a father on the side. In addition, the mother of her youngest natural son Eric Alexander, dark-skinned flight attendant Nicole Coste, turned into a real problem for Charlene: the woman not only passed a DNA test that recognized Albert’s paternity, but she still does not give up, doing her best. to maintain his place in the prince’s life.

Read also: All the illegitimate children of Prince Albert of Monaco, son of Grace Kelly: which of them does his sad wife know?

Perhaps if the legal wife of the ruler of Monaco could find support in her family, it would change the balance of power. But, alas, by the very fact of her appearance, Charlene established herself as a powerful villain. 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 hearts of the eldest daughter of the late ruler of Monaco, Prince Rainier, and film star Grace Kelly. Princess Caroline, now 66, feels she has lost her role as First Lady, which she held for many years while her brother was single. And it’s not about Charlene’s personality: any woman in her place would have caused Caroline’s displeasure.

But it was Wittstock who found herself in cruel disaster because of her loving husband’s dark past and the antipathy of her high-born sister-in-law. And, it seems, she cannot cope with it at all – at every opportunity the princess leaves Monaco. She recovered in her native South Africa, was “treated for exhaustion” in Switzerland and, as they say, no longer lives permanently with her husband and children, but only appears occasionally to carry out tasks ceremonial – in exchange for communication. with twins Jacques and Gabriella 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 native country to officially represent the ruling house of Monaco, which had more influence and preferences than the German nobility.

Older sister Alberta has always been an important person and her role in the royal family became evident after the death of her mother Grace Kelly. Since 1982, Caroline has been de facto first lady of the principality, first alongside her father Rainier III then her brother.

“After Grace died, a miracle happened,” Prince Rainier said. “Princess Caroline put herself in her mother’s place. She is as strong as her mother. The way she handles the work entrusted to her gives me great satisfaction.

After Rainier’s death in 2005, Albert ascended the throne and his sister is still at his side. “I was raised with a sense of duty, obedience and guilt. » she once said. “What I had to do was always more important than what I wanted to do. »

According to the European expert on the modern monarchy Brittany Barger, Caroline, on the one hand, has been accustomed to being in the public eye since childhood, and on the other hand, she has taken on the role of first lady and all the responsibilities who as a result. For a long time, she was the only “official” woman besides Albert – and she endured both the blows and the advantages of this position.

And when Caroline had to take a back seat so that Charlène could come forward, it caused tension in the family. “It took a long time for Albert to settle in, so maybe Caroline thought she would have the lead role forever,” Barger suggests. » It must be remembered that before Charlene, Caroline was first in line to the throne, followed by her children. Until Albert married Charlene and had twins, Caroline had a real chance of ascending the throne.

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

The early years of Albert’s marriage provided hope: when the twins were born, Charlene looked serenely happy. However, she soon continues her transformation into “Princess Nesmeyana”: Wittstock seems increasingly lost and depressed during official events. One of the reasons for this confusion is beyond doubt: Nicole Costa did her best to capture Albert’s attention and insisted that he communicate as much as possible with her and with her illegitimate son Alexander.

Read also: The dark attacks of the past: how the mother of the Prince of Monaco’s illegitimate child survives his legitimate wife, Princess Charlene, from the palace

And, saddest for Charlène, the Grimaldi family accepted the boy and his mother among them. Albert and Caroline’s younger sister, Princess Stéphanie, became his godmother; Caroline’s children met the son of a flight attendant and began to maintain a family and friendly relationship with him.

In 2021, Wittstock’s nerves gave way. She traveled to South Africa, completely disappeared from the radar and, as was reported, contracted a complex infection that left her unable to decide to return. This explanation, apparently, was sewn with white thread: before her disappearance, Charlène had shaved half of her head, had lost a painful amount of weight and was clearly suffering from serious psychological problems.

And Caroline again found herself in the main roles – she not only took over the duties of the first lady, but also helped Albert take care of Gabriella and Jacques. Moreover, they immediately began spending time in the company of the prince’s illegitimate children, Jasmine Grace and Eric Alexander. It is unlikely that all this contributed to poor Charlene’s speedy recovery…

However, the princess officially returned to Monaco in 2022. But it quickly became obvious: this woman is broken. Formally, she remains the wife of the ruler and diligently appears in society, and attention is riveted on each of her appearances. The result is the same: Wittstock’s face is inscrutable, her body language demonstrates maximum detachment from her husband and, even more so, from her sister-in-law, who also follows protocol at many important receptions. It would seem that it couldn’t be worse: when in August 2023 Eric Alexander gave an interview to the French press on the occasion of his 20th birthday and was indignant at being called the illegitimate son of Prince Albert, he did not There was no comment from the Monegasque. court. Both Albert and Caroline are happy with everything, but Charlene’s feelings don’t particularly concern them.

She can, however, remain calm, thanks to the laws adopted by Prince Rainier, her son Jacques will definitively inherit the throne. But is it worth living so many years in unhappiness and, in fact, loneliness? We do not know.

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