Princess Charlene FINALLY reunites with Prince Albert and her children

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Princess Charlene of Monaco has finally reunited with her husband and children after almost three months apart – with her family flying out to be with her in South Africa as she recovers from a mystery operation. 

Charlene, 43, who was last seen in Monaco in January, shared professional photographs of their reunion on Instagram today saying she was ‘thrilled’ to have her family back. 

The family were last together at the start of June, when Albert and the children flew out to South Africa to be with Charlene. 

The princess, who is originally from Cape Town, has been in her home country for months after contracting a ‘serious sinus infection’. Two weeks ago she underwent a ‘four-hour operation under general anaesthesia’, although it was not made clear whether this was linked to the sinus infection.  

Today she shared a series of photos cuddled up with her kids in South Africa with the caption: ‘I am so thrilled to have my family back with me (Gabriella decided to give herself a haircut!!!) Sorry my Bella I tried my best to fix it,’ referring to her daughter’s choppy fringe.

Albert and six-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella will stay with former Olympic swimmer Charlene while she recovers, the palace previously announced, although it is not clear how long their stay will be, but the princess will not return to Monaco until at least the end of October.

The absence of Charlene from Monaco, which has involved missing a string of high-profile events, has led to speculation around the state of her marriage, after news emerged that Albert is facing a paternity suit over a love child born in the early years of their relationship.

In recent weeks, lifestyle magazines across Europe have speculated feverishly that the royal couple could be headed for divorce.

Charlene has been in South Africa since at least March, with media reports suggesting she is looking for a house there. 

The prince, who already supports two illegitimate children, is alleged to have been in a relationship with a Brazilian woman which resulted in a daughter in 2005.

The claim, which his lawyers dismissed as a ‘hoax’, is particularly painful as he was dating Charlene at the time, having met in 2000.

However, Charlene has publicly supported her husband, and the palace have reiterated she is only in South Africa because she’s unable to fly.

On August 13, the Monaco palace released a statement saying Charlene was to undergo surgery. 

It read: ‘Princess Charlene will undergo an operation today, Friday, August 13, for four hours under general anaesthesia. 

On June 3, Charlene shared photograph of her family on safari in South Africa as her twins and husband flew to South Africa to celebrate her niece Avia’s fifth birthday. 

In a snap showing the last time they were seen together, Albert, Jacques and Gabriella, were joined in an open top car by Charlene’s brother Sean Wittstock, 37, and his children. She captioned it with a simple heart emoji. 

In earlier snaps,  the family gathered around a birthday cake with Sean, his wife Chantell, 34, their eldest son Raigen, 7, and the birthday girl. 

‘Happy 5th Birthday, Aiva! Love, Auntie Charlene,’ she wrote. 

‘Prince Albert and their children, Crown Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella will join her during her recovery period.’ 

The princess will not return to Monaco until at least the end of October. 

Princess Charlene, who has been well enough to conduct interviews from South Africa and has been seen out and about, has used the time to promote her anti-poaching initiative, Chasing Zero 

Charlene’s last formal engagement was on January 27 when she joined Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monte Carlo. She has not been seen at home since. 

Instead she has been keeping followers updated through social media posts and media interviews, in which she has spoken candidly about missing her children and described her husband as ‘her rock’.  

Speaking to South Africa Radio 702’s host Mandy Wiener last week, the royal said: ‘[It’s] very frustrating, terribly frustrating. I can’t wait to get back to them, I can’t wait to see my children.’

Charlene revealed: ‘It’s the longest period I’ve actually been away from Europe, let alone my children, but I’m FaceTiming them most days and they’ve been here and will be returning to see me again after my procedure.

‘It’s an amazing opportunity [to be here] but I’m very sad I can’t be with my children this summer in Europe.’

She added that she was initially only supposed to be in her native South Africa for ten to 12 days for a conservation trip with her Princess Charlene of Monaco foundation.

However, the royal had a problem ‘equalising her ears’ and was told by a doctor that she was suffering from a serious sinus infection.

‘It’s taken time to address the problem that I’m having,’ explained Charlene. ‘I cannot go into full detail, but I cannot force healing so I will be grounded in South Africa until the end of October.

‘The reason being I cannot fly above 3,000 metres otherwise I’ll have a problem with my ears.

‘I feel well, I feel good, it’s just obviously a waiting game for me, but I’ve had a great opportunity to understand a little bit more about South Africa, the environment, the needs and it’s been wonderful to be back in South Africa, and I think at this time it’s crucial that people are aware of certain things via my foundation.’

Charlene joined the video interview from bush country in the KwaZulu-Natal region.

She has also shared videos released by the Monaco royal palace to mark her and Albert’s 10th wedding anniversary, which took place in July. The couple spent the milestone thousands of miles apart.   

But royal sources have suggested the princess has ‘no plans’ to return soon. 

A palace source told Paris Match: ‘The Princess has, for the time being, in reality, no intention of returning.’

The separation is also affecting Charlene’s relationship with the people of Monaco.

Stéphane Bearn, easily the most high-profile and trusted Royal commentator in France, uses an impeccably sourced piece in the latest Paris Match to discuss the torturous separation.

He describes subjects in Monaco becoming increasingly angry about their runaway Princess, as they criticise everything from Charlene’s mood swings to her appearance.

‘In Monaco, since the departure of Charlene, tongues have loosened,’ Mr Bearn writes.

‘In the whirlwind of a hard-nosed court, her fine shine is rubbing off. Her sad looks are regarded as haggard.

‘Disappointed Monegasques talk about her anger, her whimsical moods, which are as changeable as her hair.’

Referring to the couple’s twins, who until now have remained in Monaco with their nannies, Mr Bearn writes: ‘The Palace had to invoke a suffering Princess so often that the Monegasques today find it hard to believe.

‘By crying wolf, the mother of Jacques and Gabriella would have discredited and isolated herself.’   

During her trip, Charlene also debuted a dramatic new shaved hairstyle.

She showcased the ‘French crop’ hairdo – featuring a longer strip on top of the head and dramatically shaved back and sides – in snaps shared on her charity’s Instagram page in late May.

The royal first stepped out with a dramatic half-shaved head in December 2020 but has since gone even shorter and bolder with the cut. 

Charlene and Albert’s marriage has been plagued with rumours from the start.

The couple met at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo in 2000, announced their engagement in 2010.

Former Olympic swimmer Charlene reportedly tried to flee Monaco for her native South Africa on three separate occasions before the royal wedding after discovering Albert had allegedly fathered a love child – his third – while they were together.   

Monaco officials were said to have coaxed her back by brokering a deal between the Prince and his reluctant bride, saying she could leave once she had provided him with a legitimate heir. 

One source said at the time: ‘Charlene will provide an heir, then if things don’t go well, she will receive a generous divorce settlement once she’s served a decent amount of time.’ 

Charlene was seen in floods of tears on her wedding day in 2011. 

Just one year after their wedding, it was reported that Charlene was ‘depressed’ at her failure to provide her husband with a legitimate heir. 

Her pregnancy was announced in May 2014, and in December that year she gave birth to twins Princess Gabriella and heir to the throne Prince Jacques. 

In the 10 years since, Charlene has rarely spoken publicly of her experience. 

In 2017, the Princess made an emotional return to Africa, where she spoke about how much the continent means to her.

‘I am African and this is my heritage. It will always be. It’s in my heart and in my veins,’ she told Eyewitness News.

Last year she admitted life was ‘very painful’, saying: ‘I have the privilege of having this life, but I miss my family and my friends in South Africa and I’m often sad because I cannot always be there for them.’

It’s been a tumultuous start to the year for the royal, after news emerged that her husband is facing a paternity suit over a love child born in the early years of their relationship.  

The 34-year-old claimant – who cannot be named for legal reasons – says she had a passionate affair with Albert, leading to the birth of their daughter – whose name is also classified – on July 4, 2005.  

Albert received a handwritten letter from the child, who is now 15, in September last year reading: ‘I don’t understand why I grew up without a father, and now that I have found you, you don’t want to see me.’

Legal papers were also filed, as lawyers for the claimant called on Albert to undergo a DNA test – just as he did before finally being identified as the father of two illegitimate children born in the 1990s and early 2000s.

In January, Charlene spoke publicly for the first time since the allegations, telling Point de Vue: ‘When my husband has problems, he tells me about it. I often tell him, “No matter what, no matter what, I’m a thousand percent behind you. I’ll stand by you whatever you do, in good times or in bad.”

The mother-of-two went on to say she also often tells her husband she will ‘protect him’ and will ‘always be by his side.’

Charlene, who was raised in South Africa and represented the country at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, travelled to Thanda Safari in KwaZulu-Natal in January to learn more about being done by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa to help save rhinos from poachers. 

The princess took part in conservation operations including rhino monitoring and tracking, deployment with the Anti-Poaching Unit, educational wildlife photography sessions, and a White Rhino dart and dehorning exercise.