Charlene of Monaco: why do they call her 'the sad princess'?

On the 23rd of June 2010, after several years of courtship, Prince Albert of Monaco and his partner, the young Charlene Lynette Wittstock, announced their engagement. So began the story of a woman whom the international press nicknamed "the sad princess."

The daughter of a sales executive and a retired swimming instructor, Charlene had a happy childhood dedicated to the world of sports. From a very young age, she competed professionally in swimming. According to some biographers, the strict regime of education and training during her childhood shaped the personality of today's Princess of Monaco.

Because of her background, Charlene's social skills were never her strongest mark. She was always training, and her coach was her best friend. This lack of a social life added to the South African belle's difficult arrival in Monaco's royal Grimaldi family.

The alleged infidelities of Alberto de Monaco have made Charlene feel "suffocated" in the small country, according to Vanity Fair.

Prince Albert has always had a very active love life. Before he knew Charlene, he had a child with one of his partners. They did not get married and the child remained 'hidden' for some time. Now she is known and seen in public with Albert. Her name is Jazmin Grace Grimaldi.

Besides the allegedly cool relationship between Charlene and Albert, there is also the Monaco public that the 'sad' princess has to deal with. Vanity Fair cites The Daily Beast in saying that "Charlene is not loved by Monégasques who see her as vulgar because she is the daughter of a computer programmer and a middle-class swimming instructor."

Charlene herself also pointed out that she had trouble connecting with the locals. "Since I arrived to Monaco," she told Tatler magazine, "I've only made a couple of friends." Monaco's jet set didn't welcome the former swimmer who had little or nothing to do with the Grimaldi glamour.

The in-laws are not helping either. "It is obvious that her sisters-in-law are not among her friends," Vanity Fair says. The magazine refers to Albert's sisters, Stephanie and Caroline of Monaco. "The princess turns to her brother Gareth and her sister-in-law Roisin. Settled in MonteCarlo, they form a kind of parallel court in the Palace and act as a break against the pressures to which she is subjected."

"That Caroline of Monaco and Charlene can't stand each other is not a secret," El País notes. "They don't hide it." The newspaper adds that "you can count on the fingers of one hand the times that they have been seen together in public."

"If one goes to an official act, the other finds an excuse not to go," the paper adds." Even if it is a family wedding." This happened at Pierre Casiraghi's wedding with Beatrice Borromeo. "Caroline is a silent authority in the family and the Principality," El País concludes.

Yet, most media agree that the two children of Albert and Charlene, the little twins Jacques and Gabrielle, have become a breath of fresh air in the sometimes overwhelming Monaco for Princess Charlene.

The children are first and second in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne. Although Gabrielle was born before her brother Jacques, he will be the future prince of Monaco by Salic Law. The twins have managed to make their mother smile again in public.

"I'm lucky and I thank God every day for having a happy husband and two healthy children," Charlene of Monaco told Paris Match.

While the children bring out the more positive side of the sad princess, she admitted to the French magazine Point de Vue that motherhood is sometimes not easy. Not even for a princess.

"There are mornings when they sleep more than normal and others when they wake up too early," she said.

"It's true that children are full of life, but there comes a point when I think they may have too much energy for their age," she adds.

What else does Princess Charlene do to escape her day-to-day routines? She takes refuge in religion, Vanity Fair reports. It seems to be the place "where she finds the peace she needs."

Charlene seems to be more relaxed when she greets the nuns or meets with the Pope. "She spends long hours conversing with Father Bill, her friend and spiritual guide," Vanity Fair says. "Many are impressed by her devotion." However, it is a spiritual peace that seems to disappear as soon as Charlene of Monaco has to return to the Palace.

In the hours leading up to her wedding to Albert of Monaco in 2011 there was talk of several escape attempts by the bride. But in the end, she stayed and said "yes, I do."

What's bothering the Monegasque princess? While she appears to hold steady in her position and has fun with her children, Charlene's role as a monarch continues to be marked by a sense of melancholy.

Sometimes, she seems happy to show an edgy personal side. Charlene can be somewhat boyish and rebellious, it seems. At a Christmas event in 2020, she appeared with a half-shaved head - a look that one might expect from a punk rocker rather than a Monegasque princess.

According to the Daily Mail, it was a sign that the princess may feel more and more liberated to show her own style without asking the palace for permission.