Princess Charlene of Monaco and Prince Albert made an appearance at Monaco’s annual picnic today, wowing onlookers with their stylish ensembles.
Arriving at Princess Antoinette Park in Monaco, the family of four looked stylish as Princess Charlene took the lead in her striking red jumpsuit.
Sporting a sleek bob cut with blonde highlights, the stylish royal completed her outfit with a pair of understated silver drop earrings.
Keeping her look striking yet simple, the Princess completed her look with natural makeup, featuring a shimmering silver eyeshadow and a bright red lip.
Prince Albert wore a black blazer with gold buttons that contrasted with his cream trousers, while nine-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella followed behind him.
Princess Charlene wore a striking red jumpsuit paired with a pair of understated silver drop earrings.
The young princess wore a flowing white dress and held a bouquet of soft pink flowers, much like her glamorous mother.
Prince Jacques was his father’s double and dressed in attire similar to the elegant European royalty who attended the event.
The Monaco Picnic is an annual event considered the equivalent of the British royal garden parties held each summer.
Around 1,000 Monegasques attend the event every year, as it is considered the last major event of the season.
Last year, Prince Albert told People in 2022: “It’s a fun event, a really nice time of year. It’s a great setting, very informal. The mass that opens it is a bit formal, but then it turns into a picnic and there’s a bit of a cocktail atmosphere.”
‘It’s wonderful to be able to walk around and have ‘tell me about your summer’ conversations with people you know.’
However, despite the Prince’s fondness for the occasion, last year’s event appeared to be marred by rumours of a royal rift.
Albert and Charlene had been at the centre of speculation after reports in European media alleged she was living in Switzerland and only seeing her husband “by appointment”.
The glamorous princess kept her look natural, finishing off her outfit with a bright red lipstick.
Prince Albert wore a black jacket with gold buttons that contrasted with his cream-colored trousers.
Princess Gabriella held a bouquet of soft pink flowers, similar to her mother’s, as the stylish European family graced the annual picnic in Monaco.
A source close to the royal couple told French newspaper Voici that the former Olympic swimmer and his son are only a “ceremonial couple.”
More recently, Prince Albert revealed that he did not have a love at first sight moment with Princess Charlene.
Albert met his wife, to whom he was married for 13 years, in Monaco when she was representing South Africa at the Mare Nostrum International Swimming Tournament in 2000.
Their lives were very different. Charlene, a sports enthusiast, was twenty years his junior. Her father, Michael, was a photocopier salesman and her mother, Lynette, was a competitive diver.
Now, in a rare joint interview, Albert has revealed his uncertainties over whether they fell in love at the 2011 competition, telling Paris Match: “I don’t know if we fell in love back then,” adding that it was several years before they met again.
But while romance may not have been in the plans at first, Charlene still made an impression on Albert, and he recalls: “I thought she was an excellent swimmer and she was friendly, cheerful and approachable.”
Although their initial feelings for each other were unclear, the couple allowed their romance to develop slowly out of the public eye.
The 66-year-old revealed an additional insight, explaining that he once got Charlene into trouble after failing to get her “home on time.”
Prince Jacques was his father’s double and wore a similar outfit (pictured, from right to left: Prince Albert II, Princess Gabriella, Prince Jacques and Princess Charlene)
The Monaco Picnic is an annual event that is considered the equivalent of the British royal garden parties held each summer.
The mother of two kept her look chic with a sleek bob with some highlights at the event.
It was at the opening of the 2006 Winter Olympics that they first introduced their romance to the world.
French journalist Philippe Delorme said at the time: “She was on his arm throughout the ceremony and they made no attempt to hide their mutual affection, sharing kisses and other tender gestures.”
Then, in June 2010, their engagement was announced. Albert proposed with a pear-cut diamond ring.
“People could hardly believe it,” Delorme added. “Since they were first seen together, the Monegasques had been holding their breath for four years.”
Charlene was required to convert to Catholicism (she was raised Protestant) and had to learn French and the Monegasque dialect.
Delorme told the Daily Mail in 2011 that Albert finally meeting someone was a story of Hollywood proportions: “If Princess Grace’s story was a movie, then Princess Charlene’s would be the remake.
“The reality is that Albert is 52, a little overweight and much less fabulous and glamorous than his father. It seems more like a love story between an older man and a young woman than a story of two young lovers.”
In her first interview since the royal wedding was announced, Charlene spoke about the challenges she faced in transitioning from the life of an athlete to that of a royal bride-to-be.
She admitted to experiencing jealousy among some members of Monaco’s social elite.
“The people I interacted with in Monaco didn’t identify with my South African mentality or humour,” she told Tatler.
The family appeared to be in high spirits at the event, in contrast to last year, when the occasion was marred by rumours of a royal rift between Princess Charlene and Prince Albert.
Prince Albert is said to particularly love the annual event at Princess Antoinette Park, calling it “a really enjoyable time of the year.”
Prince Albert of Monaco revealed that it wasn’t love at first sight when he met Princess Charlene (the couple is pictured on their wedding day in 2011)
The couple shared a seemingly awkward kiss during their religious wedding ceremony on July 2, 2011 in Monaco.
Princess Charlene of Monaco wipes away a tear as she leaves the Church of Sainte-Devote following her wedding to Prince Albert II on July 2.
On 30 June 2011, Charlene, then 33, and Albert, 53, began their three-day wedding, estimated to cost around £53 million.
The Eagles kicked off the festivities with a concert, before a civil ceremony took place the following day in the Throne Room of the Prince’s Palace.
Charlene wore a custom-made aquamarine Chanel suit that matched the colour of her eyes. And the newlyweds posed for some seemingly very awkward photos, no doubt due to the rumours that were looming over them.
Finally, the religious ceremony took place. The silk wedding dress was designed by Giorgio Armani, had a six-metre train and was adorned with 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl teardrops. In total, it took 2,500 hours to make.
Guests included the then French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Roger Moore, Philip Green, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, as well as Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex.
