Who is Princess Charlene? All about the wife of Prince Albert II of Monaco
Princess Charlene is the Princess of Monaco and the wife of Monaco's reigning monarch, Prince Albert II. Before her marriage, she was famous as a South African Olympian swimmer. Learn lesser-known facts about her, including past life and current role as a princess and philanthropist.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Princess Charlene met Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2000 during a swimming competition in Monte Carlo. Their romance blossomed over time, and the pair exchanged their vows on 1 July 2011 in a lavish wedding ceremony.
Profile summary
| Full name | Charlene Lynette Wittstock |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | 25 January 1978 |
| Age | 46 years old (as of 2024) |
| Zodiac sign | Aquarius |
| Place of birth | Bulawayo, Zimbabwe |
| Current residence | The Prince's Palace of Monaco |
| Nationality | South African |
| Ethnicity | Irish |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Alma mater | Tom Newby Primary School |
| Hair colour | Blonde |
| Eye colour | Green |
| Height in feet and inches | 5'10" |
| Height in centimetres | 178 |
| Mother | Lynette née Humberstone |
| Father | Michael Wittstock |
| Siblings | 2 |
| Sexual orientation | Straight |
| Relationship status | Married |
| Husband | Prince Albert II of Monaco |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Royalty, philanthropist |
| Net worth | $150 million |
Princess Charlene's biography
Princess Charlene was born Charlene Lynette Wittstock on 25 January 1978 in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). She is 46 years old as of 2024, and her zodiac sign is Aquarius.
Charlene is the daughter of Michael Wittstock, a sales manager, and Lynette née Humberstone, a former swimming coach and professional diver.
Wittstock's family moved to South Africa in 1989 when she was 12. She grew up alongside her two younger brothers: Gareth, a coffeehouse owner in Monaco, and Sean, a promotions and events businessman in South Africa.
She attended Tom Newby Primary School in Benoni, near Johannesburg.
Career
Charlene developed a passion for swimming at a very early age. She trained hard and started competing in national and international competitions. She won the South African championship in 1996 when she was 18, a key milestone in her swimming career.
Source: UGC
In 2000, her team finished fifth in the 4x100-metre medley relay at the Sydney Olympics. The same year, she won a gold medal in the 200m backstroke event at Monaco's Marenostrum international swimming competition. This was the first time she met Prince Albert, who presided over the global competition.
In 2002, she won three gold medals at the Swimming World Cup and a silver medal at the Manchester Commonwealth Games. Her commitment to the sport was unwavering, and she competed at the highest level until an ankle fracture forced her to retire in 2007.
What is Princess Charlene's net worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth and ALOT Finance, Princess Charlene has a net worth of $150 million. Although she accumulated some of her wealth as an Olympic swimmer, the majority of her wealth is attributed to her position as the princess in the Monaco Royal Family.
How did Prince Albert and Princess Charlene meet?
Charlene met Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2000 at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo. Their romantic ties grew over time, and Charlene became a familiar face at public events in Monaco.
Their relationship became public in 2006 when they attended the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Turin, Italy. The couple officially confirmed their engagement in 2010.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene's wedding
The couple married on 1 July 2011, making it Monaco's first royal wedding in 55 years and the first since the "Wedding of the Century," when Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly (Prince Albert's parents) wed in a lavish ceremony in 1956.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene's wedding was a grand affair that lasted two days, and the celebrations were marked by a two-day public holiday.
On 1 July 2011, Philippe Narmino, president of the Council of State, conducted the civil ceremony in the Throne Room. On 2 July 2011, Archbishop Bernard Barsi presided over the religious ceremony in the palace courtyard.
The total estimated cost of the wedding was $70 million. An estimated 150,000 people lined the street to see the stunning bride and groom, while 800 guests were invited to the ceremony.
At her civil wedding, the Princess wore a silken blue jacket with ankle-length pants by Chanel and diamond earrings by Tabbah.
Charlene's wedding gown, designed by Giorgio Armani, was a highlight of the two-day ceremony. The gorgeous ivory silk gown featured a five-metre-long train embellished with 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl teardrops, making it a true masterpiece.
Princess Charlene's wedding ring was Cartier's 18-carat white gold platinum ring. She also wore Nagib Tabbah's "Infinite Cascade" necklace, commissioned and made of 18k rose gold. It was encrusted with six pear-shaped white pearls and 1,237 diamonds.
Princess Charlene's children
On 10 December 2014, Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II welcomed their twins, Princess Gabriella Thérèse Marie and Prince Jacques Honoré Rainier, who is first in the line of succession to the throne. The twins are nine years old as of June 2024.
What kind of charity work does Princess Charlene do?
One of Princess Charlene's most prominent contributions is her philanthropic work. In 2012, she founded the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, which promotes the benefits of sports, particularly swimming, to children and young adults.
The foundation's initiatives include water safety programmes, drowning prevention campaigns, and the promotion of sporting values. Charlene's commitment to this cause is highly personal, reflecting her athletic background and desire to positively touch young people's lives.
In addition to her foundation, Princess Charlene supports other charitable causes. She founded Chasing Zero, an initiative about speaking out against the atrocity of wildlife poaching and doing something about it before it's too late.
She often travels with Prince Albert to promote charity activities and serves on the board of the Monaco Red Cross. She has also been significantly associated with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Giving Organisation Trust, the Special Olympics, AS Rugby Monaco, MONAA (Monaco Against Autism) and Monaco Liver Disorder.
FAQs
- Who is Princess Charlene? Princess Charlene is the Princess of Monaco and the wife of Prince Albert II, the reigning monarch.
- How old is Princess Charlene of Monaco? The Princess of Monaco is 46 years old, having been born on 25 January 1978.
- Where is Princess Charlene from? She was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), and her family moved to South Africa when she was 12.
- How many kids does Prince Albert II of Monaco have? He has four children. Before marrying Princess Charlene, he had fathered two children out of wedlock.
- Why does Monaco have a prince, not a king? It is a principality, not a kingdom.
- Why was Princess Charlene's haircut a topic of discussion? It was disclosed that a Brazilian lady was suing Prince Albert for paternity of her kid, which she claimed was conceived during Albert's relationship with Charlene. Charlene was then spotted with a punk undercut.
Princess Charlene is the Princess of Monaco and the wife of Prince Albert II, the reigning monarch of Monaco. Before joining the royal family, she was an Olympian swimmer representing South Africa. The Princess is a mother of twins: Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques.
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