- NĂ©e:
- Charlene Lynette Wittstock
- In full (from 2011):
- Princess Charlene of Monaco
- French:
- Princesse Charlene de Monaco
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Albert II, prince of Monaco
Princess Charlene
-
Who is Princess Charlene?
Princess Charlene (born Charlene Wittstock in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, on January 25, 1978) is the Princess of Monaco through her marriage to Prince Albert II. Before becoming a princess, Charlene was a champion swimmer who represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where her team finished fifth in the womenâs 4 Ă 100-metre medley relay race.
Charlene met Prince Albert in 2000 at an international swimming event in Monaco. They were first seen together in public in 2006 and married on July 1, 2011. On December 10, 2014, they had twins, Jacques Honoré Rainier and Gabriella ThérÚse Marie.
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Where is Monaco, and why is it ruled by a princess?
Monaco is a sovereign principality on the Mediterranean Sea, situated within the French Riviera CĂŽte dâAzur. Nice, France, is 9 miles (15 km) west, and the Italian border is 5 miles (8 km) east.
The Grimaldi family has ruled Monaco since 1297. Though they did not take the title of Prince until 1659, the Grimaldi's intermittent connection with Monaco continued. A revision to the constitution in 2002 allowed females and their legitimate children to be added to the line of succession. Princess Charlene is the consort of the current ruler, Prince Albert II.
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What was Princess Charleneâs life like before she became royalty?
Before becoming the Princess of Monaco, Princess Charlene (born Charlene Wittstock) was a champion swimmer. Born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), she moved to South Africa at age 12 and began competitive swimming under her mother's guidance, winning the national championship in 1996. She represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and in 2002, she captured three World Cup gold medals and a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. Outside of swimming, she worked as a teacher. Charlene met Prince Albert in 2000 at a swimming event in Monaco and retired from competition in 2007. That same year, she moved to Monaco and became involved in charitable causes, before she and Albert announced their engagement in 2010.
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How did Princess Charlene become part of the Monaco royal family?
Princess Charlene became part of the Monaco royal family through her marriage to Prince Albert II. They met in 2000 at an international swimming event in Monaco, where Charlene, a former champion swimmer, won a gold medal.
Their relationship became public in 2006, and they announced their engagement in June 2010. The royal wedding took place on July 1 and 2, 2011, marking the first wedding of a reigning European monarch since Prince Rainier III married Grace Kelly. In December 2014, Princess Charlene gave birth to twins, Jacques and Gabriella.
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What are some of Princess Charleneâs main roles and responsibilities as princess?
Princess Charlene of Monaco, married to Prince Albert II, is involved in various roles and responsibilities as part of her royal duties.
As princess, Charlene participates in charitable causes, including being the co-patron of the Giving Organisation Trust. She is also involved with the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Additionally, Princess Charlene supports her husband, Prince Albert, who established the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation that focuses on environmental protection.
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How has Princess Charlene contributed to Monaco and helped with charitable activities?
Princess Charlene has contributed to Monaco and charitable activities through her involvement with organizations such as the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Giving Organisation Trust, where she was appointed co-patron in 2011. She began participating in charitable causes after she moved to Monaco in 2007 and started learning French and Monegasque.
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Princess Charlene (born January 25, 1978, Bulawayo, Rhodesia [now in Zimbabwe]) is the consort (2011â ) of Albert II, prince of Monaco. She previously was a champion swimmer.
When Wittstock was 12 years old, her parents, a sales manager and a swimming instructor, moved her and her two brothers to South Africa. There she began swimming competitively under her motherâs guidance, and in 1996 she won the national championship. Wittstock represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where the team for which she swam one leg of the womenâs 4 Ă 100-metre medley relay race finished fifth. Two years later she captured three World Cup gold medals and earned a silver medal in the womenâs 4 Ă 100-metre medley relay at the Commonwealth Games. Out of the water, she worked as a teacher.
Wittstock met Prince Albert in 2000 when she went to Monaco to compete in an international swimming event, where she won gold in the 200-meter backstroke. The couple was first spotted in public together at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy, and a few months later she accompanied him to a charity ball in Monaco. Although she qualified to swim for the South African team at the 2008 Beijing Games, she decided to retire from competition in 2007.
That same year she officially moved from South Africa to an apartment in Monaco. Rumors about the royal romance quickly spread as she began to learn French and Monegasque and to participate in charitable causes, including the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Giving Organisation Trust, where she was appointed co-patron in 2011. Albert, a man 20 years her senior with at least two children born out of wedlock, had long enjoyed a reputation as an international playboy. In 2002, amid doubts that Albert would ever marry, Monacoâs parliament changed the constitution to include female siblings and their heirs in the line of succession, making Albertâs elder sister, Princess Caroline, first in line for the crown if he died without a legitimate heir. Wittstockâs appearance on the scene raised hopes that Albert might marry after all, and in June 2010 Charlene and Albert put an end to the speculation and announced their engagement. Children resulting from the marriage would be first in line of succession for the throne.
The two-day royal weddingâthe first wedding of a reigning European monarch since Albertâs father, Prince Rainier III, married the former American actress Grace Kelly in 1956âbegan on July 1, 2011, with a civil ceremony in the palace throne room. The following day a religious ceremony was held in the main courtyard on Palace Square. On December 10, 2014, the couple had twins, Jacques HonorĂ© Rainier and Gabriella ThĂ©rĂšse Marie. In accordance with Monacoâs rules of succession, Jacques was made crown prince, though Gabriella was born first.