Three times she tried to escape from under the crown, cried the whole wedding and shaved her head: the impressive story of the "sad" Princess Charlene of Monaco

Charlene Wittstock, once a brilliant swimmer from South Africa and an Olympic participant, seemed to have fulfilled the dream of millions by marrying Prince Albert II, one of the most enviable suitors in Europe, the son of Prince Rainier of Monaco and the legendary Grace Kelly. However, the fairy tale that everyone was talking about eventually turned into a drama shrouded in secrets, constant escapes, and tears.

On the eve of her wedding to Albert, the athlete tried to escape three times, but was caught and stopped three times. At the ceremony itself, Charlene could not hide her emotions and cried almost non-stop, for which she received the status of a "sad princess" in the media. OBOZ.UA decided to tell her story.

So, as we have already noted, Charlene was a swimmer. She was born on January 25, 1978, in Zimbabwe to German migrants. When she was 12, the family moved to South Africa. The athlete met her future husband at a water competition in Monaco in 2000.

Albert was 20 years older than Charlene. Nevertheless, he was considered one of the most enviable bachelors in Europe. He was worth 1 billion euros, and his list of ex-girlfriends was full of star names: Brooke Shields, Neomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Kylie Minogue, and other star sex symbols. Before his marriage, Albert recognized his two illegitimate children and, it should be noted, he did not stop there.

Despite his tumultuous past, Albert fell in love with a fragile athlete. Their resemblance to Albert's mother, the iconic Hollywood actress Grace Kelly, kept the press busy. And although Charlene gladly accepted the prince's proposal after six years of secret meetings, their marriage eventually became a mysterious drama.

However, this drama began even before the wedding. The day before, Charlene tried to escape from Monaco. According to one version, while trying on her wedding dress in Paris, she learned of her lover's betrayal and went to the South African embassy to seek asylum and help her return home. In the end, either by her own will or under the coercion of Albert and his representatives, Charlene returned to Monaco.

However, the attempts to escape had only just begun. Charlene had a whole plan, which was thwarted when Albert's men intercepted her and sent her back. The third and final attempt to escape from under the crown was also unsuccessful. Charlene, with a one-way ticket to Africa, was stopped on the way to the airport in Nice and forced to turn back.

There was no way out. Obviously, Charlene did not want to get married, although the royal family tried to carefully hide it. In the end, as journalists revealed, citing insiders, Albert offered his chosen one to sign a contract. He allegedly assumed that Charlene would get married, become a princess of Monaco, and give birth to her husband's descendants. Charlene was promised serious financial support and a certain amount of freedom for this lie.

Even though Charlene agreed to these conditions, it was extremely difficult for her to play the happy bride and later the wife in public. The luxurious wedding, which cost 60 million dollars, was marked by abundant tears of the bride. The beauty in a silk dress by Giorgio Armani with 20 thousand Swarovski crystals sobbed through almost the entire ceremony, and hardly smiled during the celebration. That's why she received the status of a "sad princess".

Later it turned out that the couple spent their wedding night in different hotels. Later they explained that Albert allegedly had an important meeting the day after the wedding, so he decided to spend the night separately in order not to disturb his wife in the morning.

One way or another, Charlene tried to fulfill her end of the bargain. In particular, she gave birth to adorable twins, a boy and a girl.

At the same time, life in Monaco did not give Charlene peace of mind. Rumors of Albert's infidelity did not subside. And in 2020, there was a loud news about another illegitimate child of the prince. What did the "sad princess" do? She shaved her head. Always elegant and sophisticated, she shocked the public with her new image.

However, this was only Charlene's first reaction. Some time later, she left Monaco for a long time, including her children, and moved to Africa.

After a year of separation, Charlene returned. It is said that this happened after Albert and his children came to his wife's homeland to pick her up. It is not known what the prince promised or did, but Charlene agreed.

She began to appear again at public events with her husband and their children. However, journalists are convinced that this is only an illusion of happiness. They say that Charlene lives in Switzerland and only comes to her family to see her children and go out in public together.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote about the 5 most stylish looks of the Princess of Monaco. She is known for her eclectic sense of fashion. That is, she combines seemingly incompatible elements in one look, but it always looks spectacular. For example, she rhymes rough boots with a classic milk cape, and leather leggings with a plaid top and oversized jacket.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!