Photo: Palais Princier
Princess Charlene of Monaco en famille with her new husband, Prince Albert, and his sisters Princess Caroline (left) and Princess Stephanie (right) at the Red Cross Ball in Monte Carlo this August.
Princess Charlene is off to a rocky beginning as Monaco's Princess. When you're the newly minted princess of a country that relies on good press to attract tourists, it's not the smartest thing to call reporters from a major newspaper "the enemy."
Now Prince Albert has been attending official events with other women. Aren't his two sisters supposed to accompany him when Charlene is out of town or feeling rocky?
Right: Prince Albert out with American singer Beth Hart.
Which is what Princess Charlene did when journalists from the mainstream British paper, The Telegraph, interviewed her at the Akris fashion show in Paris last Saturday. Short on charm, she told them she would be a princess "her way," and that she had "just taken a bit of a break" at her country house.
Still gun-shy with the press after the extensive coverage of the rumors she was going to flee her royal wedding in July, Princess Charlene has carried out official engagements but is not regularly in the public eye.
Prince Albert took a paternity test (announced by his palace on the evening of his wedding day -- who's in charge over there?) but there has been no public news of the results. What a way to start your honeymoon.
Now Prince Albert has been attending official events with other women. Aren't his two sisters supposed to accompany him when Charlene is out of town or feeling rocky?Right: Prince Albert out with American singer Beth Hart.
It's all about rocks in Princess Charlene's life now.
Her official home is the Prince's Palace, built on The Rock in Monaco. Her retreat is the French country house that Prince Rainier bought for his young family in the 1950s, Roc Agel.
Rocks to wear too -- Prince Albert has showered her with rocks since the wedding: tiaras that convert to necklaces, diamond sprays for her hair, fantastic gems in the shape of waves. All created just for his aquatic bride, in a watery theme.
Is this latterday Ondine miserable in her marriage, or just having the standard freak-out of the commoner who finds herself thrust into a royal role?
Their long courtship during Charlene's residence in Monaco should have given her a gradual introduction to the way of life. After all, the Prince in many ways is simply mayor of a large town (the size of New York's Central Park) so it's not as if Charlene could not have walked down every street in the country by now.
She apparently spent much of their courtship time reading, swimming, or hiking. Not so much time studying the national language -- she's still working on improving her French.
Come to the gallery and see the dazzling rocks in the new life of this enigmatic princess.
View gallery: Princess Charlene and Her Royal Rocks
