Princess Charlene Was Never The Same After Marrying Prince Albert

Princess Charlene of Monaco boasted a résumé of impressive accomplishments before she married into a dynastic family. But from giving up her professional swimming career to enduring health issues that separated her from her own children, a lot has changed since she married Prince Albert of Monaco and began life as a royal.

The princess was born Charlene Lynette Wittstock on January 25, 1978, in Zimbabwe. She arrived two months premature and hospital staff referred to her as a "fighter," according to the biography "Charlene: In Search of a Princess" by Arlene Prinsloo. No one knew it at the time, but she'd grow from a tiny baby into a statuesque Olympic athlete.

As a child in the 1980s and 1990s, Charlene was surrounded by war and turmoil in her home countries of Zimbabwe and South Africa — a far cry from her privileged life in tiny Monaco. She's incorporated these early experiences into a lifetime of advocacy, even helping fundraise for AIDS relief through AMFAR, according to her foundation's website. But even as Charlene's profile rose stratospherically when she married into the Monégasque royal family, she became less and less outspoken. Today, public statements from Charlene are few and far between. It's clear a lot has changed since she married into the House of Grimaldi.

Naturally poised, stunning, and tall, Princess Charlene had the raw ingredients of a fairy-tale princess. Still, she felt like an outsider in her adopted home. "The people I mixed with in Monaco didn't relate to my South African mentality or humor," she told Tatler. But she persevered and was helped along by an unofficial fashion-and-beauty boot camp of sorts as she left her swimming days behind and transformed into Monégasque royalty.

"I was literally a fish out of water," she told Vogue when reflecting on her official royal launch at the 2007 Gala de la Croix-Rouge. "I thought it was all fun, fun, fun, and didn't give my outfit any thought. I had been playing beach volleyball all day, painted my nails red, and threw on a green dress. I thought I looked great at the time, but looking back, I realize that my debut into Monaco society should have been better executed!"

Soon after, Charlene got a team to help style and guide her, according to Vogue. Charlene recalled feeling "insecure" and "terrified" of putting a foot wrong. But soon, the style world's heavy hitters swooped in. Michael Kors, Karl Lagerfeld, and Stella McCartney took her under their glamorous wings, and she became an international fashion icon — a far cry from the sporty athleisure looks to which she was accustomed as a young athlete.

Another massive change for Princess Charlene came in the form of her religious affiliation. Prince Albert may have fathered two children out of wedlock before his engagement — a big no-no in Catholicism and in what The Times calls the "deeply traditional" country of Monaco — but his bride-to-be still had to observe the religious traditions of his country by converting to Catholicism, the state religion of Monaco, before they wed.

CBS News called Albert's single days a "colorful bachelorhood," noting that he'd allegedly dated Naomi Campbell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields, and others in the past. His two children, Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste and Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, were born from premarital relationships and kept secret until Albert's father died. His prolifically virile track record led CBS to speculate on whether Charlene was already pregnant at the time of their engagement, noting "it wouldn't be a surprise" if she were.

But she wasn't. And despite the rumors and innuendo around the extramarital activities of both Charlene and Albert, she made sure to cross her Ts and dot her Is when it came to becoming Catholic after a lifetime of Protestantism, according to People. "The values of this religion profoundly touch me and correspond perfectly to my spirit," Charlene said.

The big day went ahead as planned on July 1, 2011 — and after weeks of rumors, obsessive royal watchers were glued to the event looking for any sign of discord. They may have found it when Princess Charlene appeared to shed some tears at the altar. Debate raged about whether Charlene was crying due to sadness, happiness, or something else.

Her past comments about life in Monaco didn't help. "I was trying too hard to please too many people and at times was at risk of losing my sense of myself," she told Vogue of her transition to royal life, just months before walking down the aisle. When she cried on her wedding day, observers couldn't help but wonder whether these feelings of being overwhelmed were resurfacing.

It took two years for Charlene to clear the air in an interview with The Times. She attributed her tears to stress caused by the rumors that had run rampant. "Everything was just so overwhelming and there were all the mixed emotions because of the rumors, and obviously all this tension built up and I burst into tears [immediately after the ceremony]," she said. "And then I burst into tears some more because I was thinking, 'Oh no, now the whole world has seen me cry.'"

Tales of a curse on Prince Albert's family only served to deepen the drama around Albert and Princess Charlene's nuptials. The curse allegedly arose when one of Albert's ancestors proved to be a particularly "bloodthirsty" ruler, according to ABC News. "The monks placed a curse on the family ever since saying they will never have a happy marriage; they will always have trouble producing legitimate heirs," historian Robert Lacey told the outlet. "And there'll be other tragedies. And look what's happened."

Indeed, Albert's mother Grace Kelly died an untimely death in a car crash, and that's just one of the disasters attributed to an alleged curse on the Grimaldi family. Now people couldn't help but wonder whether Charlene and Albert's relationship was already falling prey to these legendary dark forces. Even Albert himself seemed to allude to the curse in a statement to his subjects before his wedding. "I want this day to mark a new starting point," he said, according to The Times.

And it might have worked — for a while. An anonymous friend insisted to The Times that Charlene was a devoted wife two years after their wedding. "When they are together they're very much the typical couple — drinking with friends, watching a sports game, and arguing about the result. Charlene is crazy about Albert," they said. "There's nothing more she wants than to make him happy. She wants to be a good wife and make him proud."

While Princess Charlene battled her ear, nose, and throat condition, rumors swirled that she was avoiding Monaco because of issues within the royal marriage. Charlene later said it was hard to miss their anniversary. After the June 2021 operation that kept her from celebrating her 10th wedding anniversary with her husband, she remained in South Africa for several more months, occasionally sharing photos of the family together on Instagram. Just when things were looking up, she was hospitalized again in September of that year.

Still, Prince Albert told People the rumors "appalled" him. He insisted Charlene was desperate to return home but unable because of her condition. 

She finally went back to Monaco in November 2021 and then traveled to Switzerland for further recovery. On December 21, 2021, Charlene posted a family Christmas illustration to her Instagram account. "Wishing everyone a beautiful and safe festive season," the caption read. While Charlene still hadn't returned to royal duties and the details around her health status remained mysterious, the couple seemed to be putting on a united front.