Princess Charlene is receiving treatment in an undisclosed location outside of Monaco, her husband Prince Albert says, following the palace's announcement that she will rest for several weeks and miss public duties after battling ill health over the past few months.
On Friday, Nov. 19, People quoted the prince as saying that his wife was in a treatment facility and that he and their 6-year-old twins, Jacques and Gabriella, will visit her "whenever we get the medical go-ahead." The same day, the three marked Monaco's national holiday without Charlene, appearing from a palace balcony where the children held up drawings that read, "We miss you Mommy" and "We love you Mommy."
Charlene, 43, had spent half of this year in her home country of South Africa, where she was hospitalized in September and underwent treatment for an ear, nose and throat infection. The princess returned to Monaco on Nov. 8. and even shared a family photo on Instagram, writing, "Happy day today...Thank you all for keeping me strong!!" But following her return home, it soon "became pretty evident that she was unwell," Albert told People.
Albert told People that Charlene's current state is the result "of several factors which are private matters," adding that "she was clearly exhausted, physically and emotionally. She was overwhelmed and couldn't face official duties, life in general or even family life."
The prince said he "sat her down with her brothers and a sister-in-law" to talk about her next steps and that "she had already made her decision, and we only wanted her to confirm it in front of us. She wanted this. She already knew the best thing to do was to go and have a rest and have a real medically framed treatment. And not in Monaco. For privacy reasons, it would have to be someplace outside of Monaco."
Charlene, he said, "hadn't slept well in a number of days and she wasn't eating at all well." She also "lost a lot of weight, which made her vulnerable to other potential ailments. A cold or the flu or God help us, COVID."
He continued, "Because I know there are rumors out there, let me say: This is not COVID. And it's not cancer-related. It's not a personal relationship issue."
The princess and Albert, the son of late Hollywood icon Grace Kelly, have been married since 2011. Charlene's stay in South Africa had sparked speculation about potential marital troubles for the couple. The family has denied the rumors.
"And if you want to discuss another speculation," Albert told People, "it isn't related to plastic surgery or facial work at all."
The prince also told the magazine that his wife's recovery will require clinical care lasting several weeks at minimum.
On Tuesday, Nov. 16, the palace said in a statement, "Their Serene Highnesses have both decided that a period of calm and rest is necessary to ensure the very best recovery for Princess Charlene's health."
The statement continued, "Having battled with poor health over the past few months the Princess is currently convalescing and will continue to do so for the coming weeks, allowing her time to recover from a state of profound general fatigue. In order to protect the comfort and privacy essential to her recovery, the Princess' location will remain strictly confidential."
The following day, Albert told the Monaco-Matin newspaper in French, "She is better, but she still needs rest and peace. She is not in the Principality [of Monaco], but we will be able to visit it very soon."
The prince added, "I cannot say more for discretion. There is fatigue, not just physical, that can only be treated with a period of rest and a follow-up."