Princess Charlene of Monaco has made her seventh appearance with her husband Prince Albert in nine days as the royal couple took their children to their first day of school on Monday.
The former Olympic swimmer, 45, was pictured on the Palace’s Instagram account with her eight-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.
Posing alongside her smartly-dressed husband, Charlene opted for a stylish pair of patterned trousers and a black jumper, while her children were kitted out in their school uniform.
Gabriella sported blue jeans with her school top, while her brother opted for black trousers. Both siblings carried colourful backpacks and opted for trainers for their first day back after the summer holidays.
Perhaps in an effort to dispel rumours that the couple are ‘living apart’, Charlene and Albert have continued to put on a united front this week, with the pair attending seven outings together.
On Sunday, the couple attended the Rugby World Cup in Marseille with Charlene cheering on her native South Africa who were taking on Scotland in the tournament.
The pair appeared to put on a loving display with Albert wrapping his arms around Charlene while they chatted to fellow sport fans.
Charlene added a simple pair of hooped earrings to her relaxed oversized suit look, while showing off her natural beauty with simple make-up.
Albert also opted for smart casual, wearing an open collar white shirt and grey suit trousers.
Earlier on Sunday, the couple were pictured at Princess-Antoinette Park in Monaco, while last week they attended a 100th anniversary celebration of Prince Rainier III’s birth at Monaco’s National Council.
On Thursday, they looked cordial as they took part in the Princess of Monaco Cup ’19th hole’ event while on Tuesday they received the new French Ambassador to Monaco together.
Earlier in the month Charlene made an awkward appearance with Albert to launch a TV channel in Monaco in a then rare joint outing together.
Albert and Charlene have been at the centre of speculation after reports in European media alleged she was living in Switzerland and only saw her husband ‘by appointment’.
A source close to the royal pair told French newspaper Voici that the former Olympic swimmer and son of Grace Kelly are just a ‘ceremonial couple’.
It adds that Charlene has promised to return to Monaco on official occasions and is now allowed to see her children more often – with the pair splitting care of the children.
‘Albert and Charlene are now good partners, take turns taking care of the children,’ a source added to German newspaper Bild.
Rumours of the state of the couple’s marriage have swirled for years, since Charlene cried on her wedding to Grace Kelly’s son in 2011.
However, the rumour mill went into overdrive when Charlene spent most of 2021 apart from her husband after returning to her native South Africa for what was supposed to be a month-long trip.
She wasn’t pictured in Monaco from January 2021 until March 2022, citing a sinus issue which stopped her from flying.
She missed the seventh birthday of her twins Gabriella and Jacques and her tenth wedding anniversary with Albert.
In interviews at the time, Albert explained he had stepped up to play a bigger role in his children’s lives as the family coped with Charlene’s ongoing health issues.
Upon her return to the principality, Albert claimed she was ‘overwhelmed’ and ‘unwell’.
Speaking to People magazine at the time, Albert said the family reunion in Monaco last week initially went ‘pretty well’ in the first few hours, but it then became ‘pretty evident’ that Charlene was ‘unwell.’
He said the former Olympian ‘realised she needed help’, adding: ‘She was overwhelmed and couldn’t face official duties, life in general or even family life.’
Claims she will stay in Switzerland were backed up by a source who knows the couple well, who said: ‘The South of France is too close, but Switzerland has superb private medical facilities, and Charlene will be well looked after there.’
The couple have been at the centre of split rumours for years, but have always denied there’s an issue with their marriage.
In March this year, French magazine ROYAUTÉ previously claimed that the prince and princess were in the process of separation, but the Palace was quick to hit back.
A spokesman said: ‘I would like to formally deny the malicious rumours peddled by the French magazine Royauté. Please disregard this article which is totally unfounded.’
Last month, the royal couple also put on a united front as they relaxed on a yacht in Corsica.
Photos show the couple relaxed while on a yacht in the Mediterranean. In one shot Albert lovingly wraps his arm around Charlene, while in another they sit side-by-side on the beach.
The couple, alongside their twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, spent the summer on a yacht owned by Kazakh businessman Bulat Utemuratov.
Albert is the current head of the pocket-sized principality. But it was the financial acumen of his father, Prince Rainier, that set Monaco on its current path to riches.
Together with his wife Princess Grace, formerly Hollywood’s Grace Kelly, they created one of the most unashamedly glamorous families on the planet – and a world combining high society with the high-octane thrill of the Monaco grand prix.
Today, Prince Albert and Princess Consort Charlene, mother of his two children, attract the attention of photographers whenever they step out in public.
But, the wealthy lifestyle is accompanied by a fair degree of drama.
Guests at the wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco in 2011 could not help but notice that his bride, Charlene, cried through much of the ceremony. And they didn’t look like tears of joy.
Numerous photographs showed Charlene dabbing at her eyes, ignoring Albert’s audible entreaties to stop crying.
Charlene later proffered the explanation that she had been ‘overwhelmed’ by the proceedings but her awkward demeanour added to rumours that the couple’s relationship was in trouble well before their wedding day.
