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Monaco

Prince Albert praises Caroline and defends Charlene in new interview

In an interview with People Magazine, Prince Albert of Monaco has opened up about his family. He praises the strength of his older sister, Princess Caroline, who he says is his biggest confidant. He also takes the time to defend his wife, Princess Charlene against complaints that she doesn’t do enough in Monaco. Both women recently celebrated their birthdays – Caroline on 23 January and Charlene on 25 January.

Regarding his sister, Albert called her a “remarkable woman” with the things she has gone through in her life. Their mother, Princess Grace, died in a car accident in 1982. Then her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi, was killed in a boating accident, leaving Caroline to raise their three children as a single mother. She married again in 1999 to Prince Ernst August of Hanover, and they had one daughter, Princess Alexandra. Albert called her a very good mother and an even better grandmother.

He also praised her charitable work in Monaco saying, “What’s she’s done over the years, helping Monaco in various ways, on the cultural and charitable sides — she’s always there. She’s often the first person on board.”

Princess Caroline in the Congo last year as part of her work with Association Nationale Monégasque des Amis De l’Enfance. Photo: MONUSCO/Alain Wandimoyi

He went on to talk about how she’s been his biggest confidant, “She’s very bright and gives extremely good advice. Every time I’ve asked her about this or that situation or about this person I’m not sure of, she’s demonstrated very good judgment. I confide in her a lot. I confide in my wife [Princess Charlene] as well. But Caroline’s my sister, and I’ve known her a little bit longer.”

They celebrated Caroline’s 60th birthday with a private lunch with her family since she “hasn’t liked having a special celebration for her birthday.”

As for his gift to her for her birthday, he would only say that it was something symbolic for her home.

He made sure to give praise to his younger sister, Princess Stéphanie, calling her “very practical” and complimented her word with the Red Cross and Fight AIDS Monaco. He said, “She’s got a great heart, great empathy toward people.”

He also spoke about his wife of almost six years explaining that he wanted her to have time to get familiarised with the small principality. Her main priority is raising their two-year-old twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques.

He said he recognises the complaints people have about her not working enough but explained, “People felt they didn’t see enough of her in Monaco. And she wants to and will do more of that, but she’s wanted to be as involved as she can in raising the children.”

Prince Albert II of Monaco (R) holding Princess Gabriella, and Princess Charlene of Monaco (L) holding Prince Jacques, appear on the balcony of the Monaco Palace during the celebrations marking Monaco’s National Day, on 19 November 2016 in Monaco. (AFP / VALERY HACHE /AFP/Getty Images)

About her role as Princess of Monaco, he said, “It’s more an ongoing process, getting her more familiarised with the people of Monaco, the institutional side, to give her a better understanding of how things work.

“In the past, I haven’t always had as much time as I’d like to devote to that because I’ve been travelling and she has work with her foundation, and I didn’t want to throw too much at her at once.”

His Serene Highness praises her resilience and talks about her good judgement of character, “She has excellent judgment in people. If she trusts somebody, there’s reason.”

He said the family had a good Christmas and mentioned that Gabriella and Jacques got plenty of toys and puzzles. The twins love to sing nursery rhymes in both French and English. He also said they had a good holiday in Ireland earlier this year where he got to spend time with his American cousins.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.

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