Princess Charlene described her twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, as having an “incredible affection and gentleness for one another” in a new interview with a French magazine.
In Point de Vue, a French royalty magazine, Princess Charlene spoke in a wide-ranging interview about raising her children, who turn five in December, saying that they “talk to each other all the time, and like all children they sometimes can be a little abrupt, a little hard even in their exchanges, but they support each other unconditionally.”
Princess Charlene praised their inner strength “which allows them able to say what they think and feel, whatever the circumstances” and how they “adapt to all situations” thanks to the self-confidence they both possess.
“And when all is well, then nothing and no one can stop them.”
Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, who started attending school in September, are already bilingual, speaking both English and French. Princess Charlene said that she finds it “marvellous following their evolution, accompanying them on this path.”
At school, they take part in activities and have joined in with their classmates to sing the Monegasque national anthem during a show. Princess Charlene called it “very touching.”
Prince Albert, she said, takes them to school in the morning.
“When they come back, my work begins, continuing until the next day. Evenings are usually a lot of movement. When I’m alone with them, the kids fight over who will sleep with mom. They love to climb into our bed, suddenly we find ourselves a little cramped. And all this without counting our two dogs, Poppy and Harley!’
She admitted that raising twins can be “often exhausting” but “is also very stimulating in many areas.” She encourages them in sports (Princess Charlene is a former Olympic swimmer) and wants them to know South Africa, where she grew up.
“On the plane, when we arrived [in Benoni last year], we were all three looking through the porthole and Jacques cried ‘Wow, this is the country where you come from, Mom? It’s so big!’ It was very moving for me.”
Princess Charlene gave the interview ahead of National Day celebrations in Monaco a few weeks ago. The twins, she said, don’t really understand what is happening in their lives with regards to the royal duties of their parents, but “they know that this is a particularly busy time for their parents, but I think they’re still too a bit too young to fully understand the meaning.”
Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques often accompany their parents on official trips; sometimes with their father, Prince Albert, and others with their mother. “They’re [being] raised everywhere. But when we’re just four, it doesn’t matter where we are: that place is our home.”
Of Prince Albert’s parenting skills, Princess Charlene says that he’s “a remarkable, wonderful, fun father” and “a dad who listens and encourages his children.”
“He spends a lot of time with Jacques and Gabriella and takes care of them as often as he can.”
