ROYALS'I Don’t Know If We Fell in Love': Prince Albert Gets Candid About the Early Stages of His Rocky Romance With Princess Charlene
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert have been plagued with divorce rumors for years.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene gave insight into the early stages of their romance and how it wasn't exactly love at first sight.
Princess Charlene was hurt by ongoing divorce rumors.
“I don’t know if we fell in love back then," Albert said in an interview. "You know, after that, I didn’t see Charlene again for several years."
“First of all, I thought that she was an excellent swimmer and that she was friendly, cheerful and approachable. We had a great time," Albert shared of their first interaction.
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert first met in 2000.
The royals seemed to poke fun at an incident that occurred while the Olympic swimmer spent time with her now-husband.
“I don’t know if I should say this, but that night I got her into a bit of trouble because I didn’t get her ‘home’ in time," Albert admitted.
“Yes, I did get into a bit of trouble that night, but we won’t go into that," Charlene chimed in.
Princess Charlene moved from South Africa to Monaco to be with Prince Albert.
Albert and Charlene first met in 2000 at the Mare Nostrum International Swimming Meet in Monaco, but they didn't begin dating until 2005. Since going public with their relationship in 2006, they have been plagued by split rumors.
OK! previously reported a French paper claimed Charlene was "living in Switzerland" amid rumors about their marital status. However, they quickly shut down the allegations and continued to attend events together publicly.
“There’s nothing wrong with our marriage and I find the rumors to be draining and exhausting," Charlene told a South African outlet. "I simply cannot understand where they come from.”
"It feels to me like certain media or people want to see us split," she continued.
Princess Charlene struggled to adjust to life in Monaco.
In 2021, Charlene spent most of the year in her native nation, South Africa, to recover from an ear, nose and throat infection. Her extended leave resulted in a rise in conspiracy theories about the mom-of-two.
Aside from spending more time in her homeland, Charlene grew up an English speaker, and experts alluded to the language barrier influencing how the princess approaches duties.
“It’s worth remembering that sometimes royalty who are born abroad, and their first language is not the language that they marry into, often face a lot of mockery and even criticism for the way they speak their adopted language," Gareth Russell told GB News.
The historian noted Charlene has “unfortunately endured a few media insults for her accent and the way she speaks the language and that makes her feel less confident speaking it on camera."
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Charlene's transition from being a professional athlete to a full-time princess was challenging.
"The people I mixed with in Monaco didn't relate to my South African mentality or humor," she said in an interview.
"I have met some wonderful people since I've been living in Monaco, I regard them all as acquaintances," Charlene admitted. "I only have two people I consider friends here."
"Above all, my true friends are my family," she shared. "My mother and two brothers are the only friends I need and the only people I trust. I'm very grateful to have them."
Albert and Charlene spoke to Paris Match.
