Princess Charlene Celebrates Her Birthday After Fighting Off 'Exhausting' Divorce Rumors

Princess Charlene celebrated her birthday on Thursday, January 25 — after a year of fighting off divorce rumors. In 2023, a French publication claimed Charlene was "living in Switzerland," and she and Prince Albert were simply a "ceremonial couple." However, the duo quickly shut down the assertion and continued to attend public gatherings together.

“There’s nothing wrong with our marriage and I find the rumors to be draining and exhausting," Charlene told a South African publication. "I simply cannot understand where they come from.”

Charlene and Albert have been married since 2011, and the duo was admittedly hurt by the headlines.

"It feels to me like certain media or people want to see us split," she continued.

Charlene was born in Zimbabwe and moved to South Africa when she was 12, and with Monaco's official language being French, experts wonder if the language barrier influenced how the princess navigates her role.

“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."

When Charlene and Albert were newlyweds, the mom-of-two was honest about how her background impacted her personal life in Monaco.

"The people I mixed with in Monaco didn't relate to my South African mentality or humor," she admitted.

Charlene was once an Olympic swimmer, and her transition from being a professional athlete to a royal paralleled Meghan Markle's.

"I have met some wonderful people since I've been living in Monaco, I regard them all as acquaintances," she 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."

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

Charlene later acclimated to royal life, as she previously gushed over the pair's commitment to advocating for conservation and protecting the planet.

"We both champion the environment. Preserving our ecosystem is something we are committed to,'" she stated. ''We are also sports fanatics, especially [about] rugby. I've introduced Albert to cricket and he loves it now. He was a bit skeptical at first but he totally gets the point of the game now and finds it really exciting."

Charlene and Albert's interests haven't changed, as the duo cheered on South Africa at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Charlene spoke to Tatler.