The former South African Olympic swimmer, who shares two children with Prince Albert, has been forced to stay in the country for over six months after contracting a sinus and ear pressure infection.
- Nov 9, 2021
AceShowbiz - Princess Charlene has returned to Monaco after a series of health issues forced her to extend a visit to her native South Africa for over six months.
The royal was helicoptered to Monaco early on Monday morning, November 8 from Nice, where she was reunited with her husband, Prince Albert, and their six-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.
"Happy day today," the 43-year-old wrote in an Instagram post that saw her posing with Prince Albert and their twins. "Thank you all for keeping me strong !!" In the photo, she was wearing a protective face mask.
Charlene has been in South Africa since she contracted a sinus and ear pressure infection in early May 2021, which required a series of corrective surgeries. Doctors warned her of the risks of flying back to Monaco. The drama forced Prince Albert to react to speculation his marriage was in trouble.
After returning from a trip to see the former Olympic swimmer, Albert said, "She didn't leave Monaco in a huff! She didn't leave because she was mad at me or at anybody else. She was going down to South Africa to reassess her foundation's work down there and to take a little time off with her brother and some friends."
"It was only supposed to be a week-long, 10-day maximum stay. She had this infection and all these medical complications arose," he further stressed. "She didn't go into exile. It was absolutely just a medical problem which had to be treated."
In October, Charlene expressed her eagerness to go back to Monaco. "I cannot wait to get home to my children, who I miss terribly," she said in an interview she shared on Instagram. "I think if there is any mom out there who has been separated from her children for months, [she] would feel the same way I feel."
