Princess Charlene of Monaco breaks silence on ‘painful’ mystery illness

Princess Charlene of Monaco has spoken out about her health crisis for the first time, admitting she’s “still fragile” amid a “painful journey”.

Princess Charlene of Monaco has addressed her mysterious illness for the first time, describing her experience as “long, difficult and very painful”.

In a candid interview with the Monaco-Matin newspaper, the royal, 44, admitted that she is taking her recovery process slowly.

“My state of health is still fragile and I don’t want to go too fast,” Princess Charlene told the publication. “The path has been long, difficult and very painful.”

Stay up to date with the latest news on the Royals with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

A picture shared to Princess Charlene’s Instagram last October.

The royal in 2019. Picture: Valery Hache/AFP

The former Olympic swimmer, who married Albert, the reigning Prince of Monaco, in 2011, made headlines over the past year for her prolonged absence from public life, after suffering an ear, nose and throat infection which saw her undergo several surgeries in her native South Africa, where she stayed for 10 months.

In November 2021, Page Six reported that Charlene had “almost died” in South Africa after undergoing multiple surgeries and losing an extreme amount of weight.

She’d reportedly first fallen ill in May, during what was supposed to be a 10-day visit to her home country, but instead was forced to undergo a series of painful surgeries which delayed her return to Monaco until late 2021.

In November last year, Albert told People magazine that Charlene’s condition was the result of “several factors which are private matters”.

“She was clearly exhausted, physically and emotionally,” he said, adding that she was admitted to a “treatment facility” within hours of her return. “She was overwhelmed and couldn’t face official duties, life in general or even family life.”

Albert spoke about his wife’s illness last year. Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

The couple’s two young children held up signs reading, ‘We miss you mommy’ on the palace balcony in November 2021. Picture: Valery Hache/AFP

Page Six reported last year that sources connected to friends of the family were concerned that Albert was “downplaying” his wife’s serious illness.

“It is unfair that she is being portrayed as having some kind of mental or emotional issue,” the source told the publication. “We don’t know why the palace is downplaying that she almost died in South Africa.”

The sourced added that Charlene’s extreme weight loss was due to the fact that she’d only been able to “take in liquids through a straw” during her health battle.

“She has not been able to eat solid food in over six months because of all the surgeries she has since gone through,” the source continued.

In early May, the Princess made her first public appearance in months, attending the Monaco E-Prix with her husband and their seven-year-old twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques.

Charlene, dressed in a tailored grey suit, debuted a platinum blonde pixie cut during the high-profile outing, and was photographed taking part in the trophy presentations after the race.