Just before Christmas, Monaco’s Princess Charlene debuted a half-shaved hairstyle which many assumed was some kind of visual cry for help. We didn’t have to wait long to find out what was wrong in Charlene’s life: her husband, Prince Albert, has to take another paternity test to discover if he fathered yet another child by another woman. The kicker this time is that his former lover had to sue him to take the paternity test, and this woman was his lover for a while after Charlene had already moved to Monaco to be with him. There will be a meeting in court in Milan in February, and Charlene is already feeling quite pained by all of this drama:

Albert is due in court in February: In a few weeks’ time, a sensational court case will reveal precisely what Charlene, 42, is rebelling about right now and why, according to sources in Monaco, she is in ‘utter agony’ and facing the ‘greatest crisis’ of her life.

Is this why Charlene shaved off her hair? Some believe that the court action is causing her intense stress. One source said: ‘Charlene doesn’t want to believe the claims are true, but dealing with them is a nightmare — this is her worst crisis since she married Albert.’ They first met at the Mare Nostrum (Our Sea) swimming competition in Monte Carlo in 2000.

They weren’t together from 2000 to 2005? In an interview in 2013, she said they spent their whole first date ‘talking and laughing’, bonded over a mutual love of sport, and that she found his pursuit ‘incredibly flattering’. Five years passed before there was a second date. They began a long distance relationship and eventually Charlene moved from South Africa to a small apartment in Monaco. She couldn’t speak French, and often felt lonely.

Her princess life: She complains of homesickness. ‘My mum is my best friend. I miss her all the time,’ she said. In an interview with the South African magazine Huisgenoot a year ago, she said: ‘I have the chance to lead the life I lead, but I miss my family and my friends back in South Africa.’ She also says looking after her six-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella is tiring.

Charlene & Albert spend a lot of time apart: They were separated when the Prince tested positive for Covid and recuperated at the Palace. Charlene went to Roc Agel, their mountaintop retreat, with the twins. There are no courtiers inside, just guards at the gates. By contrast the atmosphere at the pink Prince’s Palace of Monaco is said to be ‘stifling’. There are courtiers and servants everywhere and, despite the luxury, it can be very snobbish, restrictive place.

But will Charlene ever leave Albert? Veteran Monaco royal watcher Richard Fitzwilliams says that he expects Charlene will, despite rumours to the contrary, stay in Monaco. ‘A powerful royal couple is essential to the image of Monaco, especially given the dysfunctional behaviour of individual family members. That’s why the marriage of the Prince and Princess is a source of constant fascination. Given all the rumours that accompanied the marriage, she has managed rather well.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I tend to believe Charlene and Albert currently have something of an old-fashioned royal marriage. She’s provided the heir and spare, and she seemingly dotes on Jacques and Gabriella, so Albert gives Charlene the freedom she wants. She basically spends much of her time with the kids at Roc Agel, without the palace sycophants and snobs. The problem is that I do think Charlene married for love and she’s been devastated to see her Monaco fairytale blow up in her face. Albert has never fulfilled his end of the “separate lives” bargain, foremost of which is discretion. Dude hates condoms and loves messy entanglements. So here we are. So was the haircut a cry for help? Probably. Or maybe it was Charlene’s IDGAF Anymore move.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.