Charlene Wittstock, an Olympic swimmer from South Africa, married the son of Hollywood actress Grace Kelly in 2011
Grace Kellys son Prince Albert says hes always felt a sense of responsibility to protect the late star
The prince of Monaco also detailed how the Princess Grace Foundation-USA is working to help aspiring artists today in honor of the former Hitchcock muse.
For Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, it wasn’t love at first sight.
While the couple met in 2000, they didn’t begin a relationship until 2005. They went on to marry in 2011.
"I don’t know if we fell in love back then," Albert, 66, admitted to Paris Match about Charlene, 46.
In a new interview with Paris Match, Prince Albert of Monaco admitted that when it came to his wife Princess Charlene, it wasn't love at first sight. (Stephane Cardinale - Corbis via Getty Images)
"You know, after that, I didn’t see Charlene again for several years," the royal explained. "I thought that she was an excellent swimmer and that she was friendly, cheerful and approachable."
Charlene, an Olympic swimmer, was representing her native South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympics when she met her future husband.
"We had a great time," Albert shared. "I don’t know if I should say this, but… I got her into a bit of trouble because I didn’t get her ‘home’ in time."
"Yes, I did get into a bit of trouble that night, but we won’t go into that," Princess Charlene told Paris Match about Prince Albert not taking her "home." (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
The pair went public with their budding romance in 2006. It should have been a happily ever after, but the duo has been plagued by split rumors since getting together.
The gossip intensified in 2021 when Charlene was suddenly hospitalized with complications from what the palace described as a serious sinus infection. She spent most of the year in South Africa, which sparked numerous conspiracy theories.
Both Charlene and Albert have attempted to debunk the breakup claims.
"I don’t know if we fell in love back then."
— Prince Albert of Monaco
The Prince and Princess of Monaco had to address split rumors to several outlets. (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
"There’s nothing wrong with our marriage, and I find the rumors to be draining and exhausting," Charlene previously told a South African outlet, as quoted by OK! Magazine.
"I simply cannot understand where they come from," she said. "It feels to me like certain media or people want to see us split."
It was in May 2021, while the princess was supporting her foundation’s wildlife efforts in South Africa, that Charlene’s health deteriorated. The visit to her home country was meant to last just 10 days, but complications from an ENT (ears, nose and throat) procedure grounded her for six months.
Princess Charlene spent most of 2021 in South Africa as she battled an infection. (David Niviere/SC Pool - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Months later, Albert and their children visited the princess for a trip that lasted several days. Charlene acknowledged the visit on her Instagram.
After several corrective surgeries and a subsequent relapse, Charlene returned to Monaco in November of that year. However, shortly after she landed, the princess showed signs of emotional and physical exhaustion. After consulting her doctors, it was determined that the princess would seek medical treatment at a center outside of Monaco.
WATCH: GRACE KELLY'S SON PRINCE ALBERT SAYS HE'S ALWAYS FELT A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE LATE STAR
After Charlene missed the couple’s 10th anniversary, the press quickly sparked rumors of an impending split. Sources alleged to Paris Match that Charlene had "no intention of returning" to Monaco, while Germany’s Bunte claimed Charlene was house-hunting near Johannesburg.
Prince Albert attends the Olympic swimming competition at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 27, 2021, in Japan. (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
The rumors intensified when Albert attended the 2021 Tokyo Olympics solo.
More gossip was unleashed when Albert was later photographed with his son Alexandre Grimaldi, daughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and his ex Nicole Coste, Alexandre’s mother. At the time, Alexandre was celebrating his 20th birthday.
It was also around this time that Charlene's Instagram page was either deleted or deactivated from the platform. At the time, a spokesperson for the royal did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Her charity page is still live.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene share twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella. (Stephane Cardinale - Corbis via Getty Images)
Jazmin, Albert’s first child, was publicly acknowledged in 2006. At the time, Albert said he wanted to protect the 32-year-old’s identity.
Alexandre and Jazmin are not heirs to the throne because their parents never married as required by the constitution of Monaco. Albert and Charlene share twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, 9. The twins are first and second in line to the throne.
"From the very beginning, the marriage of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene was always viewed as highly problematic," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene said "I do" in 2011. (Dominique Charriau/WireImage/Getty Images)
"There were even rumors that Charlene was having serious doubts and wanted to call the wedding off," Andersen claimed.
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Albert has spoken out about the hurtful allegations spread by tabloids.
"She didn’t leave Monaco in a huff," the prince previously told People magazine about his wife. "She didn’t leave because she was mad at me or anybody else. She was going down to South Africa to reassess her foundation’s work there and to take a little time off with her brother and some friends.
The former Charlene Wittstock with Prince Albert of Monaco in 2006, the year they went public with their relationship. (Benainous/Catarina/Legrand/Pool/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
"It was only supposed to be a week-long, 10-day maximum stay… she had this infection [and] all these medical complications arose. She didn’t go into exile. It was absolutely just a medical problem which had to be treated."
Albert admitted that he "probably should have addressed" the gossip sooner.
"But I was concentrating on taking care of the kids," he said. "And I thought it would just probably go [away]. You know if you try to answer everything that comes out, then you’re constantly [responding], you’re wasting your time.… Of course, it affects her, of course, it affects me. Misreading events is always detrimental.… We’re an easy target, easily hit, because we’re in the public eye a lot."
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Prince Albert of Monaco's former flame Nicole Coste with their son Alexandre. (Foc Kan/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that some lessons can be learned from Charlene and Albert’s experience.
"… The ailments and marital situation of Princess Charlene is a clear indication that holding such a high-profile role and accompanying international press and social media scrutiny takes a terrible toll," she noted.
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Prince Albert of Monaco is seen here in Beverly Hills with his daughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi. (George Pimentel/WireImage/Getty Images)
Albert, son of the late American actress Grace Kelly, had some subjects worried by his long bachelorhood and his lack of an heir since his two previous children were born out of wedlock and are not eligible for the throne.
Prince Albert of Monaco's mother was Oscar-winning actress and Hitchcock muse Grace Kelly. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
In 2002, with no heirs in sight at the time, Monaco’s parliament quietly changed its constitution to allow royal power to pass from a reigning prince with no descendants to his siblings – potentially Albert’s two sisters. That ensured the continuation of the Grimaldi dynasty, one of the oldest royal houses in Europe, even if Albert never produced an heir.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.
