Is Princess Charlene Really Not Moving Back To The Royal Palace?

The media has been so consumed with drama in the British royal family that many people may not even realize there is plenty of royal drama going on in other countries too. Princess Charlene of Monaco spent months in South Africa due to a sinus infection, reports People. Apparently, the infection was so severe it required Charlene to have multiple surgeries keeping her "grounded," in her words, in her native country. Of course, such extended time apart from her husband, Prince Albert, led to tons of speculation about the state of their marriage, which he insisted was going fine. "She didn't leave Monaco in a huff!" he told People in September. "She was going down to South Africa to reassess her Foundation's work down there..." He continued to dispel the rumors, saying, "She didn't go into exile."

Now, Princess Charlene is back in Monaco, commemorating her return with an Instagram post featuring her husband and their two young twins. But now, rumors are swirling that she may not resume life as usual just yet.

According to the Daily Mail, Princess Charlene had actually been living in her own apartment prior to her ten-month stay in South Africa. The Princess of Monaco had reportedly been living in her own two-bedroom apartment within the vicinity of the palace she had shared with her husband and children. Charlene's sister-in-law Chantell Wittstock, who also heads PR for the princess' charity foundation, told the tabloid that it is "unclear" whether the princess will return to her life full-time in the palace, or if she will return to her royal duties. "She'll probably be commuting between the two, wherever she's comfortable," Wittstock said. But Charlene's neighbors told the Daily Mail that "she was never with Albert" and "it was obvious" she preferred to spend her time at her own apartment.

Wittstock later told YOU, though, that the Daily Mail had "twisted [her] words." The spokeswoman clarified that Albert and Charlene own several properties, and will determine where they stay. "... wherever she's staying, it will be with Albert and their children," Wittstock said.

The rumors about the royals' marriage came on the heels of a report that Albert had fathered his third illegitimate child while he was dating Charlene, per the Daily Mail. The child's mother filed a paternity suit in Milan in December 2020, just a month before Charlene left for South Africa.