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Princess Charlene of Monaco has shared her heartbreak online after her beloved pet dog died after being run over.
The former Olympian, 43, who has been living in her home country of South Africa for much of this year, took to Instagram today to share a photo snuggling up with her pooch Angel, which was taken last Christmas in Monaco.
The mother-of-two posted: ‘My little Angel died last night, she was run over. I will miss you so much, Rest In Peace.’
It comes after she sparked concern among fans following her latest appearance online, with some saying she appeared ‘frail’.
On October 8, Zimbabwean-born Charlene underwent a final operation to deal with an ear, nose and throat infection she contracted in May – with a palace source telling AFP that the procedure ‘went very well’.
Earlier this month Prince Albert insisted that his wife is likely to return to Monaco by the end of the month – after the pair denied rumours of a rift and insisted Charlene’s absence from the principality is due to her contracting the ‘serious sinus infection’.
Princess Charlene of Monaco, 43, has shared her heartbreak online after her beloved pet dog died after being run over (pictured)
It is unknown if Princess Charlene’s pooch had been staying with her in South Africa or whether the pet had remained with Prince Albert in Monaco.
On her most recent public appearance, the mother-of-two, who last week said she ‘can’t wait to get home to her children’, wore a smattering of makeup and styled her fringe to the side.
But her appearance in the social media post concerned fans, with one writing: ‘Get well soon, you look so frail, take care, hope you get back to Monaco to your lovely family.’
Last week Princess Charlene said she ‘can’t wait to get home to her children’ but made no reference to her husband Prince Albert in an interview given in South Africa.
It comes weeks after the mother-of-two sparked concern among fans following her latest appearance online
The former Olympian, 43, who has been living in her home country of South Africa for much of this year, took to Instagram to share a photo snuggling up with her pooch Angel
Charlene, who wed Prince Albert II in 2011, has been living in her home country of South Africa for much of this year, and the extended stay has stoked speculation that the royal couple may be headed for divorce.
However they have denied rumours of a rift and said Charlene’s absence from the principality is due to her contracting the ‘serious sinus infection’ making her unable to travel and forcing her to miss key events, including her 10-year wedding anniversary and her children’s first day of school.
In an interview which took place earlier this month and was shared on Charlene’s Instagram page last week, the royal said she ‘misses her children, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, terribly’, adding: ‘Any mother out there who has been separated from her children for months would feel the same way I feel.’
In the clip, she said: ‘I came to South Africa to oversee some foundation projects. I was unwell at the time, unknowingly, with an infection. It was addressed immediately. Unfortunately, it grounded me for some months in South Africa.
Earlier this month Prince Albert insisted that his wife (pictured with their children) is likely to return to Monaco by the end of the month
‘I had my one procedure – it was very successful. I’m well, I’m feeling much stronger. I have one more procedure. Then I cannot wait to get home to my children, who I miss terribly.
Elsewhere in the interview she touched on community in South Africa, saying she would like to impart ‘unity and strength.’
She said: ‘Obviously I would never like to touch on anything politically. But what can be done, is people need to set their differences aside and think of the generations to come and less of themselves.
‘Too much emphasis is put on ourselves and less on the future generations to come. What do they have to look back on? Who is their guide? That needs to be installed.’
Speaking about the anti-poaching work she has been undertaking while in South Africa this year, she said: ‘I am determined to come back and continue the work I set out to do as I have done in many countries over Africa and in South Africa.
‘Conservation, preservation, restoration and education. That is what my foundation stands for. We save lives.’
The release of the interview came days after a palace source said her final operation to deal with an ear, nose and throat infection she contracted in May ‘went very well’.
The operation in South Africa was performed under general anaesthetic, and ‘is the last she had to undergo following her ENT infection. She will be under observation for 48 hours,’ the source told French news agency AFP.
Earlier this month Albert insisted that his wife is likely to return to Monaco by the end of the month, telling RMC Radio: ‘She will be back very soon, we have to talk to the doctors in a few days.’
It comes amid reports that Prince Albert (pictured) ‘applied for sovereign immunity’ in his court battle to fight claims he fathered a third love child before marrying Charlene
It comes amid reports that Albert ‘applied for sovereign immunity’ in his court battle to fight claims he fathered a third love child before marrying Charlene.
The 63-year-old prince, who already supports two illegitimate children, is alleged to have had a relationship with a Brazilian woman which resulted in a daughter in 2005.
The claim, which his lawyers dismissed as a ‘hoax’, is particularly painful as he was dating Charlene at the time, having met the former Olympic swimmer in 2000.
It was reported last year that the case would go to court in Milan in February, however according to Town&Country, the prince’s lawyers pleaded sovereign immunity and the case has been delayed.
Lawyer Erich Grimaldi, who is acting on behalf of the woman, said he hopes the judge will reject Albert’s plea and he is waiting for the case to come back to court, which he believes will happen ‘imminently’.
The 34-year-old claimant – who cannot be named for legal reasons – says she had a passionate affair with Albert, leading to the birth of their daughter – whose name is also classified – on July 4, 2005.
Albert received a handwritten letter from the child, who is now 16, in September last year reading: ‘I don’t understand why I grew up without a father, and now that I have found you, you don’t want to see me.’
Last December, legal papers were also filed, as lawyers for the claimant called on Albert to undergo a DNA test – just as he did before finally being identified as the father of two illegitimate children born in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Zimbabwean-born Charlene, 43, who wed Prince Albert II in 2011, has been living in her home country of South Africa for much of this year, and the extended stay has stoked speculation that the royal couple (pictured) may be headed for divorce
‘This was before Charlene and Albert were an item, but the latest case covers a time when she was already in love with him,’ a source who works closely with the Monaco Royal household revealed at the time.
‘Charlene has had a terrible year, with one family crisis after another including Albert going down with coronavirus, and now she’s gearing herself up for this hell.’
The princess, whose maiden name was Charlene Wittstock, was an Olympic swimmer for South Africa when she first met Albert at a Monaco aquatic competition in 2000.
They began dating soon afterwards, before Charlene married into the House of Grimaldi at a star-studded wedding in July 2011.
Their twins – daughter Gabriella and son Jacques – were born three years later and are seen as the family’s official heirs.
By this time, Charlene had come to terms with Albert’s hard fought legal battles with women who eventually won financial settlements over children they had with Albert – even though he originally denied their claims.
In May 2005, just before he was enthroned as Prince of Monaco, Albert confirmed he was the biological father of Alexandre, whose mother was Nicole Coste, a former Air France flight attendant from Togo.
A DNA test in May 2006 also confirmed Albert was the father of Jazmine Grace, the result of an affair with Tamara Rotolo, an American estate agent he met while she was on holiday in the South of France.
Jazmine was born in the 1990s and Alexandre in 2003. The Brazilian woman says she travelled around the world with the Prince in the 2000s.
Lawyer Grimaldi said he had filed papers with specific details of his client’s love affair with Albert, including trips to Brazil, the USA, France and Russia.
While in Moscow, the lovers are even said to have had a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who gave the Brazilian ‘a warm hug’, according to court papers.
Albert’s lawyer, Thierry Lacoste, has described the allegations as a ‘a hoax’, saying: ‘There are no intimate photos, no tangible facts surrounding a possible relationship.’
Neither Albert’s daughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, now 28, nor his son, Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, 17, can claim the throne of Monaco, according to negotiated financial agreements.
The line of succession instead favours Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, six, and who frequently appear in their parents’ social media posts.
The latest revelations come days after it emerged Princess Charlene’s return to Monaco had been further delayed due to further surgery in South Africa.
The royal, who is originally from Cape Town, has been in her native South Africa for at least six months since contracting a ‘serious sinus infection’ making her unable to travel and forcing her to miss key events, including her 10-year wedding anniversary and her children’s first day of school.
A statement from her foundation published on Friday read: ‘Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco will be placed under general anaesthetics for her final procedure taking place today. The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation wishes her the best with this final operation and her recovery process.’
The exact nature of the procedure was not revealed, and it remains unclear how long Charlene will remain in hospital.
The former Olympian underwent a ‘four-hour operation under general anaesthesia’ in August – although it was not made clear whether this was linked to the sinus infection.
Charlene and Albert reunited shortly after for the first time in months after the monarch and their children – six year old twins Jacques and Gabriella – flew to South Africa, but photographs of the pair embracing were branded ‘awkward’ by a body language expert.
In the last few weeks, Prince Albert has hit back at rumours of marital woes insisting Charlene ‘didn’t leave in a huff’ and remains in South Africa only because of ‘medical complications’ following a ‘severe ear, nose and throat infection’.
The royal told People that the speculation over the state of his relationship with the Olympic swimmer has ‘affected’ them both, but that he didn’t address it early because he ‘was concentrating on taking care of the kids’.
In recent weeks, lifestyle magazines across Europe have speculated feverishly that the royal couple could be headed for divorce. French magazine Madame Figaro stated the images ‘failed to convince the Monegasques’ amid reports Charlene is looking for a house in Johannesburg.
The magazine asked: ‘How long can she remain away from her children, her duties?’ How long will the fight against rhinoceros poaching remain the Princess of Monaco’s top priority?
‘How long will Albert II of Monaco go on bearing this affront, which is becoming ridiculous?’
Historian Philippe Delorme said that ‘lots of people got the impression it was an arranged marriage’ between Charlene and Albert, adding: ‘Albert chose a wife who resembled his mother, and Charlene clearly felt very ill at ease in this Grace Kelly role they wanted her to play’.
The mounting speculation about the couple’s marriage comes after Charlene shared professional photographs of her reunion with Prince Albert online, saying she was ‘thrilled’ to have her family back.
She shared a series of photos cuddled up with her kids in South Africa with the caption: ‘I am so thrilled to have my family back with me (Gabriella decided to give herself a haircut!!!) Sorry my Bella I tried my best to fix it,’ referring to her daughter’s choppy fringe.
However a body language expert told FEMAIL Charlene showed ‘no emotional bond’ towards her husband Prince Albert in the images.
Judi James said that rather than being the loved-up reunion photo one would expect of a couple surrounded by split rumours, the royals’ poses suggested ‘no signs of connection between awkward-looking Albert and Charlene’.
