Good news for all of us Princess Charlene-watchers. I think. Us Weekly says that for sure, Charlene is pregnant with twins. Why is this good news? Because she’ll never have to see the Insemination Dungeon again. She’ll provide Prince Albert with an heir and a spare, all in one pregnancy. After she gives birth to the twinsies, she’ll get to move on with her life. She’ll get to spend more time in South Africa and Paris. Maybe Albert will even give her passport back to her.
Double royal trouble! Princess Charlene of Monaco is pregnant with twins, a source confirms to Us Weekly. The mom-to-be and her husband Prince Albert II announced in May that they were first expecting. “The birth is expected at the end of the year,” the couple told Us in a statement at the time.
Princess Charlene, 36, and 56-year-old Albert II — the son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and the late legend Grace Kelly — first met in 2000 during a swimming competition. The royal couple later tied the knot in Monaco in July 2011.
Albert II discussed his wife’s pregnancy at the opening of the new Monaco Yacht Club in June. “[We’re] taking every cautious step to make sure everything goes well,” he said, via Daily Mail. He added to the Associated Press that the pair were “overjoyed” and “thrilled” about the next chapter.
The twins will be the first children for Princess Charlene (maiden name: Wittstock). She showed off her growing baby bump at the Seventh Annual World Focus on Autism event in NYC on Sept. 25. Albert II is already dad to Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, 22, and Alexandre Coste, 10, whom he had in previous relationships.
A few months ago, I was actually concerned that Charlene was fake-bumping it because she was barely showing even into her second trimester. But Charlene and Albert were in New York for the opening of the UN, plus they put in some appearances for the Clinton Global Initiative a few weeks ago, and Charlene looked for-real pregnant. So, she’s really carrying twins. And she’s due to give birth in December. Sigh… I hope her life is better then. “Sources” in Monaco claim that Charlene has been isolated and significantly depressed during her pregnancy. It doesn’t help that all of the rich bitches in Monaco have always despised her and Princess Caroline tries to make her life hell!
PS… There are rumors that Duchess Kate is pregnant with twins as well, but we have no way of knowing for sure. My guess is that Kate is NOT pregnant with twins.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and Getty.
Probably IVF. I hope so. Keep in it in the dish, no physical contact. He is so totally skeevy.
ROFL. I was just about to say that I don’t think there was any sex involved.
OK good I’m not the only one who thought this. I mean, IVF is fantastic and wonderful to help women conceive whatever the issue. But in this case all I could think is I just can’t believe these two could stand each other with enough, umm, frequency for it to be otherwise.
My thoughts exactly. And twins are very common with IVF.
Also with older women.
Just wondering how IVF is seen by Catholics. The Grimaldis are Catholics and if IVF is frowned upon, how would that work with regards to the succession ?
I became a Fallen Catholic long before IVF became an issue, if it is one in the Catholic Curch. It likely is an issue, just like so many other things… If this is an IVF pregnancy – and hopefully, given what natural conception would have entailed (ugh) – it’s doubtful the Church’s stance would bother him, since he’s been fornicating almost anyone and everyone with a pulse for all of his adult life and fathering children out of wedlock… Not that I care what he does in his private or public life.
I don’t think the Catholic Church blames a child for how it comes into this world – yet. IVF may be considered immoral by Rome, but the child is innocent.
Her face makes me so sad. She honestly looks like someone who thought they won the lottery then their friends told them it was one of those joke tickets. I hope they let her off the leash once The Royal Whelping is over.
The Royal Whelping – HAHAHAHA! This made me laugh so hard!
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
WTF happened to her face??
Pregnancy has a way of making some ladies’ faces puff and appear to change shape.
She always looks so sad, like she’s hanging on for dear life. Sad. And the Toad Prince is beyond skeevy.
i think she gained some weight and it looks to me like she’s got chloasma (mask of pregnancy), hence the heavier make-up.
She has had some plastic surgery in her face and as she has gained some weight due to pregnancy it looks “unusual”.
That is she IS a very beautiful woman! Kind of fresh and natural (yes I know it isn’t all a gift of mother nature).
The puffiness makes her plastic surgery look awful, like she got a botched job and just came out of the clinic. Yikes. (I think the chin implant has got to be the worst …)
I have no idea why she got work done in the first place because she is indeed a natural beauty. Seems Albert wanted to make her into a Grace look-a-like. Now that’s creepy!
Um, plastic surgery. Proof please or you are an obvious liar.
She really looks miserable sitting next to him, doesn’t she?
Definitely. Prince Albert is so icky. Well, at least she can start the countdown to separation. Silver lining!
Is Albert pregnant too?
How does succession work with twins?
The first-born male twin will inherit.
The oldest should be the one coming out last becuase it was planted in the womb first. Or at least this is what a friend with twins keeps telling me.
I don’t think there’s any reliable way to decide which embryo is “oldest” in a multiples pregnancy. Is your friend imagining that the “oldest” embryo in a spontaneous multiples pregnancy implanted highest, and then the second one had to “travel down” lower on the vaginal/placental wall to find a spot? That wouldn’t be true in IVF, where the embryos are coming from the cervix and not the fallopian tubes. There, you could just as easily make the opposite assumption — that first implantation happened lower, and then second happened further up. Only I don’t think embryologists believe we have any real way of knowing how implantation timing affects location one way or another, regardless of conception method. And then, over the course of the pregnancy, the amniotic sacs are going to grow and shift enough that you can’t necessarily tell which one attached higher in the first place. And all of this assumes that age “starts” at the moment of implantation, which seems sort of ridiculous. Plus, in IVF, the embryos were transferred at the same time. And what about folks who do PGD, transfer one boy and one girl, and know from their embryologist that the boy’s fertilization happened first but the girl was born first?
It all starts to be pretty ridiculous!
It doesn’t matter for laws of succession anyway, because the first born in a multiple pregnancy is by law the oldest. A baby born at 11:02 is older than a baby born at 11:03. Embryonic age has nothing to do with it.
Technically the oldest is the one who had the longest life ( even as an embryo) but what you say makes perfect sense.
What if there are only females then?
edit: I’ve just read the post below mine.
@ellen exactly. If someone is born preemie at 35 weeks, and the next day, a 41 weeker is born, no question about who is older. The baby born first. Can you imagine if we took the technicality of conception and embryonic age into account?? Ha! So confusing!
What if it’s a C Section, as is quite likely? Would the doctor be the one to choose the heir to the Grimaldi Principality, so to speak?
Etheldreda: Yes. In the event of a C- section, whichever baby is extracted first by doctor is the heir.
@Etheldreda I was thinking the same thing. Usually twins are delivered via C-section, which is all the more likely to happen in Charlene’s case given that she’s over 35.
Sophie and Georg Friedrich of Prussia (not royalty, their country doesn’t recognize royalty anymore), had twin sons in January 2013. Born naturally, no c-section, first-born is the heir.
What if neither twin is male?
I’m sure they made sure one of the twins will be male — I’m going under the assumption they did IVF (particularly since it took her so long to get pregnant) and some sort of PGD was involved to test for gender.
Actually, a female can inherit so long as she’s legitimate. But I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they did IVF with PGD and only transferred embryos that tested male.
Would that even be legal? I thought sex selection was banned in most jurisdictions, except of course for legitimate medical reasons.
And creepy… but what about this scenario isn’t?
I don’t know much of Princess Charlene and Albert’s relationship, so I’m wondering, can someone enlighten me? I always see comments about poor Charlene subjected to gross, creepy Albert but…. Why did she even date him in the first place? If he is this repulsive to her why even go out with him? I’m confused. I can see why the ladies being snide bitches can make her miserable, but surely her husband is some solace?
Exactly
She was with him for several years.
Moved her entire family to Monaco and set them all up for life.
While dating him she was often blasted for her lack of interest, her inability to learn French or the culture e.t.c
She went into all of this with her eyes open.
I’m not sure how the narrative of her being a captive lamb to the slaughter of Albert has gained momentum
Thank you! Why is everyone always like “poor Charlene” She made a choice.
I’ve never bought the ‘poor little princess’ story either. Aside from the fact that the whole world knows the Grimaldis are a joke, she was with Albert for years before she married him. She knew perfectly well what she was letting herself in for.
Also, if she didn’t want to marry Albert, why would he have insisted? What was so special about Charlene? Albert may be sleazy, but there are any number of models or z-list Euro-royalty who would be more than happy to marry him for the sake of such a glamorous lifestyle. Charlene chose this life for herself.
She was with him for almost ten years before marriage.
Lived in Monaco for about four years prior to marriage,
Knew exactly what she wanted whenhe proposed.
The runaway bride stories are crap. Albert sued and won a libel suit against the original press source of the story which was found to be from British.
Charlene works well in her duties for a Monaco and has traveled to various Countries on her own since becoming Princess to represent Monaco for various charities as well as traveling for her husband.
Can’t wait for the twins!! That’s going to be so cool.
Congratulations.
Exactly Charlene dated him for a decade and is still there, no one is holding her hostage or locking up her passport. She travels the world by herself, when she wants to.
She is a Princess of Monaco and that’s exactly what she hung in there almost a decade for.
This is a very disciplined woman from her Olympic Swimming days. She’s not weak at all.
Nice to hear they are having twins.
I’m sure the press (especially the British press) will make up some more nasty stories.
.
It becomes “poor Charlene” when she loses the ability to leave him. That logic is awful.
A person can be of strong mind and body, but that doesn’t mean 1 person can’t control and belittle them.
And those stories of her trying to flee from Albert on 3 occasions was never found to be false. In the end her passport was removed from her possession. Albert even fought those stories, but couldn’t disprove the facts presented.
Even if Charlene simply wanted to leave him because the shine wore off she should be allowed to leave. There’s much to be said for how a person becomes a prisoner of their circumstances.
Somewhat relatable to Diana, but not fully. Diana also turned to family before the wedding with doubts and was told in a way there was no turning back. The family gave her no support.
The problem with the Diana comparison is that claim has also being disputed over the years.
Yes in her ‘quasi official biography’ with Andrew Morton and others that followed it was “she had doubts” and “well your face is on the tea towels already so you cant back out” narrative was established as fact and embellished further when the the War of the Wales’ became a national pastime
However subsequent books have painted a different picture with both James Whitaker and Arthur Edwards saying Shy Di was a media fabrication and she was as savvy as they come.
As well as the Diana Chronicles book quoting a Kensington Palace guard of the young Princess Di far from seeming apprehensive was singing on a bicycle on the grounds “I’m going to be Princess of Wales tomorrow”.
The royal stories follow the same pattern. There needs to be a victim and a villain and people will believe which narrative they choose
The passport story always seemed silly to me. Firstly, no evidence whatsoever was presented. Secondly, Charlene is constantly surrounded by Grimaldi security people, so if they wanted to prevent her running away, all they’d need to do would be to instruct the security not to let her out. Thirdly, if she really did want to flee and managed to leave the palace, the lack of a passport would be no obstacle. There are no border controls between Monaco and France, so she could just get on a train and seek asylum in the South African embassy in Paris. Fourthly, if they were really worried about Charlene doing a runner, why go on honeymoon to her own country, South Africa, of all places?
None of it makes sense. It might just be that Charlene is an adult who made her own choices.
Agreed. Has anyone ever thought that Albert is as miserable being married to her, as she might be to him? What about his feelings? And what if we were wrong all along, and Charlene is a nasty cow in private and makes Albert’s life hell? I’m not saying I believe that, but what if we have it really the wrong way around? Maybe she always looks miserable because she is a miserable cow? She knew what she was getting into, she seems quite savvy and manipulative to me. I don’t feel sorry for her, she got the fame and fortune she wanted and still can’t smile.
Wow. That is a blatant lie Jedege.
I also want to be enlightened. My continual impression of them is that she is miserable and he’s super sketchy. I know he has had at least two children with mistresses who cannot inherit the throne. He has acknowledged his paternity but emphasized they are not his heirs. There were rumors of a third child conceived shortly before their wedding, which proved to be unfounded. This rumor led to more rumors that Charlene was on the verge of running away before the wedding because she was upset about the situation. But some commenters here have, through inside sources, claimed that Charlene and Rainier are really happy together and the rumors are just negative rumors with no basis. I really do wonder what the motivation behind these rumors would be. Are people really so eager to have an unhappy royal couple instead of a happy couple? Is it just that Charlene has permanent sadface and Rainier looks incapable of expressing emotion, and people read into that too much? I do enjoy when people provide a counterargument to the prevailing celebrity narrative, though, so I am hoping some Monaco royalty white knights will crawl out of the woodwork.
It’s gossip grist to the mill.
Every famous person has a narrative. Hers is the sad woman who was forced to marry Albert despite several attempts to get away at the final hurdle.
Very few people paid attention to this relationship even when they announced their engagement. Maybe surprise that someone had agreed to marry Albert, but mostly meh!
Then a week or two before the actual wedding, MAJOR drama. It fed perfectly into all those soap operas we grew up on. Nothing juicier than a several times runaway bride, confiscated passports, 3rd illegitimate children, ex-Mistresses doing pointed pap strolls through Monaco, a seemingly forced pap stroll through Monaco by the bridal party in which the bride wept……
All of which would have been swept under the rug if the wedding had been joyous. Instead the civil wedding was awkward as hell – seriously, they win the world’s most awkward ‘I don’t wish to kiss the groom coz he makes me vomit’ award for that kiss.
And then the religious ceremony where the bride wept, wept copiously whilst the groom looked irritated.
Not to mention the bride’s father comparing the wedding to winning the world cup as opposed to the usual ‘i’m so happy for my daughter’ sentiments that a father would normally give.
The palace putting out an announcement that the bride would provide heirs as the most salient point about this marriage.
Then the honeymoon in separate hotels several towns apart.
Tales of ex- mistresses being banned from the palace.
Followed by several months of the bride looking sad and sedated and wanting to be anywhere, but where she is.
All of this has given lasting impression that this marriage started as a grimm fairytale.
And of course Albert is more toad than prince, so it’s easy to believe any negative narrative of him.
”Rainier looks incapable of expressing emotion”
In fairness, that’s not uncommon in people who have been dead for 9 years.
Rainier? He was the one married to the American actress not the South African Olympian.
Omg! Albert, not Rainier! Nice zing, though, Etheldreda :). Thanks for the correction, Chabenz.
Love this analysis, LAK. I wanted to bring out the popcorn while I was reading it, it was so enjoyable; which certainly proves your point about the nature of the tale.
There is a young man (Daniel something) in Germany who claims he is Albert´s third child (or better his first because he is older than Jazmin and Alexandre). All DNA tests were negative, but the boy still wants to be Albert´s son. He told in an interview with a german gossip program that he sent Charlene a letter in the week before the wedding. In this letter he was asking her to make him a part of their family!!!
Somehow i think this could be one of the origins of the “3rd illegitimate child before the wedding and that´s why Charlene tried to escape”-gossip.
The passport-stuff was all made up and proven false. Albert even won the legal battles, but no one was interested in the facts.
People like royal drama more than everything else.
My impression is that when she signed up for the icky, she thought there was significantly less of it – fewer illegitimate children, fewer and more discreet mistresses. By the time he suggested marriage, she’d devoted enough of her life to him that she figured she’d go through with it, had that moment when she changed her mind and was rather forcefully talked out of it, and now is resigned to carrying out her end of the contract.
I feel sorry for her, because I feel sorry for miserable people even when they played a role in their own misery, but I don’t really respect her. It’s hard to build your life over in your mid-30s, but she wouldn’t be the only person to do it.
She was with him for years, but the “Runaway Bride” narrative was rumored to come about because of the news that he’d fathered another illegitimate child while he was with Charlene.
One thing people don’t really talk about much in the “sad princess” narrative is that it probably is difficult for Charlene there. She and Albert appear to be close, but she has to deal with the other members of the Grimaldi family – including Caroline, who is NOT a nice lady at all, and who is probably NOT happy that with the birth of these babies her son is no longer in the direct line of succession.
Kaiser, Charlene is tall like me, about 6 ft. In both my pregnancies I didn’t show until my 6th month and had healthy 8 lb babies. I hope she’s okay she looks really unhappy and kind of pale not blooming at all. What a life she leads. I wouldn’t trade with her.
Congrats to happy couple!
Ditto! I hope the twins go full term and that they are healthy.
Her Face looks like the Terrible unfortunate effects of Botox and Pregnancy Puffiness?!?!?
But I HEART that Pregnancy Tuxedo Situation!
Maybe she will find true joy in motherhood? Her life just seems so sad to me.
Ewwwwwwwww.
Victoria Beckham looks downright giddy by comparison.
Ha! She sure does have a bloated pregnancy face :/. It happens. I bet she’s super uncomfortable having to put on a good face for the public.
Can you imagine being the twin that doesn’t get the crown? On the one hand you’d be thankful because you’ve been spared the spotlight and could live your life more how you want to rather than how you HAVE to. On the other hand – you don’t get to rule the country and you have to stand by and watch your twin sibling do it. Nobody likes being the runner up and you’d always be reminded of that. While the spare can have a more normal life they are always the “spare”, not the ruler. And it would all come down to who got lifted out of the womb first by the doctor.
Can you imagine if they were identical twins?
I was just thinking if they were really identical, and close in height and weight, maybe the royal nanny would mix them up! Like after a bath, and then the heir would be switched.
I’m willing to bet they have ‘arranged’ for the twins to be boy and girl twins, so that there’s less potential for hard feelings except about the inherent sexism – over who gets to be heir.
Charlene was just in NYC meeting the President and First Lady and mingling with the other Royals at the Clinton event. She certainly wasn’t in the Palace isolated.
The press wrote almost the exact same things about Princess Grace, it’s like they take out graces name and put Charlene’s there, the press gossip is almost identical. Haha
I don’t believe it for a moment that she is isolated.
Charlene mother has been living in Monaco. Her brother comes and goes as he pleases.
It’s The same press crap written 5 decades later.
Charlene knew exactly what she wanted and hung in there for a decade until she got it.
except for when she tried to flee, she hung in there for dear life.
And Charlene is never alone. And if she did leave where would she go?
I think people are forgetting the mindset of someone in a controlling relationship. Or simply with a partner that devalues you. It’s not like she could walk out the front door.
It’s something reading the comments here. Almost blaming a woman who is sad because of her current relationship. A relationship she’s tried to end, but can’t seem to find her freedom. To the point of being escorted out of her routes of escape.
Do we have hard evidence of any of this (e.g. her attempt to flee on her wedding day)? I’ve always wondered. The only things I’ve seen are gossip and insinuation–on tabloid sites.
The newspaper in court admitted the runaway story was a complete fabrication and paid the couple for damages.
The proof is in the pudding Charlene is still there and has been with Albert for a decade.
Charlene is just not a smiley person and Albert and her don´t play the PR game very well. People always think there is something sinister going on when a pretty woman chooses an unconventional man. Albert is older, bald, fat and had a (love)life before he met his now wife, so it is impossible that a pretty woman could truly love him. When a Prince doesn´t look like a Disney Prince he is bad and capable of everything. The pretty Princess has to be a prisioner… and we all know no one could ever love a beast 🙂 Love and personality doesn´t matter, just looks and smiles.
And the paper admitted it FABRICATED the entire story and they had to pay substantial damages. The story was a complete fabrication but some will continue to want to believe it, when Charlene is still there.
Charlene has been with Albert for well over a decade now, she was with him during the whole baby mama drama of Nicole. Charlene knew exactly who and what Albert was and is. She loved in Monaco w Albert for years prior to the wedding.
This is a woman who wanted this and hung in there for this position for a decade.
Charlene is not and was not a 19yr old somewhat naive woman marrying a Prince.
She was a world traveled Olympian who also did charity work she was involved in,through the Olympics and swimming. She had been in the press as an Olympian. She knew and had met people from all backgrounds and cultues through her sport, this was a disciplined woman who wanted this.
Congratulations to the couple.
Nicol
Nicol at end of previous comment was a broken typo..oops ..sorry.
Somebody (Albert) needs to put a royal boot up Caroline’s ass. She isn’t exactly smelling like a rose either after the life she’s lead.
Exactly. Pot meet kettle Caroline. Whatever happened in her
first disastrous marriage not to mention the story of the disappearing boorish third husband? She always seemed
rather high and mighty despite contributing to the tacky joke
that is the Grimaldis.
He’s already been subtley doing that. Things are a-changing in that family.
I use to like Caroline, but after the way she treated Stephanie a few years ago, she really seems like she can be meanspiritied.
I think C just has Resting Sad Face (RSF). I don’t know. Do we *really* have proof she is some kind of captive in this marriage? They both kind of skeeve me out, but I can’t imagine how hard it must be to have the public (1) not believe in my marriage and (2) not believe my kids are my kids. What might be fun conspiracy theories for some must be devastating to others.
Maybe the Natalie Dormer thread about her “lopsided smirk” can alter how we read C’s face?
Wait wait. So is us weekly the only source and if so since when did we start taking them seriously?
Yes, US Weekly got the whole Harry on vacation with Camilla story wrong, Harry’ through friends and through the Palace said it never happened.
Hmm. It seems no matter what Princess Charlene or Prince Albert do there will be these sad allegations. Take it from someone originally from North American that actually lives in the region and works in the Principality. The couple are happy and everyone is beyond excited!
Do people in North America really think she just arrived to the palace and got married to Prince Albert just like that? Did you know she has been a part of the principality for more than 8 years now and married for more than 3 years?
Did you know that this is one of the most charitable families around? With the Red Cross, Fight AIDS Monaco….and that Principality is big on recycling and living a green life…thinking of the future. Thing is, they donate time, money and resources quietly because quite frankly those that need recognition for their charitable actions come off as not with class.
Did you know that while they were dating, engaged and even once married it is very common for them to mix and mingle with the locals down at the port, seen enjoying a meal amongst others and are far more down to earth and normal than people would expect.
People might want to give Princess Charlene more than a chance, imagine her role, imagine the eyes of the world watching you…how would you deal with a new stature in your life?
So all these people “assuming” they know what is going on, perhaps pay a visit to the Principality and discover why the locals call it “the life”. Because it certainly is…
Thank you for that inside view.
+100000
I have always loved visiting Monaco, it’s beautiful, tranquil, yet cosmopolitan too.
Her ankles and feet-she looks miserable! At least there will b e nannies galore when the Chosen Ones arrive.
Aren’t some sections of the press “barstewards”?
Duchess Kate is always pregnant with twins.
I wondered, too, but realized her stylist is a god and designed her clothes so well, she never looked that big.