Hello Monaco #09 Spring–Summer 2020 | Page 53

PORTRAIT
co, and with Charlène being gradually and
discreetly included in the Grimaldi Family.
In March 2008, she first attended the prestigious
Bal de la Rose in a midnight-blue
understated dress. In November 2008, she
took part in the Panda Ball in Singapore
to raise funds for WWF. That all seemed to
suggest a happy ending in a short time.
In June 2010, just after participating in the
Victoria of Sweden royal wedding, their
engagement was made official quietly
and in early July 2011 Miss Wittstock and
the Sovereign Prince got married in two
steps. The civil ceremony was held in the
Palace of Monaco Throne Room, as per
tradition. And the religious wedding was
celebrated in the open-air by H.E. Bernard
Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco, the following
day in the Princely Cour d’Honneur, in the
presence of a thousand or so noble guests.
Princess Charlène’s wedding dress by Giorgio
Armani was made from 130 metres of
silk, studded with 40,000 Swarovski crystals
and embellished with 20,000 teardrops
fashioned from mother-of-pearl. It took
several months of work to create this fascinating
gown.
The event captured the imagination of the
International Media and the entire Monegasque
population. From that moment
on, she has taken the title of H.S.H. Princess
Charlène of Monaco together with all
the noble titles acknowledged by Prince
Albert II. And it was only the beginning
of the fairy adventure. On the 10th December
2014, Princess Charlène’s dream
of becoming a mother came true, twice.
© Eric Mathon / Palais Princier
H.S.H. Princess Charlène of Monaco beside H.S.H.
Prince Albert II of Monaco, attending the 2019
National Day solemn Mass at the Cathedral
(Monaco Cathedral, 19th November 2019).
Crown Prince Jacques and H.S.H. Princess
Gabriella were born, creating joy for the
entire Principality. Their relaxed attitude
revealed in every princely photo shows
how they enjoy their mother’s loving care.
And it is mutual. In recent declarations,
Princess Charlène expressed her inspirational
delight in following their evolution
in building their own points of view on
different things.
CHARITY
But Princess Charlène has never wanted to
be an inactive Lady. «I want to be present
and actively involved; it is a life with a purpose»,
she highlighted. Her African roots
have been pushing her to be particularly
sensitive to any difficulties in childhood.
Thus, at the early stage of her career, she
started giving swimming lessons to children
in need and, once she had become
Princess, she completely endorsed His Serene
Highness in promoting charitable actions,
worldwide. Since then, she has been
attending major fund-raising events, associating
with pivotal institutions like the
Nelson Mandela Foundation which she
joined in 2010, the amfAR AIDS Foundation,
the Monaco Liver Disorder Charity to
care for serious infantile diseases and the
MONAA (Monaco Against Autism) Association,
where she was appointed Honorary
«SPORT HAS GIVEN ME DRIVE AND DISCIPLINE
AND IT ALSO TAUGHT ME TO REMAIN HUMBLE»
H.S.H. Princess Charlène of Monaco, the Monegasque F1 driver Charles Leclerc, Ambassador of Her
Foundation, Jean Todt, road safety Special Envoy for UN Secretary-General, and H.S.H. Prince Albert II
of Monaco showing the new poster of the awareness campaign #3500LIVES, designed by the FIA: « Soyez
attentifs aux piétons » – ‘Please be aware of the Pedestrians’ (Grand Prix de F1, 2019 edition).
President respectively in June and in November
2012. On the 8th July 2011, H.S.H.
Princess Charlène was named co-patron
of the Giving Organisation Trust, a South-
African charity union focused on AIDS prevention
among underprivileged children
and environmental issues. In addition to
all this, since 2018 the Princess of Monaco
has been committing herself to improving
the standard of driving in low-income
and intermediary Countries, playing a role
as a member of the “High Level Panel for
Road Safety”.
© Eric Mathon / Palais Princier
Her deep belief in the ability of sport to
improve living conditions and give hope,
pushed her to create her own Foundation
on 14th December 2012. This praiseworthy
reality reveals a strong commitment
to transmit the best side of sport to new
generations of athletes — with special focus
on reinforcing their self-confidence in
water in the prevention of any drowning
epidemic. The Foundation performs a true
therapeutic function via water safety
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