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Princess Charlène of Monaco (born Charlène Lynette Wittstock on 25 January 1978 in Bulawayo, Rhodesia) has been the wife of Prince Albert II since 2011 [1]. This page uses only the information published by the Prince's Palace of Monaco.
Early life and swimming career
In 1989 the family moved to South Africa, where she grew up in Benoni, near Johannesburg [1]. She won the South African championships in 1996 and swam for South Africa at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, where the team finished fifth in the 4 × 100 m medley relay [1]. In 2002 she won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester [1]. Qualified for the Beijing 2008 Games, she ended her career in 2007 after an injury [1].
Marriage and family
According to the Palace, she met Prince Albert II in 2000 at a swimming competition in Monaco; their engagement was announced in June 2010 [1]. The civil wedding took place on 1 July 2011 in the Throne Room of the Prince's Palace, and the religious wedding on 2 July in the Palace's Main Courtyard [1]. Since then she has been styled Her Serene Highness Princess Charlène of Monaco [1]. On 10 December 2014 she gave birth to twins, Hereditary Prince Jacques, Marquis des Baux, and Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès [1][2].
Charity work
She is President and founder of the Princess Charlène of Monaco Foundation, created in December 2012 to save lives by fighting drowning and to promote the educational values of sport [1]. The Palace also lists her patronage of the South African Red Cross (2016) and her support for Monaco's rugby federation since October 2024 [1].
Licence: this article is original GOTHA text, released under CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Its sources are summarised or briefly quoted.