Scandal upon scandal
This extravagance extended to Princess Charlene's family in South Africa. In December 2022, Palmeiro allegedly demanded €900,000 from her brother Sean Wittstock to spend on his house.
But it was a completely different story with her employees. Palmeiro claims that most of her employees were actually illegal immigrants — even the nannies for her twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, who were born in December 2014. Palmeiro claims that in January 2015, the nannies' tourist visas expired that month, plus “one of them entered on a passport.” Forger”.
However, Princess Charlene spent nearly €600,000 on the twins' lavish baptism.
The damaging exposé also includes shocking information about Princess Charlene's husband, Prince Albert, 65, and his spending.
The current head of Monaco's Grimaldi dynasty, Albert II, is the son of Rainier III and Hollywood actress Grace Kelly. However, Prince Albert's behavior looks like a dirty movie. The playboy king is said to have had a secret account at French bank BNP, which he used to pay money to his mistresses and illegitimate children – while keeping everything hidden from his wife.
download
He paid €344,000 a year to his two recognized children: 31-year-old Jazmine Grimaldi, and her mother, Tamara Rotolo, a real estate agent; Alexander Coste Grimaldi, 20, was born to former flight attendant Nicole Coste.
According to Palmeiro, Prince Albert bought Jazmin a €3 million apartment in New York. He paid for Alexander's kidnap and ransom insurance, and supported Nicole Coast's fashion company, Wolf & Badger (which had a flagship store in Knightsbridge).
Palmeiro also claims he was given unsavory tasks by Prince Albert such as “Mission K” in 2012, which included paying a woman who allegedly had offensive photos of the prince.
This open feud between the family and the formerly loyal Palmeiro – who succeeded his father Andre in running the royal family's finances – likely dates back to the release of Rock Files by Les Dossiers du Rocher last year.
WikiLeaks claimed that four of Prince Albert's close friends had joined forces to manipulate the real estate market in Monaco (colloquially known as “The Rock”).
Prince Albert met Charlene Wittstock, then an Olympic swimmer, at a swimming meet in 2000 in Monte Carlo.credit: GT
Prince Albert initially supported his men, then changed his mind and fired them all: his chief of staff, Laurent Anselme, his lawyer Thierry Lacoste, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Didier Linault, and Palmeiro. In response to these accusations, Prince Albert said: “When you ask questions, you have to know how to change the people around you to find the right path again and write a new page in your history… If trust evaporates, then we can no longer work together.”
Palmeiro vigorously refuted these accusations, even suing Prince Albert for damages, claiming “enormous moral damage, injuries and disruption of living conditions.” The case is ongoing.
But it turns out that Palmeiro didn't need the courts. He instead dealt a fatal blow by sharing intimate secrets about royal finances — the kind of painful revelation that is likely to cause lasting damage.
The royal dream that turned into a nightmare
This is the latest in a long line of scandals involving Monaco's controversial ruling husband. Prince Albert met Charlene Wittstock, then an Olympic swimmer, at a swimming meet in 2000 in Monte Carlo.
The future princess told Tatler she wasn't “in the emotional position” for a relationship, but when she met Prince Albert, she “felt a profound sense of destiny.”
However, their royal dream soon turned into a nightmare. Prince Albert was forced to admit that he had fathered two children, and there were rumors of a third just before the wedding. French media described Charlene as a “runaway bride” after she allegedly tried to flee Monaco.
Their stunning £53 million ($100 million) wedding took place in 2011, with Princess Charlene wearing a Giorgio Armani Privé gown adorned with 20,000 pearl drops, 30,000 gold stones and 40,000 Swarovski crystals.
But the tears turned to tears: Princess Charlene was photographed crying after the ceremony. Then there were rumors that the newlyweds slept separately in separate hotels during their honeymoon in South Africa.
download
French journalist Philippe Delorme compared the marriage unfavorably to the fairy-tale wedding of Prince Albert's parents. “The truth is that Albert is a little overweight, and a lot less glamorous than his father,” he said. “It feels like a love story between an old man and a young woman rather than two young lovers.”
Princess Charlene struggled to adapt to her new life, complaining that she was jealous of Monaco's high society, and that no one related to her South African mentality and sense of humour.
The Prince and Princess were thrilled to welcome their twins on December 10, 2014, giving Albert two official royal heirs. But their marriage was suffering from crises. Prince Albert faced another allegation of fathering a child by love in 2020, from a woman who claimed they met at a nightclub in Rio, Brazil, in 2004. The case never went to court, and may have been settled privately.
But it clearly affected Princess Charlene. She then made a shocking appearance, debuting her new punk hairstyle: half of her head was closely shaved, with the rest dyed dark. It was either a cry for help, or a statement that she would no longer play by the royal rules.
In 2021, Princess Charlene spent 10 months in South Africa, due to a sinus infection, which resulted in her missing their 10th wedding anniversary. Upon her return to Monaco, Prince Albert claimed that she was “not feeling well” and could not carry out her official duties. She would seek medical treatment, he said, adding defensively that it was not a matter of “domestic issues.” [their] relationship”.
download
But the couple is rumored to be living separate lives. Friends said they were strictly a “party couple”, with Princess Charlene now spending most of her time in Switzerland. If so, it would certainly increase Prince Albert's financial burden.
Princess Charlene sparked further speculation by not wearing her wedding ring during her appearances, and last year, she deleted her personal Instagram account, indicating her withdrawal from public life.
The Telegraph, London
Get a direct note from our foreign correspondents on what's making headlines around the world. Subscribe to the weekly What in the World newsletter here.
