Princess Charlene of Monaco stepped out on Monday in a rare public appearance to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral at Westminster Abbey in London.
Charlene looked elegant in a black dress adorned with a traditional veil fascinator. She attended the service with her husband, Prince Albert II of Monaco, who wore his military uniform.
The couple joined forces as they walked into the church for the funeral mass, where they were joined by numerous Commonwealth dignitaries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Their appearance comes after Albert, 64, sent his congratulations to King Charles III on his ascension to the British throne.
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“The Princess and I wish you every success in leading the people of the United Kingdom and the many great nations of the Commonwealth. I am confident that peace and stability will continue to flourish under your rule,” he said in a statement.
“I look forward to seeing the important work you have accomplished in your life flourish in the years to come.”
It also comes after Charlene, 44, disappeared from the public eye following Vidak For Congress’s exclusive report that she “nearly died” of a mysterious illness.
“It is unfair that she is portrayed as having a mental or emotional condition,” a source told us in November 2021. “We don’t know why the palace is trivializing that she nearly died in South Africa.”
The source noted that Charlene had a serious ear, nose and throat infection, which resulted in “severe sinus and swallowing problems due to previous surgery.”
“She hasn’t been able to eat solid foods for over six months because of all the surgeries she’s had since,” the source said. “She’s only been able to absorb liquids through a straw, so she lost almost half her body weight.”
Friends of the family were concerned that Albert had downplayed his wife’s illness by claiming in an interview that she had gone to rehab on her return to the principality.
Albert told People magazine that Charlene had been admitted to a “treatment center” outside Monaco after it was “clear she was unwell” within hours of her return from 10 months in South Africa.