Here’s what you need to know about Princess Charlene’s new look and how far she’s come.
Princess Charlene’s big reveal
The royal, who usually sports a short platinum blonde look, debuted a softer brown hair colour at the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix in late May. She was joined by Prince Albert during the annual motoring event, which was held at the Circuit de Monaco.
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She styled her new look in a sleek side-parting, accentuating her cheekbones and offering softer angles to her face. According to The News, she had already flaunted the hairstyle at the Maria Callas Awards dinner two weeks before, but the Grand Prix was her first public appearance.
Since then, Princess Charlene has been spotted sporting the new look on several occasions. She attended events celebrating the centenary of Prince Rainier III’s birth with her children, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, and attended several gala dinners.
The details
Although she has been spotted with her new hair several times already, her Grand Prix look remains the talk of town. Along with her hair, Princess Charlene went out of her comfort zone and chose a loose-fitting dress by Swiss label Akris. According to its website, the dress retails for around US$4,990. British media reports the royal also wore Prada shades worth around US$240 to complete the look.
Her remarkable return to health
Every time the princess makes a public appearance, royal watchers celebrate her return to good health. She spent much of 2021 in South Africa, the country she grew up in, away from her husband and children who remained in Monaco. This was because she suffered major complications related to a previous surgery.
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During her stay there, she was even rushed to hospital as she continued to battle infections related to multiple ear, nose and throat surgeries. Hello magazine reports that when the princess returned to Monaco in 2021, she was sent to a treatment facility outside the city state so she could fully recover.
At the time, a visibly thin and frail princess emerged. As she slowly returned to public life, Prince Albert said he was “proud” of her progress, explaining that she was gradually engaging more in public life and “looking after things she’s passionate about”. Since then, she has shown signs of her full health returning.
Continued relationship rumours
As Princess Charlene continues to win back her health though, there have been renewed rumours over the state of her marriage to Prince Albert. In March, the palace released a statement denying the couple was getting divorced. They slammed the speculation as “malicious rumours”, referring to an article on the subject by French magazine Royauté.
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In May, it was also confirmed that an unauthorised biography of Charlene: In Search of a Princess was being translated and sold in France. News24 reported that author Arlene Prinsloo published the book in 2022 just as Charlene returned to royal duties. Prinsloo said that while Charlene was “on the way to healing”, she believed “Albert tried to keep Charlene’s illness private, because he knows that everything in their lives is pored over”.
