Photo: Princess Charlene/InstagramPrincess Charleneis the first to admit that her year has been especially"trying,“but a source tells PEOPLE that the Monaco royal is more than up to the challenge.“Just to be honest, Charlene,she’s an Olympian, and she’s a tough cookie,” a close friend of the couple says in this week’s issue.Charlene, 43, traveled to South Africa in mid-May and soon began to experiencecomplicationsrelated to a sinus lift and bone graft procedure she’d undergone prior to her arrival in preparation for dental implants. As result, she has since had several corrective procedures, includingone in late Junethat caused her tomiss her 10th wedding anniversarywithPrince Alberton July 1, and afour-hour long surgeryon August 13.The extended physical separation not only proved painful for Charlene, whorelied on FaceTime to get quality with her family, it also sparkedspeculationabout the state of the Monaco royals' marriage.But the friend tells PEOPLE Charlene was simply following her passion, which has sometimes meant she doesn’t conform to others' expectations of how a royal should act orlook.“She cares aboutsaving the rhinocerosesand about teaching kids to swim. She doesn’t want to beKate [Middleton], and she doesn’t want to beGrace Kelly,” they tell PEOPLE. “It was just Charlene being Charlene.“Adds the friend, “She’s a little bit of an iconoclast. She’s her own person, and she’s not a shrinking violet.“Pascal le segretain/gettyCan’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!Now — after several long, unintended months apart — Albert hastold PEOPLEhis wife is more than “ready to come home. … She’s jokingly said that she’s ready to stowaway on a ship to come back to Europe.“A huge part of Charlene’s eagerness to move past her recovery is her desire return to life as a hands-on parent to the couple’s 6-year-old twins,Prince JacquesandPrincess Gabriella.“The kids are so overwhelmingly charming and loving,” the royals' friend tells PEOPLE. And Albert, 63, is “such a good dad. He’s so good with them. And she’s such a good mom. I think that’s where the confluence is — that they’re wonderful parents.“Prince Albert, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques.Éric Mathon/Palais princierAlbertaffirmedin his conversation with PEOPLE: “I’m looking forward to Charlene being back. Looking forward to her being back because she’s part of my life, part of our lives, part of life in Monaco. I’m also looking forward to her helping me with the children and with different things as she has in the past because it’s a team effort. When one of the team members isn’t there, it’s a lot more difficult.“He reiterated, “She’s told me she’s eager to come back. We’re eager, impatient, to welcome her home again.”
Photo: Princess Charlene/Instagram
Princess Charleneis the first to admit that her year has been especially"trying,“but a source tells PEOPLE that the Monaco royal is more than up to the challenge.“Just to be honest, Charlene,she’s an Olympian, and she’s a tough cookie,” a close friend of the couple says in this week’s issue.Charlene, 43, traveled to South Africa in mid-May and soon began to experiencecomplicationsrelated to a sinus lift and bone graft procedure she’d undergone prior to her arrival in preparation for dental implants. As result, she has since had several corrective procedures, includingone in late Junethat caused her tomiss her 10th wedding anniversarywithPrince Alberton July 1, and afour-hour long surgeryon August 13.The extended physical separation not only proved painful for Charlene, whorelied on FaceTime to get quality with her family, it also sparkedspeculationabout the state of the Monaco royals' marriage.But the friend tells PEOPLE Charlene was simply following her passion, which has sometimes meant she doesn’t conform to others' expectations of how a royal should act orlook.“She cares aboutsaving the rhinocerosesand about teaching kids to swim. She doesn’t want to beKate [Middleton], and she doesn’t want to beGrace Kelly,” they tell PEOPLE. “It was just Charlene being Charlene.“Adds the friend, “She’s a little bit of an iconoclast. She’s her own person, and she’s not a shrinking violet.“Pascal le segretain/gettyCan’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!Now — after several long, unintended months apart — Albert hastold PEOPLEhis wife is more than “ready to come home. … She’s jokingly said that she’s ready to stowaway on a ship to come back to Europe.“A huge part of Charlene’s eagerness to move past her recovery is her desire return to life as a hands-on parent to the couple’s 6-year-old twins,Prince JacquesandPrincess Gabriella.“The kids are so overwhelmingly charming and loving,” the royals' friend tells PEOPLE. And Albert, 63, is “such a good dad. He’s so good with them. And she’s such a good mom. I think that’s where the confluence is — that they’re wonderful parents.“Prince Albert, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques.Éric Mathon/Palais princierAlbertaffirmedin his conversation with PEOPLE: “I’m looking forward to Charlene being back. Looking forward to her being back because she’s part of my life, part of our lives, part of life in Monaco. I’m also looking forward to her helping me with the children and with different things as she has in the past because it’s a team effort. When one of the team members isn’t there, it’s a lot more difficult.“He reiterated, “She’s told me she’s eager to come back. We’re eager, impatient, to welcome her home again.”
Princess Charleneis the first to admit that her year has been especially"trying,“but a source tells PEOPLE that the Monaco royal is more than up to the challenge.
“Just to be honest, Charlene,she’s an Olympian, and she’s a tough cookie,” a close friend of the couple says in this week’s issue.
Charlene, 43, traveled to South Africa in mid-May and soon began to experiencecomplicationsrelated to a sinus lift and bone graft procedure she’d undergone prior to her arrival in preparation for dental implants. As result, she has since had several corrective procedures, includingone in late Junethat caused her tomiss her 10th wedding anniversarywithPrince Alberton July 1, and afour-hour long surgeryon August 13.
The extended physical separation not only proved painful for Charlene, whorelied on FaceTime to get quality with her family, it also sparkedspeculationabout the state of the Monaco royals' marriage.
But the friend tells PEOPLE Charlene was simply following her passion, which has sometimes meant she doesn’t conform to others' expectations of how a royal should act orlook.
“She cares aboutsaving the rhinocerosesand about teaching kids to swim. She doesn’t want to beKate [Middleton], and she doesn’t want to beGrace Kelly,” they tell PEOPLE. “It was just Charlene being Charlene.”
Adds the friend, “She’s a little bit of an iconoclast. She’s her own person, and she’s not a shrinking violet.”
Pascal le segretain/getty
Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!
Now — after several long, unintended months apart — Albert hastold PEOPLEhis wife is more than “ready to come home. … She’s jokingly said that she’s ready to stowaway on a ship to come back to Europe.”
A huge part of Charlene’s eagerness to move past her recovery is her desire return to life as a hands-on parent to the couple’s 6-year-old twins,Prince JacquesandPrincess Gabriella.
“The kids are so overwhelmingly charming and loving,” the royals' friend tells PEOPLE. And Albert, 63, is “such a good dad. He’s so good with them. And she’s such a good mom. I think that’s where the confluence is — that they’re wonderful parents.”
Prince Albert, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques.Éric Mathon/Palais princier
Albertaffirmedin his conversation with PEOPLE: “I’m looking forward to Charlene being back. Looking forward to her being back because she’s part of my life, part of our lives, part of life in Monaco. I’m also looking forward to her helping me with the children and with different things as she has in the past because it’s a team effort. When one of the team members isn’t there, it’s a lot more difficult.”
He reiterated, “She’s told me she’s eager to come back. We’re eager, impatient, to welcome her home again.”
source: people.com
