Charlene | |||||
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Charlene at the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden in June 2013
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Princess consort of Monaco | |||||
Tenure | 1 July 2011 – present | ||||
Born |
Bulawayo, Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe) |
25 January 1978 ||||
Spouse | Albert II, Prince of Monaco (m. 2011) | ||||
Issue |
Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco |
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Father | Michael Kenneth Wittstock | ||||
Mother | Lynette Humberstone | ||||
Religion |
Roman Catholic previously Protestantism |
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Occupation | Swimmer | ||||
Signature |
Full name | |
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Charlene Lynette Wittstock |
Monegasque Princely Family |
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HSH The Prince |
Medal record | ||
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Women's swimming | ||
Representing South Africa | ||
Commonwealth Games | ||
2002 Manchester | 4 x 100 m medley | |
All-Africa Games | ||
1999 Johannesburg | 100 m freestyle | |
1999 Johannesburg | 100 m backstroke | |
1999 Johannesburg | 4 x 100 m medley | |
1999 Johannesburg | 4 x 100 m freestyle |
HSH The Prince
HSH The Princess
HRH The Princess of Hanover
HSH Princess Stéphanie
Charlene, Princess of Monaco (French: Charlène; born Charlene Lynette Wittstock, 25 January 1978), is a former Olympic swimmer for South Africa and wife of Prince Albert II.
Princess Charlene was born in Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe), the daughter of Michael and Lynette Wittstock, and the family relocated to South Africa in 1989. Princess Charlene represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with her team finishing fifth in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay. Princess Charlene retired from competitive swimming in 2007.
Princess Charlene met Prince Albert at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2000. They were first seen together in 2006, and Princess Charlene has accompanied Prince Albert on many of his official duties since then. They announced their engagement in June 2010, and were . Princess Charlene's pregnancy was announced on 30 May 2014. On 10 December 2014, The Princess of Monaco gave birth to Princess Gabriella and Hereditary Prince Jacques.
Princess Charlene was born on 25 January 1978 in Bulawayo, Rhodesia (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980), the daughter of Michael Kenneth Wittstock (born 1946), a sales manager, and Lynette Wittstock (née Humberstone, born 1957), a former competitive diver and swimming coach. Two brothers were born over the next five years: Gareth (born 1980), a computer technician, and Sean (born 1983), a sales representative. The family relocated to South Africa in 1989, when Charlene was 11 years old. She attended Tom Newby Primary school in Benoni, near Johannesburg, from 1988 to 1991.