Prince Albert seen at Monaco Day gala as he reveals 'overwhelmed' wife Charlene ...

Prince Albert of Monaco has been pictured at the glamorous celebrations for Monaco's national day after revealing his 'exhausted and overwhelmed' wife Princess Charlene was admitted to 'several weeks' in a 'treatment facility' after falling ill within hours of her return from Monaco after 10 months in South Africa. 

The sovereign prince was pictured alongside Princess Caroline of Hannover enjoying the extravagant celebrations put on in Monte Carlo for the National Day of Monaco, held annually on November 19 each year. 

The pair were pictured greeting children and posed for pictures at the Grimaldi Forum, while other members of the family were seen marking celebrations from a balcony at Monaco Palace earlier on Friday. 

In interviews published today, Albert, 63, explained his wife, who has appeared increasingly frail, acknowledged she needed help after he staged a family intervention with her brothers and sister-in-law. 

Albert, who earlier this year said his wife was suffering from a sinus infection, did not reveal details of her illness but ruled out cancer and Covid. He hinted at mental health struggles, saying she 'was overwhelmed and couldn't face official duties, life in general or even family life' and is suffering from 'exhaustion, both emotional and physical'.  

Speaking to People magazine, Albert said the family reunion in Monaco last week initially went 'pretty well' in the first few hours, but it then became 'pretty evident' that Charlene was 'unwell.'  

He said the former Olympian 'realised she needed help', adding: 'She was overwhelmed and couldn't face official duties, life in general or even family life.' 

The Prince said the final decision making process about treatment involved an intervention-style meeting with family members, explaining: 'I sat her down with her brothers and a sister-in-law. She had already made her decision, and we only wanted her to confirm it in front of us. She wanted this. 

'She already knew the best thing to do was to go and have a rest and have a real medically framed treatment. And not in Monaco. For privacy reasons, it would have to be someplace outside of Monaco.'

Meanwhile he revealed Gabriella and Jacques would 'visit' Charlene once they had the 'medical go-ahead', saying the six-year-old twins 'knew she was tired' and 'not quite herself.' 

French magazines such as Voici claimed that Charlene has gone to Switzerland, where there are numerous specialist private medical clinics. 

It comes as the children held up signs which said: 'Miss you Mummy' during the National Day celebrations earlier this morning.

Albert explained: 'I'm probably going to say this several times, but this has nothing to do with our relationship. I want to make that very clear. These are not problems within our relationship; not with the relationship between a husband and wife. It's of a different nature.' 

He went on to tell the magazine her current state was a result of 'several factors which are private'.

Albert continued: 'She hadn't slept well in a number of days and she wasn't eating at all well. She has lost a lot of weight, which made her vulnerable to other potential ailments. A cold or the flu or God help us, COVID.'

 He said it is 'not cancer-related or personal relationship issue.' 

Claims she will stay in Swtizerland were backed up by a source who knows the couple well, who said: ‘The South of France is too close, but Switzerland has superb private medical facilities, and Charlene will be well looked after there.' 

The mother-of-two, 43, last night shared an Instagram post from the 'secret location' where she is recovering from a 'fatigue that's not just physical', after Prince Albert revealed she had left the principality.  

Royal fans sent their well wishes to Princess Charlene on Instagram, with one writing: 'Best wishes for your recovery take care of yourself', while another said: 'Stay strong, follow your heart. God bless you and your kid. 

The royal marked Monaco's National Day - one of the biggest events in the royal calendar - with a video of the Monaco flag set to the national anthem. Meanwhile Prince Albert, 63, lead members of the Monegasque royal family at today's festivities, after confirming earlier this week that his wife will not be in attendance.   

Instead, Princess Caroline of Hanover, 63, and Princess Stephanie, 56, joined the monarch for the mass and outdoor ceremony at the palace.

The trio could be seen chaperoning Prince Albert's children Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, six, who appeared in a particularly playful mood and at one point could be seen being disciplined by his aunt. 

The little boy could be seen blowing raspberries at the crowd, playing with his uniform and pouting before Princess Caroline bent down to speak to him. 

Princess Charlene last night shared an Instagram post from the 'secret location' where she is recovering from a 'fatigue that's not just physical', after Prince Albert revealed she had left the principality. 

The royal marked Monaco's National Day - one of the biggest events in the royal calendar - with a video of the Monaco flag set to the national anthem.

Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of Princess Charlene after Albert his wife, who has appeared increasingly frail, had left Monaco less than two weeks after her return from a 10-month stay in South Africa. 

'She is better but she still needs rest and peace,' he said in an interview in Monaco-Matin, translated from French. 'She is not in the Principality but we will be able to visit her very soon. 

'I cannot tell you more out of discretion. There is tiredness, not just physical, which can only be treated with a period of rest and monitoring.' 

Yesterday, Albert said their children, Jacques and Gabriella, had 'suffered from the absence of their mother' but that he had compensated by stepping up to take a more active role in their lives.  

'For me, it's pretty simple – my priority is my family,' the prince said, when asked about juggling the role of being a head of state and a father. 

He continued: 'This is an extremely important time in [the children's] life – the way they grow up helps them see the world. 

'And if one of the parents is away for medical reasons, the other parent has to be there. I have heard too many friends and acquaintances telling me that they wish they had been there for their children, at a certain age, taken up by their work or their professional life. I don't want to have these regrets.' 

Asked if the children had been 'more protected' during their mother's absence, Albert added: 'They should be protected in general, but of course they suffered from the absence of their mother. But they had enough distractions and a family circle that made sure they were not lacking in affection.' 

The prince also said rumours around the state of his marriage 'don't bother him too much'.

It comes after the House of Grimaldi confirmed Charlene will not attend Monaco's National Day celebrations - one of the biggest events in the royal calendar.

Charlene returned to her husband and twins Jacques and Gabriella in Monaco last Monday following a 10-month absence while she recovered from surgery following a sinus infection she contracted during a solo charity trip to her native South Africa earlier this year.

In the days after her arrival, Charlene's sister-in-law Chantell Wittstock, told MailOnline the princess may not be returning to the palace and did not plan to immediately return to public engagements, although she later retracted the remark.

Before she left in January, Charlene had raised eyebrows in Monaco by living in a modest two-bedroom apartment above an old chocolate factory about 300m away, rather than in the 12th Century Palace itself. It is thought she could return to living at the property. 

Charlene's time away followed fresh allegations last December that Albert had fathered a love-child (which would be his third, if proven) with an unnamed Brazilian woman during the time when he and Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer for South Africa, were already in a relationship.

Photographs of their reunion earlier this month were greeted with a hefty dose of scepticism by the French media.

Albert was waiting for her at the Monte Carlo helipad, along with their six-year-old twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques. The family were joined by a hand-picked photographer inside the Palace walls for the 'reunion' photos. 

Among a series of snaps shared to Instagram, the mother-of-two can be seen posing for a family photograph as she places her hand around her husband Prince Albert's neck, while wrapping an arm around their six-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella.   

But there was already doubt cast over the couple's living arrangements.

'Reunion of Albert and Charlene of Monaco: but where exactly do they sleep?' was the headline question in the respected French celebrity outlet Gala on Tuesday.

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