Princess Charlene of Monaco makes first public appearance since November amid medical saga

Princess Charlene of Monaco is braving the public eye.

On Saturday, the royal appeared alongside husband Prince Albert and their twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques at the Monaco E-Prix. This is the 44-year-old’s first public appearance with her family since she was spotted in November.

Charlene opted for an all-gray ensemble as she appeared in a pensive mood during the engagement. Her cropped blonde mane was neatly coiffed, and she completed the look with smoky eyes and glossy lips.

Previously, the Monaco Palace released a portrait of the family as they celebrated Easter Sunday. The photo was published hours after Albert, 64, was released from quarantine after testing positive a second time for COVID-19. He also made an appearance at the Monte-Carlo Masters tennis finals.

PRINCE ALBERT OF MONACO IS A ‘WARM AND WELCOMING’ ROYAL WHOSE FOCUS IS ON CHARITY, NOT TABLOID SCRUTINY: PAL

“Having just been diagnosed negative with a PCR COVID-19 screening test, H.S.H. Prince Albert II is able to resume all of his activities just today,” a statement from the palace sent to Fox News Digital at the time said. “Complying with the health rules in force after being tested positive for COVID-19 a few days ago and although asymptomatic, H.S.H. the Prince had had to self-isolate and work remotely in liaison permanently with the members of his cabinet, his government as well as with his close associates.”

Last May, the princess became ill during what was supposed to be a 10-day visit to her home country of South Africa. Instead, complications from a previous procedure grounded Charlene for six months.

After several corrective surgeries and a subsequent relapse, Charlene returned to Monaco in November. But shortly after she landed, the princess experienced signs of emotional and physical exhaustion. After consulting her doctors and family, Charlene decided to seek medical treatment. It was ultimately determined that Charlene would seek treatment in a facility outside of Monaco. Reports speculated that the facility was in Switzerland.

Throughout her health journey, Charlene kept closely connected with her family with the help of daily phone and video calls, People magazine reported. The outlet noted that at least one family visit was held during the holidays, and Albert privately visited his wife on several occasions.

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Charlene returned to Monaco in early March.

In September, Albert slammed rumors spread by tabloids that the marriage had been in trouble.

“She didn’t leave Monaco in a huff,” he told the outlet at the time. “She didn’t leave because she was mad at me or anybody else. She was going down to South Africa to reassess her foundation’s work down there and to take a little time off with her brother and some friends.

“It was only supposed to be a week-long, 10-day maximum stay, and [she is still there now] because she had this infection [and] all these medical complications arose. She didn’t go into exile. It was absolutely just a medical problem which had to be treated.”

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Albert admitted that he “probably should have addressed” the gossip sooner.

“But I was concentrating on taking care of the kids,” he said. “And I thought it would just probably go [away]. You know if you try to answer everything that comes out then you’re constantly [responding], you’re wasting your time. … Of course, it affects her, of course, it affects me. Misreading events is always detrimental. … We’re an easy target, easily hit, because we’re in the public eye a lot.”

The celebrated athlete married the son of Hollywood actress Grace Kelly on July 1, 2011. The wedding was a spectacle, costing an estimated $70 million for the four-day event. They welcomed twins in 2014.

Their planned public anniversary celebration was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.