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Princess Charlene of Monaco started from the bottom – and by that I mean Benoni.

Charlene Wittstock was born in Zimbabwe and moved to Benoni when she was 12, before becoming a sensational professional swimmer and then, a Monaco royal.

Now, the small-town girl is living large in a palace on a giant rock with the Prince of Monaco, with hordes of gorgeous designer clothes, fine dining as the standard, invites to big British royal events, and friendships with world-renowned luxury designers – oh, and lavish jewellery and tiaras, of course.

The List delved into all the glitz and glam of Charlene’s life, mentioning how she started out in a humble middle-class family.

Unlike other royals who were already born into elite circles, Charlene’s parents were far from being rich. Her father, Michael Wittstock, sold photocopiers, while her mother, Lynette Wittstock, made a living as a swimming instructor. When the family moved to South Africa, they couldn’t afford to live in a safe neighbourhood, which is something the princess fretted over in a Sunday Times interview:

“I worry about them a lot. I worry about the fact that people break into the house and they’ve been robbed many times. There have been a lot of killings on our street. If you’re not from a very wealthy background — and we are from a very lower middle-class income — you can’t afford to live in a secure area.” Reflecting on the possibility of changing these circumstances, she added, “But they wouldn’t have it any other way.”

However, as a professional swimmer – she held the position of the sixth-fastest backstroker in the world after the 2002 Short Course World Championships – Charlene was able to enter some pretty elite social circles and rub shoulders with all manners of the rich and famous:

As explained in the biography, “Charlene: In Search of a Princess,” by royal expert, Arlene Prinsloo, Charlene had some deep conversations with the likes of Nelson Mandela. Apparently, the former president “urged Charlene to use her talents and return to the swimming pool” after she suffered a health-related setback. He would later advise her again on coping with the media.

She was asked on a date by Prince Albert in 2000:

According to Charlene’s old trainer, Dean Prince, nobody in the swimming community blinked an eye when she began dating the prince. As he told Prinsloo for her book, “These things happen, and you just carry on.”

Despite some controversy surrounding her nuptials (she ran away momentarily at her wedding in 2011, and rumours have been swirling since that she is deeply unhappy with poor Albert), she surely loves being held in the lap of luxury.

Upon her marriage, she was given several custom-made jewellery pieces. Chief among these was the Van Cleef and Arpels Ocean Tiara, made of diamonds and sapphires as a way to reflect the multi-coloured nature of the waters that surround Monaco. In the centre of the 1,200 stones of various different shades, is a four-carat diamond – the crown jewel, so to speak.

She lives in the historical and famous Prince’s Palace of Monaco, perched on a rock overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, with luxuries such as a 17th-century marble staircase and a courtyard painted with magnificent images of flowers and cherubs.

Yes, there are maids, butlers and private chefs to keep it all intact and well-managed for royalty.

As explained in the book, “Charlene: In Search of a Princess” by Arlene Prinsloo, the Monégasque royals are expected to attend a formal meal at the palace every day. From what we can tell, the process is terribly traditional. The dinner menu is first announced on a printed menu. Then, it’s served on what Prinsloo described as “silver platters embossed with the family crest.” Reflecting on this culture, the biographer observed, “It is in this world — where fine dining is the standard — that Charlene has had to become comfortable.”

However, in 2021, reports emerged that the princess was living in a separate residence from her husband. First, it was reported by the Daily Mail that she was residing in an apartment in Monaco above an old chocolate shop but in 2023 it was rumored she was living in Switzerland, according to another report by the Daily Mail.

In 2021, when Charlene was hospitalised with a severe ear, nose, and throat infection, the European tabloids buzzed with the possibility that she was struggling with addiction, or possibly just trying to get away from her husband and royal duties.

At the time, a close friend of the princess reportedly told Page Six that she suffered immensely:

“She has not been able to eat solid food in over six months because of all the surgeries she has since gone through.” The source also revealed, “She almost died in South Africa.”

Either way, Charlene had the privilege of recovering in one of the most beautiful clinics in the world. It was reported that the princess spent four months healing at Clinic Les Alpes, a luxurious health facility nestled in the snowcapped mountains of Switzerland, with the price for treatment around €43,000 per week (over R840 000).

Life as a princess might seem glamorous and sumptuous, but there is always a human side; the dark side.

[source:thelist]