Princess Charlene Makes First Public Appearance in Over a Year — and Debuts Platinum Haircut
Eric Mathon / Courtesy Prince's Palace
Monaco's Princess Charlene appeared alongside her family on Saturday, marking her first public appearance in months.
The royal joined her husband Prince Albert and their 7-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, at the Monaco E-Prix. The former Olympian participated in the trophy presentations and posed while photographers swarmed the podium. As one local newspaper put it, Charlene's return to public activities "was an event awaited in the principality for many, many months."
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Dressed sleekly in a tailored gray suit and debuting a short, platinum hairstyle, Charlene spent the majority of her time playing with Princess Gabriella. The mother-daughter pair not only presented the 2nd place trophy to Jaguar's Mitch Hunt but had arms around each other throughout the awards ceremony.
Eric Mathon / Courtesy Prince's Palace
Prince Jacques and Prince Albert, 64, then presented the 1st place trophy to Mercedes driver Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Techeetah's Jean-Eric Vergne placed 3rd).
The Monaco E-Prix event, which marks the beginning of Monaco's racing season, was Charlene's first public appearance in over a year.
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Charlene returned to Monaco in March after a four-month stay in a Swiss clinic, where she received treatment for profound emotional and physical exhaustion. In early November, Charlene voluntarily entered treatment in a professional facility. The choice of a clinic outside of Monaco, her husband Prince Albert told PEOPLE exclusively at that time, was her personal decision supported by family members.
She first became ill while in South Africa last May for what was planned as a brief 10-day visit to her home country. However, complications from a previous ENT procedure grounded her for six months. A series of painful corrective surgeries and a subsequent relapse delayed her return to Monaco until late 2021.
Eric Mathon / Courtesy Prince's Palace
Upon her return, Charlene exhibited signs of exhaustion and decided to seek medical assistance. It was clear "she was unwell and felt uncomfortable," a palace source told PEOPLE.
During her absence, rumors flew and though both Princess Charlene and Prince Albert consistently insisted her absence was caused only by medical issues, tabloid stories enveloped the couple.
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She returned in mid-March with the understanding that she would avoid public appearances while "continuing her convalescence in the Principality with her husband and her children by her side," according to the palace
Charlene's promised resumption of her public role was signaled two weeks ago with the release of a family Easter portrait that was taken in the palace gardens.