Monaco’s head of state, Prince Albert II, is in Norway to open a new exhibition at the Fram Museum. The exhibition honors the prince’s great-grandfather, Prince Albert I, who was also a marine scientist, and his expeditions to Svalbard. Prince Albert has the whole family with him – both his wife, Princess Charlène, and the children, the seven-year-old twins Jacques and Gabriella. A united princely family has been a rare sight in the past year, and the visit to Norway has therefore attracted attention outside Norway’s borders as well. This is the first official trip abroad that Princess Charlène is on after she has struggled with illness in the last year and has been away from family and the public for long periods. “Stuck” in South Africa for several months It started last spring. Princess Charlène, who is originally from South Africa, was going on a short trip to her home country to contribute to the work for the protection of endangered rhinos. It ended with a sick stay in South Africa for many months. A serious infection in the nose, ear and throat region meant that she was not allowed to fly home to Monaco again, it was said in a press release from the Prince’s Palace. – It has been a very difficult time for me. I miss my husband and children incredibly much, said Princess Charlène herself in an interview with South African Chanell24. Only in November last year did she return to Monaco, where she was reunited with her family. “A happy day,” she wrote on Instagram. Photo: Screenshot from Instagram But the happiness did not last long. After a few days, Prince Albert said that his wife was receiving treatment for extreme exhaustion outside Monaco. – She was obviously exhausted, physically and emotionally. She was completely overwhelmed and could not perform her official duties or participate in life and family life in general, said the prince. When Monaco’s National Day was celebrated on November 19 last year, the prince and princess’ children Gabriella and Jacques held up drawings with greetings to their mother. Photo: VALERY HACHE / AFP Back to work Only in May this year, Princess Charlène was on the road to recovery and was seen in public again. Together with her husband and children were present during a race to mark the Formula 1 season in Monaco. Last week, the prince and princess were at the opening of the Monte-Carlo TV festival. Photo: VALERY HACHE / AFP Since then, Charlène, who has previously participated in the Olympics swimming for South Africa, and who married Prince Albert in 2011, has been on several assignments in the last month. Now she accompanies her husband and family to Norway to honor the prince’s great-grandfather, almost on the day 100 years after great-grandfather Prince Albert I died. The princess and her daughter Gabriella were present during the Formula 1 race in Monaco at the end of May. Photo: BENOIT TESSIER / Reuters Honors the great-grandfather The exhibition at the Fram Museum will celebrate Prince Albert I’s expeditions, and the former Norwegian expeditions to Svalbard, according to the museum. Albert I, who was Prince of Monaco from 1889 until his death on June 26, 1922, was known as an oceanographer and spent much of his life – and much of his money – on deepwater research. He both carried out and funded, among other things, several research expeditions to Svalbard. Today’s prince, Prince Albert II, has also shown great environmental and climate commitment. Ten years ago, he visited Finnmark, among other places, to learn about how climate change has affected indigenous peoples. He has also warned against oil drilling in the Arctic, engaged in the High North and has funded research that will provide solutions for the green shift. Prince Albert II and his family are given a tour of the new exhibition, which celebrates Prince Albert Ice’s expeditions. Photo: Heather Ørbeck Eliassen / news
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Was away from the public for a year – here she makes a “comeback” in Norway
