The troubled relationship of Prince Albert of Monaco and his wife, the former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, took another bizarre turn after it was claimed in a French gossip magazine that he is paying her an annual stipend of €12 million ($12.5 million) to continue to be his wife. The happiness of the marriage has long been a subject of speculation after Charlene allegedly tried to flee Monaco three times before the marriage 10 years ago, sought sanctuary in her native South Africa’s embassy in Paris, and wept openly on her wedding day. Over the past year, the couple spent over seven months apart after Charlene returned to South Africa for charitable work and was then hospitalized. She returned to Monaco in November, but was then swiftly hospitalized again with exhaustion, only returning to public view last month. Voici magazine claimed: “The princess did not return at any price,” and said that she and her husband had signed “an ultra-confidential contract” that included paying Charlene “€12 million per year.” Albert has two children with Charlene and has also admitted fathering two other children out of wedlock. He is also facing another paternity suit, which he has denounced as blackmail.
