Princess Charlene of Monaco joins husband Prince Albert at annual picnic alongside their two children – as the European royals dazzle in their classy outfits

Princess Charlene of Monaco and Prince Albert attended the annual picnic in Monaco today, impressing the crowd with their stylish outfits.

Arriving at the Parc Princess Antoinette in Monaco, the family of four looked stylish as Princess Charlene took the lead in a striking red jumpsuit.

The stylish royal wore a sleek bob with blonde highlights and completed her outfit with a pair of understated silver earrings.

The princess kept it bold yet simple and completed her look with natural makeup, featuring shimmering silver eyeshadow and glossy red lips.

Prince Albert wore a black jacket with gold buttons, which contrasted with his cream trousers. He was followed by nine-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.

The young princess wore a flowing white dress and held a bouquet of soft pink flowers, just like her glamorous mother.

Prince Jacques was his father’s equal and wore a similar outfit to the stylish European royals who graced the event.

The ‘Monaco Picnic’ is an annual event seen as the equivalent of the British royal garden parties held every summer.

Every year, around 10,000 Monegasques attend the event, which is considered the last major event of the season.

Last year, Prince Albert told People in 2022: “It’s a lovely event, a really lovely time of year. It’s just a wonderful, very informal setting. The mass, which opens it, is a bit formal, but then it becomes a picnic and a bit of a cocktail party atmosphere.

“It’s just lovely to walk around and have conversations with people you know and say, ‘Tell me about your summer.’”

But despite the prince’s fondness for the occasion, last year’s event appeared to be overshadowed by rumours of a royal rift.

Albert and Charlene were in the spotlight after reports emerged in European media stating that the woman lived in Switzerland and only saw her husband ‘by appointment’.

A source close to the royal couple told French newspaper Voici that the former Olympic swimmer and his son are only a “ceremonial couple”.

Prince Albert recently announced that it was not love at first sight for Princess Charlene.

Albert first met his wife of 13 years in Monaco, when she represented South Africa at the Mare Nostrum international swimming competition in 2000.

Their lives were vastly different. Sports-mad Charlene was 20 years his junior. Her father Michael was a photocopier salesman and her mother Lynette a competitive diver.

In a rare joint interview, Albert revealed he wasn’t sure if they fell in love during the 2011 competition. He told Paris Match: “I don’t know if we were in love then,” adding that it would be years before they met again.

Although there was no romance at first, Charlene impressed Albert. He said: ‘I thought she was an excellent swimmer and that she was friendly, cheerful and approachable.’

Although his feelings were initially mixed, the two allowed their romance to develop slowly, out of the public eye.

The 66-year-old told another story: he had once gotten Charlene into trouble because he had not brought her “home on time.”

They first showed their love to the world at the opening of the 2006 Winter Olympics.

French journalist Philippe Delorme said at the time: ‘She sat on his arm throughout the ceremony and they made no attempt to hide their affection for each other. They exchanged kisses and other tender gestures.’

Then, in June 2010, their engagement was announced. Albert proposed with a pear-shaped diamond ring.

“People could hardly believe it,” Delorme added. “For four years, since they were first seen together, the Monegasques held their breath.”

Charlene had to convert to Catholicism (she had been raised Protestant) and had to learn both French and the Monegasque dialect.

Delorme told the Daily Mail in 2011 that Albert finally meeting someone is a story of Hollywood proportions: ‘If Princess Grace’s story was a movie, then Princess Charlene is the remake.

“The reality is that Albert is 52, a little overweight and a lot less fabulous and glamorous than his father was. It feels a bit like an old man and a young woman love story, rather than a story about two young lovers.”

In her first interview after the royal wedding was announced, Charlene spoke about the challenges she faced in transitioning from her life as an athlete to that of a future royal bride.

She admitted that she experienced “jealousy” among some members of Monaco’s social elite.

“The people I hung out with in Monaco couldn’t relate to my South African mentality or humour,” she told Tatler.

On June 30, 2011, Charlene, then 33, and 53-year-old Albert’s three-day wedding took place, which was estimated to cost around £53 million.

The Eagles opened the festivities with a concert, followed the next day by a civil ceremony in the Throne Room of the Princely Palace.

Charlene wore a custom-made aquamarine Chanel suit that matched the color of her eyes, and the newlyweds posed for some seemingly very awkward photos, no doubt fueling the rumors that hung over their heads.

And finally, there was the religious ceremony. The bride’s silk wedding dress was designed by Giorgio Armani, had a six-meter train and was covered with 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl teardrops. It took a total of 2,500 hours to make.

Guests included then French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Roger Moore, Philip Green, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex.