United front! Charlene and Albert arrive together for second day of Saint Devote festivities in Monaco after Prince accused of sending ‘secret payments’ to mistresses

Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco continued their united front today as they arrived for the second day of the Saint Devote celebrations.

The couple broke up on Friday after the royal family was embroiled in a financial scandal, with details of their spending sensationally revealed by their former accountant, Claude Palmero.

In a staggering series of allegations, Palmero claimed Princess Charlene hired illegal migrants for less than £90 a day, while her personal expenses allowance skyrocketed to more than £1 million a year.

Moreover, it is also alleged that Prince Albert kept a separate bank account to pay his former mistress and the illegitimate children.

But it appeared the couple were trying to put the accusations over St Devotee celebrations behind them as they arrived together at St Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco today.

Charlene, 46, looked quintessentially chic in a striking navy blue suit, which she teamed with a matching scarf. She wore her short blonde hair to the side and opted for simple, natural makeup.

Her husband Albert, 65, matched her ensemble, in a classic navy blue suit.

He completed his formal outfit with a white shirt and blue tie.

Last night the prince and princess tried to put a humiliating week that overshadowed Charlene’s 46th birthday behind them by kicking off the Saint Devote celebrations in Monaco.

The royals stepped out with their nine-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.

Melanie-Antoinette Costello de Massy, ​​the daughter of Prince Albert’s cousin, Baroness Elizabeth Ann de Massy, ​​and Charlene’s right-hand woman, were also present.

All eyes were on Monaco’s royal family as they lit some leaves and watched a boat go up in flames for the traditional ceremony honoring the legend of Saint Devote, which takes place on January 26 and 27 every year.

A touching moment was caught on camera as Prince Albert crouched down to talk to his young children, whose beaming faces were lit up by the brightness emanating from the flames.

While Princess Charlene kept a watchful eye on her young children as they carried fire, a tender moment between the twins was also captured as they played with each other as the boat lit up.

Albert missed last year’s celebrations after testing positive for Covid-19.

Princess Charlene, who celebrated her 46th birthday on Thursday, seemed in good spirits after a tumultuous week for Monaco’s royal family.

Devastating, detailed financial information has been provided by Mr Palmero, who spent more than two decades at the heart of the royal family.

He kept notes in a series of five thick notebooks, and excerpts from them have now found their way into two French newspapers.

Palmero, 67, was responsible for the palace finances for more than twenty years before he was unceremoniously dismissed last year.

According to Mr Palmero’s notes, Princess Charlene, who is 20 years younger than her husband, spent four months in hospital in 2021/2 due to ‘profound fatigue’ and was routinely given an allowance of around £1.2 million a year – but still managed to overspend.

In 2017, she reportedly needed more than £500,000 to pay off a significant overdraft.

Two years later, the speed at which Princess Charlene apparently burned through the money worried the prince’s accountant so much that he wrote in his notes: ‘It’s insane! I have no control over the princess’s expenses.’

Charlene, a former swimming champion who was raised outside Johannesburg by her copy machine salesman father and swimming coach mother, has invested almost £2 million in renovating a holiday home in Corsica and redecorating her office, Mr Palmero said.

He also claimed that she had rented another house on the French Island where she spent time without Albert.

Mr Palmero’s notes also show that one day in April 2016 she asked for £60,000. On another occasion, in 2020, Palermo recorded a one-off payment to Charlene from Albert of £171,000, plus £4,200 in cash.

Meanwhile, Charlene’s family, particularly her brother Sean with whom she runs a charity, also benefited from husband Albert’s spectacular generosity, with Sean receiving £786,000 to buy a house in 2022. He now runs a coffee shop in Monaco.

The entries in Palermo’s notebooks seem to suggest that Prince Albert’s chaotic personal life has drained his wealth.

In 2019, Mr Palmero estimated that Charlene had spent around £12.8 million since marrying Albert in 2011.

Albert has been head of Monaco’s ruling Grimaldi dynasty since 2005 and is the only son of Prince Rainier III and former Hollywood star Grace Kelly.

He has two acknowledged love children: Alexandre, from former flight attendant Nicole Coste, born in 2003; and Jazmin, by American real estate agent Tamara Rotolo, born in 1993.

In September 2020, another alleged love child sent a letter. The teenager – then 15 years old – grew up in Brazil and claims in the handwritten note that he was conceived during a love affair around the world in 2004.

The case was supposed to go to trial in Milan, but was dropped. A spokesperson for the Prince spoke of a ‘hoax’.

According to Le Monde, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, 31, Albert’s love child with Rotolo, receives £73,000 every three months despite not being part of the royal family. Mr Palmero noted that she was given £4,200 for turning 18 and seven years later a flat in New York worth £2.6 million.

He also noted that the palace paid for kidnap and ransom insurance for Alexandre, 20, Albert’s son with Coste.

The prince acknowledged Alexandre’s paternity in 2005.