An unnamed Brazilian woman has filed a lawsuit demanding that the prince undertake a DNA test to prove he is the father of a 15-year-old girl, which she alleges he fathered during a passionate affair which took place in the early 2000s. Princess Charlene and Prince Albert met in 2000.
The lawsuit was made public just days after Princess Charlene debuted her radical new hair style, which left many royal watchers scratching their heads over the partially shaved ‘do.
Sources close to the princess told the Daily Mail that Charlene has had “terrible” year, with the court case set to take place in Milan this month.
“Charlene has had a terrible year, with one family crisis after another, including Albert going down with Coronavirus, and now she’s gearing herself up for this hell,” says the insider.
The UK Daily Mail reported that the Prince was also sent a handwritten letter from the teenage girl last September, which read: “I don’t understand why I grew up without a father, and now that I have found you, you don’t want to see me.”
The Prince has reportedly ignored any correspondence with the young girl, leaving the matter in the hands on his lawyer Thierry Lacoste, who says the allegations are “a hoax”.
“There are no intimate photos, no tangible facts surrounding a possible relationship”.
He also adds that he was considering filing a counter suit for “attempted fraud and blackmail” after the claimant threatened to publicise her story.
It’s not the first time the prince has been hit with claims he fathered children out of wedlock. In 2005, the prince confirmed he was the father of now 17-year-old Alexandre, while in 2006 it was revealed he had also fathered a daughter, Jazmin Grace in 1992. In both cases, a DNA test was required for Albert to acknowledge paternity.
While both children have a relationship with Albert, neither is in line of succession to the Monaco throne. Instead, Charlene and Albert’s children twins Gabriella and Jacques, 6 are the family’s official heirs.
Rumours of a third love child first surfaced in 2011, as Charlene – a former South African Olympic swimmer – prepared to walk down the aisle.
“It was said that Charlene got news of the child when she was being fitted for a bridal gown in Paris. The rumours subsided for a while, but now they have exploded again,” a source told the Daily Mail.
Indeed, the couple’s July 1, 2011 nuptials were a dramatic affair, with the would-be bride reportedly “seeking refuge” in the South African embassy in Paris, and later attempting to escape Monaco and it seemed her wedding day, before Monaco official intervened.
“Charlene had her passport confiscated so that the prince’s entourage could persuade her to stay,” a senior detective in Monaco told the UK’s Daily Mail at the time.
And, famously, a glum-looking Charlene openly wept while leaving the church with her new husband after saying “I do.”