- This event has passed.
Happy Birthday to H.S.H. Princess Charlene!
January 25
Today is birthday of Princess Charlene of Monaco (born Charlene Lynette Wittstock, 25 January 1978), she is a former Olympic swimmer for South Africa and wife of Prince Albert II.
On the 25th January 1978 Lynette Wittstock, swimming acrobat and instructor, gave birth to her first beloved daughter Charlene Lynette Wittstock in Bulawayo, currently part of Zinbabwe (former Rhodesia), where she was living at that time with her husband, Michael Kenneth, printer and then IT service provider. In 1989, the Wittstock family, with German-Irish origins, moved to South Africa, including Gareth and Sean, two further sons, recently born. Princess Charlene represented South Africa at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with her team finishing fifth in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay. Princess Charlene retired from competitive swimming in 2007.
Princess Charlene met Prince Albert at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo, Monaco in 2000. They were first seen together in 2006, and Princess Charlene has accompanied Prince Albert on many of his official duties since then. They announced their engagement in June 2010, and were married on 1 July 2011. Princess Charlene’s pregnancy was announced on 30 May 2014. On the 10th December 2014, Princess Charlene gave birth to crown Prince Jacques and H.S.H. Princess Gabriella for the joy of the entire Principality.
