«I don’t know if we fell in love back then»: Prince Albert II looks back on when he met Princess Charlene

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene gave a joint interview to Paris Match. They talked about how they met and the importance of sport in their lives.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene have been together for almost 15 years. But that wouldn’t be the case if they hadn’t met at a swimming competition in Monaco called the Mare Nostrum.

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“I don’t know if we fell in love back then. You know, after that I didn’t see Charlene again for several years,” said Prince Albert II said in the interview published on Thursday, August 1st.

And when the journalist asked what he remembers about the meeting, the Sovereign was full of praise for his wife. “First of all, I thought that she was an excellent swimmer, and that she was friendly, cheerful and approachable. We had a great time,” he recalled, confiding: “I don’t know if I should say this, but that night I got her into a bit of trouble because I didn’t get her ‘home’ in time.”

To which Princess Charlene replied, “Yes, I did get into a bit of trouble that night, but we won’t go into that!”

Meeting through sport

It was in 2006, at the Winter Olympics in Turin, that the two lovebirds appeared hand in hand for the very first time. An environment they were already familiar with, since they both competed in the Olympics as athletes, one as a member of the Monegasque bobsleigh team and the other in the South African women’s swimming team.

“When you’re right in the heart of it for 16 days, you feel like you’re part of a family. Obviously, there’s the competition; you’re there to do better than your rivals, the other teams. But you also share this unique experience with them,” says Prince Albert II.

Princess Charlene remembers “the feeling I had when I entered the Sydney stadium for the opening ceremony in 2000. At that point, I felt like I had reached a goal. I was filled with pride and emotion. It was almost overwhelming. I’d been dreaming of that moment since I was 8.”

Sport in their blood

For the Prince and Princess, sport is a genuine passion that has been passed down from generation to generation. First there was Prince Albert II’s maternal grandfather, Jack B. Kelly Sr., who was a rowing champion and three-time gold medallist, then his son, who was also a rowing champion.

“But this love of sport comes from both sides of my family. My father played football and rugby, and even boxed in his youth. Before me, my great-uncle, Guy de Polignac, was on the French bobsleigh team for at least one season in the 1930s.” he explained.

When asked about the role of sport in raising their twins, Jacques and Gabriella, Prince Albert II said that his children “swim and do gymnastics. They also tried out fencing, tennis and volleyball. Jacques does taekwondo. Sporting values are fundamental, for sure.”