Princess Charlène of Monaco is a former South African Olympic swimmer and wife of Prince Albert II of Monaco. She is very involved in charity work. Her charity, the Princess Charlène of Monaco Foundation, runs several drowning prevention initiatives. It is estimated that 320,000 people die from drowning every year worldwide.
Being passionate about sport is a real privilege because it drives you to embrace noble values.
Passionate about swimming, she won the South African championships when she was only 18 years old. In 2000, she placed fifth with her team at the Sydney Olympic Games and won the gold medal in the 200m backstroke at the Monaco International Swimming Meeting “Mare Nostrum” the same year. She stopped competing in 2007 after qualifying for the Olympic Games in Beijing.
My foundation focuses on those children who can become responsible adults if we show them the way through the values of sport and solidarity.
Having spent her childhood in Africa, Princess Charlène is aware of the difficulties encountered by underprivileged children and is involved in many humanitarian projects. In particular, she has been one of the godmothers of the Nelson Mandela Foundation since 2010 and regularly participates in fundraising events for charities such as Amfar.
In addition, she enjoys many hobbies such as surfing and mountain hiking. The Princess also has a passion for reading biographies, South African ethnic poetry and contemporary art.
In September 2020, in order to raise funds for her Foundation, the Princess organised and competed in a Water-bike rally between Calvi (Corsica) and Monaco.
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