43 thoughts on “Princess Charlene and Prince Albert bring Prince Jacques to Sainte Devote Rugby Tournament”

1. I am a self confessed Charlene sugar, and I love that she is getting her home country and adopted country to work together on things. Take note Kate, Charlene is a professional sportswoman with a true love of sport – so she does things that she is interested in and she does them really well, all the kids look happy to have her around and these things can really make a difference. Imagine living in a S African township and having the opportunity to come to Europe for a few days of fun. How much must those kids, and the more wealthy local kids, learn about each other?
   I like the fact that the twins don’t always have to be ‘twins’ – they need to develop their own little personalities, and goodness me little Jacques is going to break some hearts with that smile. It is so good to see her being a mum she seems so relaxed with little Jacques even with the cameras there. Hopefully he grows up without paranoia of photographers.
   As ever thank you KMR for all the time you take to bring us all the stories of royals who actually WORK…..

   1. Birdy, I’m with you as a fellow Charlene fan. I think she has really been treated poorly in the media, especially in the early years of her marriage and the poor ‘runaway bride’ stuff. I wish the truth would come out about who started that rumor. Could it be the mother of one of Albert’s children?

      It looks like Jacques is proud he has mastered toddling around. I think at 14 months old we have probably seen Prince Jacques as often as we have seen Prince George.

      1. The truth didn’t make for sensational international copy. I’m glad to see how relaxed she has become since the twins arrived.

         If the rumor was started by an outsider, I’d put money on Coste.

      2. We’ve seen the Monaco kids a lot. Charlene and Albert are not stingy in showing them off.

   2. More than anything what bothers me about only taking Jacques to this event is that only the boy went to the sports event. It would make sense if they were older and one actually showed an interest in sports and the other one said they didn’t like sports, but at this age it seemed to me more like the gender stereotyping that we criticize William and Kate for doing.

      1. I hope not. Charlene is a dedicated sportswoman herself. Maybe she thought the Rugby tournament would be of more interest to Jacques because there seemed to be all boys teams? Or because Jacques is the heir he needs to be seen more?

         1. I don’t have twins but lots in my extended family. It’s really important to treat them as individuals from an early age. Also good for parents who can to have a little time with just one child . Perhaps at this point Jacques is just a little more confident? Children develop at different rates even twins!

      2. That’s an interesting thought KMR, bur I didn’t really think anything like that when I saw the photos. I just thought maybe she wasn’t feeling it that day so she stayed with the nanny. Or maybe she just had a bad hair day and didn’t want her picture taken. 🙂

         1. I don’t think everything needs to be thought of as sexist, with all due respect. Maybe, little Gabrielle was not feeling well. Or, perhaps, the parents are eager to start their children off on separate lives now. They are twins, but do they always have to be seen together at every event?

            And, I agree that Charlene is definitely into sports. Goodness sake, she is an athlete. Charlene was there solo, was she not? I don’t recall photos of a nanny being there. Perhaps, there was. But, without Albert, it might have been difficult for her to tend to her parental care of two kids, as well as her responsibilities at the event. Just a thought.

   3. +1

      1. I have twins, as well as four other kids, and sometimes we would just take one if the opportunity presented itself. Two at a time is hard to handle because they tend to run in opposite directions; so maybe the other one was sick, grouchy, fussy, “busy” –meaning she is a little monkey and is into everything and explores a lot. Since they are just getting pretty mobile (they can actually stand and balance and get around aka run off), PC might have been testing the waters to just take one out…maybe the “mellow” one of the two…so that she could have control, only tote one kiddo, and still participate and pay attention to the event. I am glad she brought him and she seems very at ease with motherhood. I liked your comment about no eyebrows; that was funny. Thanks for all your updates; I just love your blog.

         1. Thanks Lori. You must have to juggle a lot with six kids. I’m sure they keep you busy.

         2. Wow, LoriB, six children. Bless you!

            I agree with you and Jenny. How tough it would be for Charlene to be looking after two active ones at an event. Before, she and Albert would just each hold one of the babies when appearing somewhere. Now, little feet just keep moving!

            I think little Jacques is so adorable . And, yes, we have seen more of him and his sister than we saw of George at the same age. And, where oh, where is Baby Charlotte?

2. Jacques is darling! Eyebrows, or not! Just adore him. The photo of him toddling along and holding on to one of his Mom’s fingers was so cute. Maybe, his sister was ill and that is why she was left home. At any rate, nice to see the little guy out and about. The photo of Charlene kneeling with her arms around him was very darling. And, the photo of her rolling the huge red wheel on the playground showed nice interaction with the kids. The photo where she was accepting flowers from the child was odd to me. Charlene was so far from the little girl. Unless, it was snapped before the child got closer. I would have thought Charlene would have gotten closer to the cute child. The girl’s boots were so sweet!

   I am not sure how I felt about her comments. Came off a tad elitist to me, but I could be wrong. Wonder what others think.

   On a fashion note: I loved the photo of her in the grey coat over the blue dress. The blue shoes made the look! Charlene is comfortable in her own skin. She is also very caring, for the most part, when dealing with kids. I like her!

   1. There was another photo of Charlene hugging the little girl who presented her with the flowers, but I didn’t like the photo so I chose this other one instead because it was a better photo.

      Re her quote: It’s possible that there was a language translation issue. I got the quote from People, which was in English, but Charlene was in Monaco so she may have been speaking French. So her quote may not have translated well. I always give leeway to the foreign royal’s quotes since they have to be translated and it’s always possible something juts doesn’t translate well.

      1. Thanks for your explanation, KMR I see what you mean concerning translation. And, about the photo.
         I really do think Charlene is great. She seems to care about what she is doing. Makes more than a casual effort. Good for her!!!

   2. Ha! Eyebrows or not! I’m part of the blonde no-show eyebrow club like Jacques! He is adorable!

   3. She represents a very small, very wealthy country. It has to be difficult to find causes or work that engages the people when there is so little that needs improvement in Monaco. I like that she’s able to leverage her position to bring attention to things in common across economic classes — drowning prevention and participating in less expensive sports.

   4. @jenny
      “The photo of him toddling along and holding on to one of his Mom’s fingers was so cute.”

      That’s my favourite too 🙂

      How is your Maddie?

      1. Hi, Cathy,

         I know, the photo of Jacques walking with his mom is darling . Just melts the heart.

         How are things going for you? I hope all is well.

         Maddie is getting bigger. I guess that is what happens, yes?! Still, a most darling addition to the family. Just love her to pieces. Thanks for asking. I hate to gush, but she really is a very sweet baby. I can’t wait for her to start toddling about!

3. That little boy is adorable.
   Motherhood has brought a major change in Char. She seems truly happy.
   And I love that she not only brought her son to an event, but was interacting all around. I find she gets very invested in her work. I like her.

4. Awww, little Jacques is adorable!!! He looks like such a cheery, happy little boy and maybe a bit flirty 🙂 What a great idea, bringing him to this event where he gets to interact with lots of children, good thinking Char and Al!! Is it just me or has motherhood brought Charlene a certain “complete-ness”? She has always had a rahter serene stature but now she looks so much more relaxed and at ease with herself and her life.

5. Dare I say it? My gosh, they look so normal! 🙂

   I’m not really a kid person, but Jacques makes me smile. He seems like a happy, well loved child. And Charlene so very obviously loves him. Nothing artificial or artfully rendered by this family. Nothing manipulative. They’re a breath of fresh air.

   Charlene has really blossomed with the advent of the twins. Reminds me of Charles after he married Camilla. It’s so lovely to see people come into their own.

6. Another happy, healthy royal baby who isn’t shuttered away and hidden from the world. The pictures of him smiling are adorable. And his little wave…maybe Gabriella just wasn’t feeling like going out. I think it’s actually good that they do things with them individually.

   Can I just give a shout out to Charlene’s clothing for her visit with the kids where she was playing with them? No worries about fly away skirts, no one holding their breath in fear of an ankle being snapped in a 4″ heel. Stylish, yet a bit casual. You’re not really worried about her getting her expensive outfit dirty.

   Jacques and Gabriella seem to have brought her out of the little shell she had built around her. More often than not, she’s getting it right on her appearances. Now how do we get a note to her that we need equal time with Gabriella?

   1. Well, I’m gobsmacked. I actually didn’t notice what she was wearing. Had to scroll back up.

      She’s quietly elegant, her clothes fitting yet unobtrusive. The hair is fabulous. Earrings not fussy and girly. That’s the way it’s done!

      1. That’s how a royal engagement should be, it’s about the engagement and not about the clothes!

         1. + 1000

   2. In the interest of fairness (we complain about Kate doing this), since it was an event centered around children I think wearing colors other than black and grey would have been nice.

      1. Charlene wore all black to an event with kids back in December, too. It was a gift-giving thing since it was right before Christmas. I, too, wish Charlene would wear more color, especially when visiting kids.

7. She’s really blossomed since she had the babies.

8. Yes, motherhood agrees with Charlene and she has blossomed!

   I concur, she is one savvy lady. She dresses appropriately when with kids. She is fun and is not hiding away her babies in the Ivory Tower. Albert and she are doing a great job!

   I wonder if Charlotte has taken her first steps yet. I think it would be nice to actually see her toddling around. She is almost one, isn’t she?

   1. Charlotte will be 10 months old tomorrow.

      1. Maybe, she is not walking yet. But, soon!
         Do you think we will get photos of that happy time, though? The early stages of first steps?! I doubt it. I am still smiling over little Jacques. What a cutie!

         1. Mine was a lazy one and she was about 16months when she started walking.

            I love the pics of the little one wandering around. I used to walk like that when I had a few too many bourbons LOL.

            Just wondering why they didn’t bring Gabrielle. Maybe she had a cold or something? I hope that they are not going to start doing the gender things this early, ie, boys with balls, girls with toys. It is sad if they do.

            1. Charlene was an Olympic athlete. I can’t see her thinking girls don’t like sport, whether as a participant or spectator.

9. Love this little boy! Jacques, you are so very cute!

   Charlene is truly enjoying motherhood. I agree that she and Albert are doing a wonderful job of sharing their children with the public. The kids will have a healthy view of what their Royal status includes. They will, no doubt, grow to be as caring as their parents.

   Love the photos of Charlene with the kids. She enjoyed herself and they did, too.

   All in all, I really think she has come into her own. Charlene has my vote! She touches many hearts. As do her adorable twins. It was nice, as others pointed out, that the two don’t always have to appear together.

10. KMR, thank you for the refreshing post. Anything to take our minds of the Cambridges’ camp really, but this one is especially delightful.
    I too like Charlene and her cute little fella. I actually think Jacques looks like his mum at this point.
    IMO Charlene can pull the effortless chic look, she has minimum make up and looks natural but yet elegant.
    Albert is lucky to have her.

11. I’m a big fan of Charlene. I think the first years were tough and getting used to the media prescene and all stuff royal, but she has certainly come a long way and does very well. I love the way she dresses…it’s very regal, very down to earth, and Charlene would NEVER have a flying upskirt moment simply because she wouldn’t wear frocks short enough to show her arse!

    Jacques is soooo cute. And as for the eyebrows…as the mommy of a towheaded little boy l can say that Jacques does have eyebrows, you just can’t see them because they are the whitest blond color! lol.

    The pic reminds me of the early pics of Kate and George before William put them on lockdown.

12. Jacques is a cutie! He looks like a normal little toddler who is out with his mommy. I like that they can dress him in a suit a day tie for one engagement and jeans and a puffer for the next. I’m alson glad that he did something on his own. Being a twin does not mean you have to do everything together. You can do things on your own and that is encouraged. I just love his smiley, blond, light-eyebrowed self.

    Char is too school for cool. Her fashion sense is amazing. Yes, a brighter colors would have been nice, but I’m also aware that I don’t lpoker at the clothes first. She sems.more.comfortable since having the twins. Call me a sugar, but she is awesome. Her style and how she carries herself is amazing.

    Thanks for a sweet post to kick off March, KMR!

    1. She doesn’t wear a lot of color, and when she does it is usually for evening. I’m glad she’s out of her beige and in black, white, and gray – anything other than blerg.

13. I just spent a wonderful lunch hour going back through the KMR archives and was not surprised that since this great blog started in June 2013 we are still discussing Kate’s lack of work, her lack of fashion sense, William’s lack of hair and how great Harry is. Good to know that in an ever changing world, some things never change 🙂

    1. Gosh, it’s almost three years now. I think it was the end of 2013 when I started following the blog.
       Do you think we’ll be doing this for 3 more years? As much as I enjoy the comments here, I hope we won’t be nagging over the same things!

    2. My goodness, Lauri. Since 2013 and we are all discussing Kate’s dismal work ethic and her lack of style! Also, William’s petulance (and his hair loss — could they be connected)?! — as well, as Harry The Great and our own rhiannon. His, too, we wish.

       You are right. Some things never change. But we can dream and hope, can’t we? W and K seem to be stuck in their own ruts, though.

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