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Prince Albert of Monaco has posed for a photo with his two children by former lovers for the first time, wrapping his arm around his daughter, who smiles next to her step-brother.
The extraordinary picture, taken in New York, was shared online by his ex, Nicole Coste, 50, a Togolese former Air France hostess.
The Prince, 64, had his arm around his daughter Jazmin Grimaldi, 30, in the photo, who was sat next to her half-brother Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, 19.
Ms Grimaldi, whose mother is American waitress Tamara Rotolo, 61, met her father for the first time when she was 11 after a DNA test confirmed that Prince Albert was a match.
‘It’s wonderful that it happened when it did, and we’ve been enjoying a great relationship ever since,’ she said.
In the photograph, Ms Grimaldi has her arm round Mr Grimaldi-Coste, son to Ms Coste.
Prince Albert is pictured in New York, posing for a photo with two children by his former lovers
Prince Albert with his ex, Nicole Coste, 50, a Togolese former Air France hostess, and their son Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste
American waitress Tamara Rotolo, the royal’s former lover
Albert also has seven-year-old twins with his wife, the former Olympic swimmer Princess Charlene, 44, whom he married in 2011
Prince Albert confirmed that he was Alexandre’s father just before he was enthroned as ruler of the principality in 2005.
‘Paternally king,’ Ms Coste remarked in the photo caption.
The Prince also has seven-year-old twins with his wife, the former Olympic swimmer Princess Charlene, 44, whom he married in 2011.
Last week the couple attended the annual Princess Grace Awards in New York.
Dressed in a vibrant floral gown, Charlene joined her husband to welcome guests to the gala held at 583 Park Avenue.
She finished off her look with a dazzling necklace, which is thought to have featured the ‘Grace Diamond’, an Australian diamond that brand Maison Mazerea dedicated to Charlene’s late mother-in-law Princess Grace after purchasing it in 2021.
The event is named after Prince Albert’s late mother, Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly, and is held annually to raise funds for the US-based Princess Grace Foundation.
Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene stole the show Thursday night as they attended the annual Princess Grace Awards in New York
The Prince acts as vice chairman for the foundation, which recognises and supports emerging talent in theatre, dance and film.
Zimbabwean-born Charlene has been continuing her return to the world stage after a difficult 18 months – in which she spent some 10 months in South Africa last year, after contracting a serious sinus infection during a solo charity trip.
The illness left her hospitalised and delayed her return to Monaco – and after returning to the principality last November, the mother-of-two almost immediately left and went to Switzerland to receive treatment for ‘exhaustion’.
She returned to public duty in May, making the occasional public appearance with her husband Prince Albert and her children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella by her side.
She posed with Albert for a portrait marking their 11th wedding anniversary, and joined him in taking her children back to school in September.
Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella with their parents in September at a traditional picnic
Princess Charlene of Monaco delighted royal fans by sharing the twins’ school photo
However she made her biggest return to public duty so far when she joined her husband at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London, joining 2,000 other mourners at Westminster Abbey.
In October, Charlene visited an animal shelter in a village between Monaco and the French Alps – which she and Prince Albert had opened a month earlier.
She was pictured stroking a rescue dog at the Society of the Protection of Animals (SPA) shelter in Peille. Charlene has been president of the animal welfare charity since September.
Since re-engaging with royal duties the Princess has put to bed rumours of a possible divorce or permanent move to Switzerland.
Princess Charlene shared photo of herself stroking a rescue dog at the Society of the Protection of Animals (SPA) shelter in Peille
The couple put on a united front and held hands after declaring the animal shelter open in September. Princess Charlene spent almost a year away from Monaco after undergoing treatment for an unspecified condition
In an interview in Monaco-Matin newspaper, she said: ‘I am very happy to be back in Monaco and with my family.’
She told the newspaper that she was determined to overcome her problems.
‘My state of health is still fragile and I don’t want to go too fast,’ she said. ‘The path has been long, difficult and very painful.’
Referring to the twins, Charlene said: ‘When I returned to the Principality, I focused all my energy on my children, my husband and my health because they are my priority.’
The Monaco palace has consistently denied media reports of a rift between Charlene and the principality’s ruler Albert, who were wed in 2011.
Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince Charlene of Monaco attend the State Funeral of The Queen at Westminster Abbey on September 19
However rumours the pair were incompatible were sparked from the outset, with Charlene attracting a barrage of attention over an apparent bad dose of pre-wedding jitters which, reportedly, saw her seeking refuge in her country’s embassy and gaining the moniker ‘the Runaway Bride’.
In December 2020, it seemed the relationship was plagued by rumours, with a third paternity suit emerging.
The allegations in December 2020 claimed that Albert had fathered a love-child (which would be his third, if proven) with an unnamed Brazilian woman during the time when he and Charlene were already in a relationship.
The woman said she met the Prince in a nightclub in Rio de Janeiro in 2004 — when Charlene and Albert were supposedly dating.
Her daughter, a 15-year-old Brazilian schoolgirl, sent a handwritten note in Portuguese to Prince Albert at the Royal Palace last September.
Albert’s legal team call the allegations ‘a hoax’ and the legal team of the woman concerned declined to comment.
It was due to come to court in Milan in February but never commenced. Some believe the matter has been settled.
Soon after the allegations came to light in December 2020, Charlene famously shaved half her head in the style of a punk rocker. By the spring, she left for South Africa.
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