FIRST FAMILY HOLIDAY IN SA FOR CHARLENE, ALBERT & THE TWINS
A safari, a trip to Spur – and 6 hours of load-shedding too!
THE little girl clambers onto her mother’s lap, her curls bobbing as she tells the story of her first trip to the African bush. “The monkey stole the toast,” Princess Gabriella says about a brazen creature that plundered their breakfast table. “And we saw a lion eating a buck,” her wide-eyed brother, Prince Jacques, chips in.
For the four-year-old twins, the safari to a game farm was an unforgettable experience – but for their mother, it was far more special.
It’s been a real holiday of firsts for Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene. Not only was it their first game trip, it was the children’s first time in their mother’s homeland. And once their dad, Prince Albert, joined them, it became the first time all four members of the family were together in South Africa.
“As we were flying in and I saw Joburg below me I actually got tearful,” Charlene tells us during an exclusive interview.
“I was just so proud. I couldn’t believe my kids were finally going to be here.”
The 41-year-old Benoni-bred princess is the picture of elegance in a pretty floral dress and sleek black stilettos, make-up subtle and blonde bob neat as ever.
She’s also warm, engaging and a real hands-on mom – in fact, there isn’t a nanny in sight.
Charlene picks up “Bella”, as she calls her daughter, when the little girl has a sudden attack of shyness and gives restless Jacques a cuddle when he gets impatient to get back to his toys in their room at a nearby hotel.
They’ve been loving having a whole lot of together time, Charlene tells us. Their first week in SA was primarily spent with her family in Benoni, where the twins hung out with their cousins, Raigen (5) and Aiva-Grace (2), the children of Charlene’s younger brother, Sean (35), and his wife, Chantell (32).
Raigen and Aiva-Grace have visited the Pink Palace but this is the first time Gabriella and Jacques have spent time with them on their home turf.
And of course the kids were showered with attention by their doting grandparents, Mike and Lynette Wittstock. It was Mike’s birthday during the trip so the family all climbed into a car and headed off to celebrate in true South African tradition: at the local Spur.
“The twins loved it,” Charlene says. “They were playing in the kids’ zone, eating chicken nuggets and drinking bubblegum milkshakes. And yes, getting totally over-sugared and over-tired,” she adds with a little eye-roll.
A security detail follows the family wherever they go but they’re highly discreet – and most of the people in the Spur didn’t even realise they had royalty tucking into burgers and fries in their midst.
THE twins are both water babies like their Olympic swimmer mom and loved being in the pool in the heart of summer, away from midwinter Europe. Another highlight was visiting Raigen’s school, where they were a big hit.
“When we arrived the children did a little dance for them,” Charlene says. “Then they could ask questions, some of which were quite funny. One child asked if the palace was ‘pointy’, and where was Charlene’s princess dress and tiara?
“They were also interested to hear that we’d been in the snow and if we could send them some snow. Then all the shoes were off and the twins were playing on the jungle gym with all the kids and just having a blast.” So they weren’t a little
shy? “Not at all – they loved it.”
Next up was a trip to the Natal Midlands, a place close to Charlene’s heart and which brings her much joy.
“We stayed at a game farm I’ve visited for more than 10 years. And it has animals, so we could go on game drives and really see them up close. The first time Gabriella saw an impala, she said, ‘Look, there’s a reindeer.’”
During this time Albert (60) flew in from India where he’d been on official royal business.
“It was such a moving, happy time for me,” Charlene says. “The one day we had a beautiful picnic. We took walks to waterfalls, the kids went fishing. It all felt so normal and I was just so happy.”
But things don’t always go as planned – as any parent who’s been on holiday with little kids can attest to.
Little Jacques was somewhat overwhelmed by a traditional local welcome dance in the Midlands, Charlene says.
Outgoing Gabriella was much more chilled. “She joined in the dancing but Jacques just turned and ran,” his mom
(From previous page) says, chuckling. “Gabriella was like ‘Hey, Jacques, what are you doing?’ ”
She really wants her twins to start forming a bond with her home country. “I’m so attached to South Africa. It’ll always be my home and I want them to share that.
“This trip was just the tip of the iceberg. Our country is so diverse and I want to show them everything. As they get older and can do more we’ll visit different parts.”
BEING in South Africa also means you have to take the good and the bad – and just because they’re royals doesn’t mean Charlene and family escaped the perils of load-shedding. It was something of an eye-opener for Gabriella and Jacques.
“My kids were in the bathroom, and then the lights went off and stayed off for six hours,” Charlene says. “They’ve never experienced anything like this – in Monaco it would never happen!”
But she didn’t let it affect her and she doesn’t listen to negative stories about her beloved homeland.
“People warn me that South Africa is dangerous and now with load-shedding it’s even more hectic, but nothing stops me from coming back. And I’ll keep coming back, no matter what happens.
“This is home and I’ll always support it and the people.”
Whenever she’s in SA she checks in with her organisation, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, which works to promote water safety among children and stamp out drowning. During her trip to KwaZulu-Natal she lent her support to Terence Parkin (38), her longtime friend and fellow Olympic swimmer.
Terence, who’s deaf, is an ambassador for her foundation and recently embarked on a gruelling two-week, 1 120km trek from Joburg to Durban to raise funds for the organisation. Some of the money collected will be channelled towards CPR and first-aid training at schools for the deaf and disabled.
“Terence is a remarkable person and very driven,” the princess says.
“We were swimming training partners and we travelled the world together. He once saved a boy from drowning, so he really wants to help and he does it in his own way to raise awareness and support me.”
CHARLENE is looking forward to the year ahead, which includes many official commitments in Monaco and abroad. In September she and Albert will head to Japan for the Rugby World Cup – the princess is a big supporter of the sport and hopes to extend her foundation’s work to promoting safety among school kids who play rugby.
“I mean, 15- and 16-year-old boys are getting their necks broken, their ribs crushed,” she says.
“I think it’s really important to teach
CPR to the boys and also make sure they play the game correctly and get the coaches involved.”
Charlene, who loves watching the Springboks in action, still sounds as South African as ever despite having lived in Europe for the better part of eight years.
So have her kids picked up any local mannerisms or slang?
“They’ve both started saying ‘ja’ a lot and ‘ag shame’. Gabriella has also taken to calling her brother ‘Jacquie, my boy’ – and she’s a big fan of biltong.”
The twins signal to their mom they’re keen to go and, although they’ve stuck to English throughout our chat, leave me with a quick farewell in their other mother tongue, French.
“Au revoir,” they chime. As Charlene prepares to follow them I ask what her life motto is. She takes a moment to mull it over.
“I think it’s about being kind to yourself,” she says finally. “I think it’s one thing to forgive another person, but I think forgiveness starts with yourself.
“We’re all so hard on ourselves these days – society has so many expectations and we’re always competing among ourselves. We need to be more gentle. I believe my goal in life is to live and love.”