Prince Albert II is currently dealing with a character assassination campaign. On the other hand, Princess Charlene of Monaco is struggling with psychological problems.

Monaco – The Prince on the “Rock” – Monaco’s nickname – has had a more enjoyable national holiday. Viewers of the drone show, with whom Albert II wanted to outline the new start-up image of his city-state on Friday (November 19, 2021), once again asked themselves: Where is Charlene von Monaco? Albert’s wife was absent, although she had recently returned from South Africa. She had spent half a year in her homeland, and her husband, the father of their twins, explained it with a “medical problem”.

Now he had to mend himself. Rainer III’s 63-year-old son, without disclosing the whereabouts of Charlene. And Grace Kelly said on Friday that Charlene is most in need of psychological help. “There is a type of fatigue that is not only physical, which can only be treated with a period of rest and care,” he said in an interview on the national holiday.

Charlene of Monaco: Royals stricken by character assassination campaign

You can sympathize with Albert that he wants to be as intelligent as possible in order to protect his wife. This only reinforces the notion, which is always present in Monaco anyway, with marinas, casinos and Ferrari miles in the dark behind dazzling jet-set backgrounds. And not only that when it comes to matters of the heart of the Grimaldis. But power, money and politics.

The princely state is currently in the grip of an extremely aggressive character assassination campaign. Four high dignitaries – including the President of the Supreme Court, Didier Linot and Foreign Minister Laurent Anselmi, both close to Albert II – are accused of corruption and illegal activities by strangers.

The allegations hit the prince very directly, who is currently trying to rid his mini-empire from the reputation of an opaque, clientele asylum for tax evaders and financial jugglers. In an interview with the local newspaper Monaco-Matin, Albert denounced the “outrageous and anonymous rumor campaign” and announced that he would turn over to Monegasque and the French criminal police.

Principality of Monaco: Who is watching Albert’s chair and how is Charlene?

It is certain that professionals are at work. According to police circles, the defamation attack is said to have organized dozens of people and has already cost five to ten million euros. from website document-du-rocher.com (“Rocher” means rock) and the account [email protected] was provided false information to several journalists and editorial offices. These were sent from Russia, India, Iceland and America.

Insiders speculate that two groups of writers are watching Albert’s chair or at least want to give him a little warning. Local real estate sharks do not like to bother with their businesses, which are thriving due to the incredible density of housing – 40,000 people live in two square kilometers of the national territory. “It is rumored that very powerful real estate and financial interests are behind the attack,” writes Monaco insider Stephane Byrne in Paris Match magazine, according to which the name of a local real estate tycoon “appears frequently”. Albert tries to ease the pressure on real estate in Monaco by growing six hectares of land out to sea in the Gulf of Porter. However, the two billion euro project also attracts unwanted investors.

The second mark, the so-called Russian interest, does not necessarily lead to the sunlight of the Mediterranean. Instead of Monegasque companies that help Russian oligarchs with or without Kremlin connections with money laundering, as the “Pandora Papers” recently revealed.

Albert II: Prince wants to turn Monaco into a “smart city”

The first thing that hurts is the image of Monaco, which Albert tries with great effort to polish. Today the mini-state also practices the automatic exchange of information with other financial administrations and has thus disappeared from the blacklist of tax havens. In addition, the open-minded prince has filled central positions with honest people who have the task of turning Monaco into an open and modern “smart city”.

However, Monegasque perestroika also doesn’t go very far. douard Leverault, the investigating magistrate sent by the French Defense Force, was fired in 2019 because he showed little curiosity on the rock. He also launched an investigation into billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Trump friend who cannot be ignored in Monaco. The owner of the soccer club AS Monaco – first fan: Albert II – sat in nettles as he entertained Monegasque Justice Minister Philippe Narmino at his chalet in Gstaad. This did not fit well with a simultaneous investigation by a French judge. Albert reacted quickly and dismissed the minister. This was a sign that a new era should begin in Monaco. And that’s what not everyone likes, as the character assassination campaign shows. (Stephen Brandel)