Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco have denied “malicious rumours” that they are to split after almost 12 years of marriage. The royal couple met at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition in 2000 and married eleven years later in July 2011. Charlene, a 45-year-old former Olympic swimmer, was away from Monaco for most of 2021 as she was being treated for a mystery illness in her native South Africa.