For most royal wives, gliding in and out of a series of high-profile engagements dressed in an equally glamorous suit or gown might seem unremarkable. For Princess Charlene of Monaco, though, a recent string of appearances has demonstrated an extraordinary transformation. In recent years she had shocked the conservative Monégasques with unflattering hairstyles (including shaving half her head) and edgy outfits, all of which was taken as a sign of the 48-year-old former Olympic swimmer’s discomfort with royal life.
Yet, last month, order appeared to have been restored when the Princess met the Pope dressed in a sleek ivory-colored Dior suit (she is one of very few princesses allowed to wear white in his presence because she was brought up a Catholic). Days later, she and Prince Albert II hosted the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, at the Grimaldi Palace, with a lavish dinner in his honor.