General News & Information for Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock

[Moonmaiden23]

Okay..so what is the timeline of Charlene "fleeing"

Because I can't honestly think of a day that she wasn't photographed by the press, either in Greece or Monaco................so it must have been quick attempt. And if she was being held back, I am sure she could have spoken to members of her family in SA to make a ruckus in the press.

Sorry....this whole story sounds fishy to me. I am not familiar with L'Express and maybe portions of this story are true but for me....something just doesn't ring true....how convenient for this to happen days before the wedding......its like a bad soap opera.

And if its not true, how sad and awful to do this to a couple days before their wedding. No matter who is doing it. That's classless.

I completely 100% agree. The French press has been on her like flies to honey ever since last June when the engagement was announcement...when did this alleged attempted flight to freedom occur??

In November at National Day she looked poised and serene.

We saw her in London for the wedding in late April looking radiant and relaxed...we saw her a few weeks later at the Grand Prix, holding hands with Albert looking gorgeous...then a week later in Menton, still beautiful..openly affectionate with Albert.

Anyone who believes that this strong, willful Amazon from South Africa is so good an actress that she would allow herself to be held against her will is really giving CW a LOT of credit.

Monaco is no armed prison camp in the Thirld World...she could summons help anytime she wanted to "escape".

I also agree with LadyMacAlpine that CW is frankly not great at hiding her emotions, a la Grace Kelly or Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

This "inside story" is beggining to sound very suspicious. And like Bones and a few others, I am even beginning to have some ideas about where it might have originated. But...I don't want to start World War III on TRF by spilling it, so whatever.

Great post Zonk.

 

[Sancia]

I feel so sorry for Charlene, I feel so sorry for Albert. To have their wedding day tarnished and in some way ridiculed by these spiteful journalists is unforgivable, and cruel. There will come a time when these same journalists will want interviews. I hope Prince Albert will be like an elephant in this respect. ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGET!

You are speaking of some of the most respected and most neutral french journalist, so "spiteful" towards the princely family of Monaco is a very exaggerated word. It is just journalists working, and journalists are no courtier or press attaché.
Of course, it is easy for me to speak as I have never fan of a special royal family, just a passionate observer, but being a fan gives no right to call name. A journalist is not spiteful because he is publishing a news someone dislike, or that would mean almost all the journalists of the world are spiteful.

Let the journalists work! It is about press freedom.

Sometimes when I read these boards I feel sorry for all the journalists who are trying to make a good job and for all those who try to be neutral and who are attacked when they publish something one don't like. Some posters here act like politicians when news they rather had hidden are published. This is very regretful.

 

[KittyAtlanta]

I have to agree with angieUK. It is "yellow" journalism. They have no proof, why hasn't the woman's name been printed, why do you think French journalists are above reproach? This is all hearsay so far.

The press has done this to Albert and Charlene 3 days before their wedding. They have accused him, but have not revealed his accuser. This woman needs to be "outed" and let the chips fall where they may.

I'm hoping that if this does not fade away, Albert asks for DNA (as he has always done), and if said child is not his, he gets his day in court, sues the woman for everything she's got and the several European press outlets as well.

The timing has really riled me --- true or not.

 

[Sancia]

Well, my precedent post was maybe a little passionate too but press and journalism freedom are very sensitive subjects in France. It happened too much this last years that our dear head of state and the government tried to keep papers they didn't like unpublished. It also happened that good journaliste were fired or good emissions deleted from the TV programm on presidential or governmental demand. Our country is very bad in the annual classment of journalism freedom. Some ministers even had words very close to Godwin point when some news were published, and the news were true. So we don't really like the name calling of journalists or the dismissal of their work. It is almost like a democracy denial for lot of french people.

 

[jen121419]

I don't usually see non-British royal news in the US news, but I did read about the newest scandal. In all honesty, I would NOT be surprised if Albert has another child on the way and I guess I had assumed Charlene was prepared to turn a blind eye to Albert's extracurricular activities. As for Charlene trying to leave -- if it is true, and she was prevented from leaving, I think it is a very worrisome situation and I hope Charlene has some friends or her family in her corner who could pull her out.

 

[Elly C]

Whatever the truth, this story will haunt the couple for some time to come. There were already many cynics & now there will be a whole lot more. I just hope that Charlene will be happy in the life she has chosen to lead.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I don't usually see non-British royal news in the US news, but I did read about the newest scandal. In all honesty, I would NOT be surprised if Albert has another child on the way and I guess I had assumed Charlene was prepared to turn a blind eye to Albert's extracurricular activities. As for Charlene trying to leave -- if it is true, and she was prevented from leaving, I think it is a very worrisome situation and I hope Charlene has some friends or her family in her corner who could pull her out.

CW is a citizen of South Africa, and a rather famous one(now) at that. If she is or even was being held against her will for even a minute, the South African government through their embassy in France or Monaco would get involved, and the ugliest of political incidents would ensue.

With Archbishop Tutu of South Africa as one of CW's friends and mentors, it is almost laughable to think she is anywhere other than where she wanst to be.

Either it is true or the whole thing is a lie...I suspect the truth is somewhere in between(a minor row between CW and PA that was overheard by some Palace flunkies and embellished for journalists)

But I don't think she was ever held there against her will.

 

[Stefanie]

I wonder why Charlene doesn´t deny the rumours by herself

 

[Moonmaiden23]

No doubt she is being told by the Prince and the Palace flacks to shut up and let THEM handle things!

 

[SandwichSheik]

I don't hold a very high opinion of Charlene but one can't help but feel sorry for her with this mess just days before the wedding. There are hints that it's bigger than just another child but who knows if the real story will ever come out.

For those doubting the veracity of the original claims about her trying to make a run for it, you have to realize that we're not dealing with some made up stories from tabloids similar to the The Sun and The Daily Mail. The French press reporting on this story are very well respected and don't dabble in tabloid gossip. One can't look at the Palace for truth because as we know they will deny anything like Alberts 2 children. The fact that the palace didn't send all their lawyers after the publications to retract the story is another indication that things are not as they seem. They're just denying and demanding the names of the sources that now include a high level member of the police.

Charlene knows what kind of man Albert is so I'm sure she knows what she's getting into but I still wish her happiness even though I think it's a marraige of convenience on both their parts.

 

[FanofMonaco]

Since when do the French police take orders from Monaco? What a joke. How can PA file a lawsuit when the paper won't give any details to him? You can't claim you haven't slept with someone when you don't know their name. If this story is so important why are they waiting to release it? None of this makes sense.

Could there be a political motivation? Someone doesn't want PA to have a legitimate heir. Earlier in the year, I believe it was Paris Match, had a cover story on how he was incompetent and that PC should really be the ruler.

The curse continues!

 

[Bones]

The French press reporting on this story are very well respected and don't dabble in tabloid gossip.

But that is exactly all they have done. They've given no specific facts, no specific times, no names, nothing but "we heard from someone that..." -which is gossip no matter how you look at it.

 

[Sancia]

But that is exactly all they have done. They've given no specific facts, no specific times, no names, nothing but "we heard from someone that..." -which is gossip no matter how you look at it.

Le Monde and Le Figaro are giving some facts:
- Nice airport
- a few days ago
- passport confiscated
- policemen leaking the news to journalists

One must know that the press has different rights in France than in the US. In France, the protection of the sources and the witnesses for a journalist is almost absolute. The only way to have the sources displayed in public is to go in trial. So when someone issues a denial while knowing the journalist is right, he can only force the journalist to give proofs at the court. There is no obligation in french law for a journalist to give a full account of details. As far as I remember, no journalist has been jailed for a long time for having refused to give the names of his sources.
Trust the one who know how does the french press works, since this morning, it doesn't sound as a gossip here and they are concerns about the fact the police airport went beyond his rights and powers if it is true.

 

[SandwichSheik]

But that is exactly all they have done. They've given no specific facts, no specific times, no names, nothing but "we heard from someone that..." -which is gossip no matter how you look at it.

So every news story where a source isn't named immediately becomes gossip? That's not how the press works and if it did work that way we would never get the truth out because whistleblowers and sources would not come forward without fearing retribution.

 

[rosana]

LOL! You really need to lighten up, and start enjoying life...maybe you can start feeling this notion of "happiness" that Charlene and her Prince may actually feel. It's a great feeling...trust me on this one.

As she is still technically a private citizen of South Africa, no one could "stop" her from boarding a plane. As many have suggested, the timeline of her "fleeing" coincides with her stay in Greece. Mind you, as a royal, no one could stop her either.

Hopefully HSH Prince Albert and the soon-to-be HSH Princess Charlene will sue the living cr@p out of the "informer"

I appreciate your concern, but I would not like for a minute to feel the notion of her UNhappiness. And I am not saying she´s a victim, she´s responsible for being where she is. I have never seen this couple really comfortable with each other, and I don´t buy their "holding hands at the last moment to show how much in love we are" poses.


I can´t believe some comments. Now because bad news come out about the couple, the most important newspapers in France are yellow press.

Anyway, happy wedding broadcast everyone. Time will tell.

 

[SandwichSheik]

Since when do the French police take orders from Monaco? What a joke. How can PA file a lawsuit when the paper won't give any details to him? You can't claim you haven't slept with someone when you don't know their name. If this story is so important why are they waiting to release it? None of this makes sense.

Could there be a political motivation? Someone doesn't want PA to have a legitimate heir. Earlier in the year, I believe it was Paris Match, had a cover story on how he was incompetent and that PC should really be the ruler.

The curse continues!

I think the curse is that people don't quite read the actual articles. The story about the added child and that he slept with some other woman is tacked on gossip and speculation.

The facts reported are that Charlene was detained at the airport in Nice where she was leaving the country on a one way ticket to South Africa. A high powered friend of the family was sent to speak to Charlene to and convince her to return to the palace.

Another fact is that the story is being reported on by serious media outlets not tabloid magazines. Monaco is such a non entity in the grand scheme of things that it's very doubtfull that there is some major French political agenda behind this story.

 

[Bones]

Someone talking about a bride-to-be with cold feet is hardly a "whistleblower" -that is someone passing along gossip. Whether PA marries or not has no impact on anyone's life but his own. So I'm not going to pretend that these stories serve some broader national purpose.

Le Monde and Le Figaro are giving some facts:
- Nice airport
- a few days ago
- passport confiscated
- policemen leaking the news to journalists

"A few days ago" is not specific, if her passport was confiscated there should be a reason given as to why and as for the policemen leaking news to journalists -wasn't that exactly my point? Someone told someone else.

 

[Boris]

I think the curse is that people don't quite read the actual articles.

I couldn't agree more.
It would be a much more productive discussion if the posters here actually read the articles this discussion is about first, and posted their opinion about them second... it shouldn't be too much to ask when the links to them are provided by others.
Example:

Since when do the French police take orders from Monaco? What a joke.

That's exactly the problematic issue which the article in 'Le Figaro' today is addressing in detail...

 

[Sancia]

It is not anymore about a bride-to-be but about a possible breach of law by the french police airport which is a more serious concern for me, a french people. I don't like the idea my taxes may have been used to interfere in a private monegasque affair.
Maybe it is a custom to give all the details in the first article in USA but in France it is not, and articles with fewer details are not seen like "yellow press" ou "gossip article".
One of the most significant point for me is that there is still no lawsuit from the palace against L'Express. Do they fear a trial?

 

[SandwichSheik]

Someone talking about a bride-to-be with cold feet is hardly a "whistleblower" -that is someone passing along gossip. Whether PA marries or not has no impact on anyone's life but his own. So I'm not going to pretend that these stories serve some broader national purpose.



"A few days ago" is not specific, if her passport was confiscated there should be a reason given as to why and as for the policemen leaking news to journalists -wasn't that exactly my point? Someone told someone else.

I'm sorry but just because you don't like the news doesn't mean it's gossip.

They don't need to give you a reason for detaining you at an airport. Flying on a South African passport sucks because you get to stand in line with all the other people who are treated like flying criminals and they don't care if you miss your flight or not. Security for those of us needing visas and flying on non EU passports sucked even before Sept 11.

They could've taken Charlene aside to ask her questions about her trip all under the guise of having her wait until one of Prince Albert's friends showed up to talk to as as is being reported.

 

[Bones]

I'm sorry but just because you don't like the news doesn't mean it's gossip.

They don't need to give you a reason for detaining you at an airport. Flying on a South African passport sucks because you get to stand in line with all the other people who are treated like flying criminals and they don't care if you miss your flight or not. Security for those of us needing visas and flying on non EU passports sucked even before Sept 11.

They could've taken Charlene aside to ask her questions about her trip all under the guise of having her wait until one of Prince Albert's friends showed up to talk to as as is being reported.

Gossip is based on word of mouth, no hard evidence, just personal accounts -which is what we have here so far. Now, I havn't been to France in a while but I didn't realize it had become such a harsh police state in my absence. Can they confiscate your passport without giving a reason too? If the police have such powers there should be evidence of this readily available as I would assume the airport is under video surveillance at all times. So, there should be a video of the police grabbing Charlene and not letting her on the plane. That would be evidence, that would be a fact -not rumor or 'he said, she said'.

Even that though would still not be proof of any of the stories about why she was running away, the supposed pregnant woman and all the other things slyly implied by these upstanding journalists full of integrity.

 

[Boris]

the supposed pregnant woman and all the other things slyly implied by these upstanding journalists full of integrity.

Again: I don't know where this pregnant woman tale is coming from, as nothing of the sort is mentioned by the journalists of integrity in the Figaro and Express articles...
...it's only mentioned in posts on this forum.

 

[SandwichSheik]

Gossip is based on word of mouth, no hard evidence, just personal accounts -which is what we have here so far. Now, I havn't been to France in a while but I didn't realize it had become such a harsh police state in my absence. Can they confiscate your passport without giving a reason too? If the police have such powers there should be evidence of this readily available as I would assume the airport is under video surveillance at all times. So, there should be a video of the police grabbing Charlene and not letting her on the plane. That would be evidence, that would be a fact -not rumor or 'he said, she said'.

Even that though would still not be proof of any of the stories about why she was running away, the supposed pregnant woman and all the other things slyly implied by these upstanding journalists full of integrity.

When you've flown abroad, do you just show up at the airport and walk right onto your plane without going through security checks?

The police didn't have to grab her or drag her kicking and screaming out of the airport. She was detained until a mediary arrived and talked her out of leaving.

Again just because you weren't given names of sources doesn't make it gossip. Common sense will tell you that a newspaper isn't going to name the names of their sources who will then have to face the consequences. Who in their right minds will ever give any information to the press if they know they're going to be fired for their actions? This is how it works all over the world, it's not just some French conspiracy.

 

[Sancia]

Again: I don't know where this pregnant woman tale is coming from, as nothing of the sort is mentioned by the journalists of integrity in the Figaro and Express articles...
...it's only mentioned in posts on this forum.

I am afraid you are wasting your time. Some posters are dismissing L'Express, Le Figaro and Le Monde without having read the articles but pretend to know what this articles are exactly saying.
When my literature students are doing this in a text discussion, the marks are generally very low.

 

[Bones]

No, it has been mentioned in a number of articles linked to from here, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, etc all of which quote Stephane Bern in Le Parisien. The rumors did not start here.

 

[Sancia]

No, it has been mentioned in a number of articles linked to from here, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, etc all of which quote Stephane Bern in Le Parisien. The rumors did not start here.

While we are discussing mainly about Charlene's supposed attempted flight, and not about the reasons for this flight as reported by The Daily Mail and The Telegraph.

 

[SandwichSheik]

The speculations on why she tried to leave the country are a side story to the main articles about her trying to flee the country.

It's natural for people to speculate and wonder and since we know a lot about Albert's penchants for unprotected sex, it's no wonder that the first thing people latch on to is another child.

 

[Catharina]

According to Telegraph: " Charlene Wittstock was shopping in Paris not running scared, father claims -- The Prince of Monaco's bride-to-be did not attempt to flee her marriage but went to Paris to shop for hats and shoes with her mother, her father said on Thursday."

Charlene Wittstock was shopping in Paris not running scared, father claims - Telegraph

 

[Bones]

When you've flown abroad, do you just show up at the airport and walk right onto your plane without going through security checks?

The police didn't have to grab her or drag her kicking and screaming out of the airport. She was detained until a mediary arrived and talked her out of leaving.

Again just because you weren't given names of sources doesn't make it gossip. Common sense will tell you that a newspaper isn't going to name the names of their sources who will then have to face the consequences. Who in their right minds will ever give any information to the press if they know they're going to be fired for their actions? This is how it works all over the world, it's not just some French conspiracy.

Don't be ridiculous. No one said anything about a conspiracy. No one said anything about anyone being dragged kicking and screaming anywhere. Where I come from, yes, people have civil rights and airport security (not police) can only detain you if they have reason to believe you are a threat to the safety of the plane and passengers. Running away from your fiance would not make the list. Further, anytime security or police detain you for any reason they must give you tell you why.

And why the singular obsession with names?! Any sort of evidence that could be verified would work just as well. Why does everyone act as though this is some super-sensitive issue or that Albert did something so horrible if anyone in Paris or Monaco knew who was "telling all" they would be sent to the guillotine? If they are on staff at the palace they could lose their job. Big deal, if the Prince cannot trust them not to pull stunts like this, they should lose their job. "oh, but what if no one ever talked to the press again, what if no one ever came forward with the truth". Yeah, on a story about a bride with cold feet -yes, my God, how would the world survive if we never knew...

 

[Catharina]

This may or may not have anything to do with tomorrow's wedding but one still has to wonder about the timing... Nicole Coste has been spotted walking in Monaco today. I wonder if she's invited...?

Look who's turned up: Mother of Prince Albert's illegitimate son spotted strolling through Monaco... a day before he gets married | Mail Online