Many believe that there is a curse on the House of Grimaldi amid reports of Princess Charlene's attempts to flee from the palace in the past.

Many believe that there is a curse on the House of Grimaldi amid reports of Princess Charlene’s attempts to flee from the palace in the past. Image: Valery Hache/AFP

The Grimaldi Curse: Princess Charlene tried to escape Monaco three times

Princess Charlene has been dubbed ‘the sad princess’ and reportedly tried to escape Monaco three times in the past.

Many believe that there is a curse on the House of Grimaldi amid reports of Princess Charlene's attempts to flee from the palace in the past.

Many believe that there is a curse on the House of Grimaldi amid reports of Princess Charlene’s attempts to flee from the palace in the past. Image: Valery Hache/AFP

The Grimaldi family has been under the spotlight ever since Princess Charlene returned to Monaco after months away in South Africa. Now, in a new report, royal correspondent, Tom Sykes, writes for The Daily Beast that many believe that there is a curse on the House of Grimaldi amid reports of Princess Charlene’s attempts to flee from the palace in the past:

The Grimaldi curse and a ‘powerful witch’

It all started with a “tale as old as times” when a “powerful witch” decided that she wasn’t going to be dishonoured by a prince from the little-known Principality of Monaco.

It is said that the prince tried to force himself on the young woman before she threw herself off a cliff. But, just before her death, she reportedly uttered the infamous curse, telling the prince: “Never will a Grimaldi find happiness in marriage.”

Today, the House of Grimaldi still rules over Monaco and has seen a number of failed marriages and relationships. And despite denying reports of infidelity or marital problems, it is the relationship of Princess Charlene and Prince Albert that is in the spotlight today.

Where is Princess Charlene?

Sykes writes that after spending most of the year away from her husband, Princess Charlene returned to Monaco from her native South Africa a few weeks ago (the official line was that she stayed there for six months because she couldn’t fly on medical advice due to ear surgery).

“She has now checked into an undisclosed facility to recover from what her husband terms exhaustion. Rumours abound in social circles that she has flown to a clinic in Switzerland, but The Daily Beast was not able to confirm this.”

The Daily Beast reports that Princess Charlene’s unhappiness have circulated widely ever since her wedding to Albert in 2011 when her tearful appearance on the day and an awkward balcony kiss provided a visual demonstration of the maxim that money cannot buy you happiness.

Princess Charlene’s attempts to escape Monaco

Charlene’s apparent emotional disturbance lent credence to allegations in French newspapers that she had tried multiple times to flee Monaco in the run-up to the wedding as rumours and paternity claims swirled around the groom.

The Journal du Dimanche reported that she first sought refuge in May 2011 at the South African embassy in Paris, where she was scheduled to have a wedding dress fitting.

Her passport was reportedly taken from her and she was persuaded to return to Monaco.

Reports in the Journal du Dimanche claimed that she made another break later that month during the Formula One Grand Prix, and again, just one week before the wedding, she was reportedly intercepted en route to Nice airport for a flight back to South Africa.

The ‘sad princess’

The palace denied the allegations, describing them as “completely crazy,” but the narrative stuck, says Sykes.

The couple were particularly unfortunate that their uncomfortable nuptials took place just 10 weeks after the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and thus intense scrutiny was trained on the affair which featured guests such as Naomi Campbell, Nicolas Sarkozy and Roger Moore.

Charlene herself told UK paper The Times: “Everything was just so overwhelming and there were all the mixed emotions because of the rumours, and obviously the tension built up and I burst into tears [immediately after the ceremony]. And then I burst into tears some more because I was thinking ‘Oh no, now the whole world has seen me cry.’”

A blackmail attempt

The years that followed have been blighted by ongoing rumours of affairs on the part of Prince Albert, a known playboy when he was younger, who had already admitted to having fathered two illegitimate children before their marriage.

It is said that many in Monaco are aware of rumours that Albert is once again facing a paternity suit, this time over claims he fathered yet another illegitimate child in 2005, when he was dating Charlene.

He has denounced the claims as a blackmail attempt.