“She spent 77,000 euros in one day,” according to secret notes.
Never a dull moment in Monaco! Peace seemed to have finally returned to the court, now that Princess Charlene is back with Prince Albert and she is appearing more and more often in public. However, the princely couple now seems to be at the center of a major financial scandal. In conversation with Paris Match, Albert lashes out at the stories.
Scandal on the rock
It will come as no surprise to anyone that there is a lot of money thrown around in the microstate of the mega-rich. And that some scandals will surface between the jet set and the ton? That’s nothing new either.
But according to various ‘secret notes’ from Prince Albert’s former financial advisor, Claude Palmero, the Monegasque royals have made a lot of money over the years.
Big spenders
According to Palmero, more than €800,000 would have been allocated for the festivities surrounding the birth and baptism of twins Jacques and Gabriella alone. In addition, Her Serene Highness is said to have spent more than €77,000 in one day in 2016. The accountant himself would have already noted whether this was ‘not much’ and warned the couple. “This state of affairs is dangerous,” the leaked data said.
Prince Albert is also being told about it by his former accountant. For example, the prince’s illegitimate children, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste, each receive around €400,000 annually from their princely father.
Illegal nannies
Palmero is also said to have raised problems with Charlene’s staff before. It is reported that a good number of Charlene’s nannies are staying illegally in Monaco.
“Update on hiring the nannies…We are completely illegal – even their tourist visas expired on January 7,” Palmero noted shortly after Jacques and Gabriella’s birth. In a letter Palmero allegedly wrote in 2017, he even mentions a staffer from the Philippines who was reportedly in the country “illegally for five years” and only had a one-month visa.
Not really the kind of reputation you want to have in your princely role model, nun?
Albert strikes back
In conversation with Paris Match last week, Albert shared that both he and Charlene were very touched by the wild stories, but that he has now grown ‘a thick skin’.
“Luckily my whole family is there for me. They shower me with affection – both my immediate family and the wider Monegasque family,” said Albert. “She (Charlene, ed.) was also very moved for me, and sad about stories that appeared in the media. We supported each other,” the prince continued. “It is true that she has now resumed many activities and public obligations, and everyone is very happy about that,” he shared optimistically.
And all those stories Palmero’s secret notes? Oh well, according to Albert that is nothing more than nonsense from an embittered ex-staff member who did not want to accept a ‘generous pension offer’.
We’re guessing that Leurs Altesses Sérénissimes haven’t gotten rid of these mysterious notes yet, but for now at least it doesn’t seem to bother them.
Source: The Daily Mail, Paris Match | Image: NL Image
