Before Kate Middleton’s health saga went public, there was Princess Charlene of Monaco.
Middleton, the glamorous wife of Prince William, has been attempting to keep a low profile since Kensington Palace announced in January that she had abdominal surgery for undisclosed reasons. William, the eldest son of King Charles III, is heir to the British throne.
While Middleton - like Princess Charlene before her - seemingly pulled a disappearing act, the similarities between her and Charlene end there, royal experts told Fox News Digital.
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Britain's Kate Middleton, left, has recently been compared to another royal - Princess Charlene of Monaco. (Getty Images)
"The saga of Princess Charlene of Monaco has many similarities with Kate, both going through periods of illness and recovery," royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital. "The big difference with Charlene was she was in a different country when the illness struck and could not return because of her symptoms to her husband and children."
"There is a similarity over media speculation that perhaps Albert and Charlene were deliberately living apart," he shared. "But once she recovered, they all went back to normal as far as the public were concerned."
The Associated Press withdrew an image of Kate Middleton and her children. The princess later apologized. (Associated Press)
The news of Middleton's health - and the fact that she was out of the public eye for weeks - quickly triggered speculation and gossip about her health. However, an admission from the 42-year-old that she altered an official family photo – one that was supposed to reassure the public that she was doing well – made things worse.
It was a rare misstep for the princess, who has hardly put a foot wrong in her journey from William’s shy "commoner" girlfriend to the glamorous young mother of three who, more than any royal since Princess Diana, boosted the popularity and appeal of the British monarchy worldwide.
As for Charlene, she is no stranger to controversy.
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Princess Charlene of Monaco, an Olympic swimmer, married Prince Albert in 2011. The wedding was a spectacle, costing an estimated $70 million for the four-day event. (Dominique Charriau/WireImage)
It was in May 2021, while the princess was supporting her foundation’s wildlife efforts in South Africa, that Charlene’s health deteriorated. The visit to her home country was meant to last just 10 days, but complications from an ENT (ears, nose and throat) procedure grounded her for six months.
Months later, Prince Albert and their children visited the princess for a trip that lasted several days. Charlene acknowledged the visit on her Instagram.
After several corrective surgeries and a subsequent relapse, the 46-year-old returned to Monaco in November of that year. However, shortly after she landed, the princess showed signs of emotional and physical exhaustion. After consulting her doctors, it was determined that the princess would seek medical treatment at a center outside of Monaco.
Princess Charlene of Monaco is seen here embracing her twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, on May 7, 2022 in Monaco. (Pascal Le Segretain)
Charlene’s prolonged absence quickly sparked rumors concerning her marriage.
After Charlene missed the couple’s 10th anniversary, the press quickly sparked rumors of an impending split. Sources alleged to France’s Paris Match that Charlene had "no intention of returning" to Monaco, while Germany’s Bunte claimed Charlene was house-hunting near Johannesburg.
The rumors intensified when Albert attended the Tokyo Olympics solo. Charlene is also a former Olympic swimmer.
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Prince Albert of Monaco attends Day Four of the swimming competition of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 27, 2021 in Tokyo. (Jean Catuffe)
"You want to talk about rumors of divorce or my new home in Switzerland?" Charlene told reporters at a fashion event in 2022. "I still find it regrettable that certain media peddle such rumors about my life, my relationship. Like everyone else, we are human beings, and like all human beings, we have emotions, weaknesses. Only our family is exposed to the media and the slightest weakness is relayed."
More gossip was unleashed when Albert was later photographed with his son Alexandre Grimaldi, daughter Jazmin Grace Grimaldi and his ex Nicole Coste, Alexandre’s mother. At the time, Alexandre was celebrating his 20th birthday. Alexandre previously spoke to French magazine Point de Vue and stressed that being called "illegitimate" by the press was "insulting."
It was also around this time that Charlene's Instagram handle was either deleted or deactivated from the platform. At the time, a spokesperson for the royal did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Her charity page is still live.
Kate Middleton, right, is seen here greeting Princess Charlene of Monaco in 2012 in Windsor, England. The Princess of Wales is currently recovering from abdominal surgery in Windsor. (Rota/Anwar Hussein)
Jazmin, Albert’s first child, was publicly acknowledged in 2006. At the time, Albert said he wanted to protect the 31-year-old’s identity.
Alexandre and Jazmin are not heirs to the throne because their parents never married as required by the constitution of Monaco. Albert and Charlene share twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, 9. The twins are first and second in line to the throne.
"Beyond the fact that they both vanished to cope with health problems, I really don’t see parallels between Princess Charlene and Kate," Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital.
"From the very beginning, the marriage of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene was always viewed as highly problematic," he alleged. "There were even rumors that Charlene was having serious doubts and wanted to call the wedding off. In sharp contrast, Kate and William have always appeared to have a solid marriage and an exemplary family life – especially in comparison to the rest of the royal family."
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Princess Charlene has since returned to public duties in Monaco. (Stephane Cardinale - Corbis)
"William made Kate wait for 10 years [before marriage], true, but those were the years that they worked things out," Andersen shared. "Since they wed in 2011, Kate and William have made very few missteps. But the one Kate is making now is a doozy."
Unlike William, Albert spoke out about the hurtful allegations spread by tabloids.
Princess Charlene of Monaco is seen here with Prince Albert on Oct. 28, 2023, in Saint-Denis near Paris. (Jean Catuffe)
"She didn’t leave Monaco in a huff," the prince, 66, told People magazine about his wife. "She didn’t leave because she was mad at me or anybody else. She was going down to South Africa to reassess her foundation’s work down there and to take a little time off with her brother and some friends.
"It was only supposed to be a week-long, 10-day maximum stay… she had this infection [and] all these medical complications arose. She didn’t go into exile. It was absolutely just a medical problem which had to be treated."
Albert admitted that he "probably should have addressed" the gossip sooner.
Princess Charlene of Monaco and Prince Albert II of Monaco appear on the balcony during the traditional festivities of Sainte Devote in the Principality of Monaco on Jan. 27, 2024. (VALERY HACHE/AFP)
"But I was concentrating on taking care of the kids," he said. "And I thought it would just probably go [away]. You know if you try to answer everything that comes out, then you’re constantly [responding], you’re wasting your time. … Of course, it affects her, of course, it affects me. Misreading events is always detrimental. … We’re an easy target, easily hit, because we’re in the public eye a lot."
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital some lessons can be learned from Charlene and Albert’s experience.
"While many are declaring that the British royals are ‘dysfunctional’ or worse, the ailments and marital situation of Princess Charlene is a clear indication that holding such a high-profile role and accompanying international press and social media scrutiny takes a terrible toll," she noted.
Kensington Palace previously announced that Kate Middleton is expected to return to public duties sometime after Easter. (Pool/Max Mumby)
Kensington Palace previously announced that the Princess of Wales is expected to return to public duties sometime after Easter.
On Thursday, a palace spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that Middleton has been working from home on her early years project to improve the lives of babies.
