Meet Princess Charlene’s adorable twins, Gabriella and Jacques: Prince Albert’s daughter is 2 minutes older, but his son is next in line to the throne due to Monaco’s succession rules

Dec 31 , 2021

Monaco’s Prince Albert and Princess Charlene with their twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques Photos: @hshprincesscharlene/Instagram

Prince Jacques is next in line to the throne due to Monaco’s succession laws, despite being the younger twin by two minutes and his dad fathering older, illegitimate children

The twins recently celebrated their seventh birthdays – but spent most of 2021 apart from their mum as she cared for her health, and then there were those divorce rumours …

Monaco’s royal twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, have had a difficult year after being separated from their mother Princess Charlene for much of 2021.

Charlene had to undergo several unexpected medical procedures in South Africa. After eventually returning to Monaco, her husband, Prince Albert II of Monaco, said she was being cared for at a treatment facility as she was still not in good health.

Speculation about her illness, and the state of her marriage to Prince Albert, has been rife. Meanwhile, the twins celebrated their birthday on December 10, despite a tumultuous year without mum.

Here’s a look inside their royal lives.

The pregnancy news

Princess Charlene, Prince Albert, and their twin children, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques. Photo: @hshprincesscharlene/Instagram

A close friend of Prince Albert’s, Dr Jon Turk, described to People magazine how the prince found out he was going to be a dad.

He said that Albert was in a meeting when his wife called him from the doctors’ rooms, where she was having an ultrasound, to tell him they were going to have a baby.

Turk said the prince had to hurry back to the meeting but was called out again – this time, Charlene revealed that they were expecting twins!