50-year-old Nicole Cost became the "protagonist" of the day, a former flight attendant originally from Togo, when on Thursday she appeared in white at Monaco Cathedral for the celebrations of St. Devonta, patron saint of the principality. Elegant in a white dress, white cape and an enamel pre-top pumps, the prince's former mistress drew all eyes and the spotlight on her at an event where in previous years Princess Charlene was the "star".
The public appearance of Prince Albert's former mistress at a top official event, where the Monegasque blue blood and his twin 7-year-old children, the heir to the throne, were "present", Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, did not go unnoticed by the French and Spanish press as the woman who has had an illegitimate child with Albert has until recently kept a low profile.
According to reports in the tabloid Spanish magazine Lecturas, it was the Monegasque blue-blood who invited the charming Nicole Cost to the service for the patron saint of the principality and indeed, at a time when the 44-year-old Princess Charlene is being treated in a clinic in Switzerland to recover from the "physical" and "psychological" fatigue that afflicts her, as the palace had said in a statement in November. The last time Charlene was present at an official event of the wealthy principality was on January 27 last year at the celebrations for the patron saint of Monaco. Since then, Charlene's place at official events and at the side of her children has been taken by 65-year-old Princess Caroline, Albert's older sister.
Albert's illegitimate children have no right to the throne of the principality
Nicole Coste's presence at Monaco Cathedral was a great surprise to Monegasques but and for the media since the former mistress of the prince and mother of 18-year-old Alexander Grimaldi Coste, the former lover of the prince and mother of 18-year-old Alexander Grimaldi Coste had not participated in the official events of the principality over the years. However, after Charlene's month-long absence in South Africa and rumours of a crisis in her marriage to Albert, Cost began to make her presence felt both in person at public events and in revealing interviews, where she spoke about the prince's relationship with their son and attacked Princess Charlene.
Last July, the presence of Cost and Alexander alongside Albert at the annual Red Cross charity ball caused a sensation. At the same time, the former Air France flight attendant gave an interview to French magazine Paris Match, where she described Alexander's good relationship with Albert and launched an attack on Charlene, accusing her of changing her son's room when she became engaged to the prince and sending him to the staff wing. Albert has two illegitimate children, 29-year-old Jasmine Grace, the fruit of his brief relationship with an American real estate agent, and 18-year-old Alexander Grimaldi Coste. By agreement with the mothers of the two children, they have no rights to the throne. Last year a 35-year-old Brazilian woman asked the prince to recognise her 16-year-old daughter, claiming she is his biological child from her relationship with Albert in 2005. That same year, the prince was already dating his future wife, Charlene.
On the day of the St. Devota celebrations, the palace issued a statement on the progress of Charlene's health in which it said that "The Princess's recovery is progressing in a satisfactory and very encouraging manner" but, as the statement stressed, many weeks are still needed to restore her health as Charlene will also have to undergo a series of dental treatments. It will be recalled that during her month-long stay in South Africa, the former swimming champion had undergone two operations for a serious sinus infection.
Source: APE-MPA
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