Prince Albert and Princess Charlene Share A Rare PDA During an Official Trip Abroad

The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, Albert II, his wife, Princess Charlene, and their twins, Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, traveled to Oslo, Norway on Wednesday, June 22, to attend a series of events related to sailing exploration in honor of the Sovereign Prince's ancestor, Prince Albert I.

The Monegasque royals welcomed by Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. 

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

This official overseas trip of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene marked their return to the international stage. And a sign that Her Serene Highness has fully recovered from the mental and physical exhaustion she suffered last year.

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway welcomed their Serene Highnesses to Norway. 

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

This is the first time that they embarked on a joint overseas trip since Princess Charlene left for South Africa in early 2021. And the first time that their twins traveled with them abroad to attend public events.

Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques. ©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

And in a rare PDA moment, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene shared a very public kiss outside the Fram Museum in Oslo. 

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene share a rare public kiss

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

They have been trying to quell rumors of separation and divorce after the public and the media continue to speculate on the real state of their marriage. They both have denied the issue that they are heading for divorce.

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

Prince Albert, Princess Charlene, and their twins attended the opening of the exhibit, "Sailing the Sea of Science", at the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway. They were accompanied by Crown Prince Haakon of Norway during the visit.

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

The event also marked the centenary death anniversary of Prince Albert I of Monaco, the great-great-grandfather of Prince Albert II. 

Albert I, who died on June 26, 1922, was known for his keen interest in science and sailing exploration and was dubbed the Navigator Prince.

Opening of the exhibit. ©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

The exhibition was proposed by the Fram Museum in cooperation with The Prince Albert I Committee, and the contribution of the Archives of the Prince's Palace in Monaco, to commemorate the scientific campaigns of Prince Albert I in Spitsbergen, the main island of Svalbard, in 1898, 1899, 1906, and 1907.

The Norwegian royals and the Monegasque royals

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

Their Majesties, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, hosted a lunch at their private residence in honor of the visiting Monegasque royals.

On June 23, Thursday, Prince Albert II unveiled a bronze bust of Prince Albert I, in Longyearbyen, the capital of Spitsbergen. 

Bust of Prince Albert I of Monaco

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

The bust will be donated to the Norwegian Polar Institute of Longyearbyen in memory of Prince Albert I's various Arctic expeditions together with the Norwegian explorers.

©Eric Mathon/Prince's Palace/The Royal Court of Norway

The Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella accompanied their father during the unveiling of the Prince Albert I bust. 

Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques

The Sovereign Prince of Monaco then participated in a private cruise aboard Commander Charcot, to commemorate the route taken by Prince Albert I during his expedition campaigns. 

Prince Albert I of Monaco

Here's a bit of history about the Navigator Prince who reigned in Monaco from September 1889 until his death on June 26, 1922.

Prince Albert I of Monaco. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Prince Albert I was the son of Prince Charles III of Monaco, the founder of the casino in Monte Carlo. Prince Albert I's grandmother, Princess Caroline, reportedly tried an arranged marriage between Albert and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the first cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and the mother of Queen Mary (the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II). She sought the help of Napoleon III of France and his wife, Empress Eugenie. 

But Napoleon told Caroline that Queen Victoria would not allow her cousin to marry into a family known for gambling, so Caroline looked for another aristocratic bride for her grandson. 

She found his match in Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, daughter of the 11th Duke of Hamilton of Scotland, and Princess Marie of Baden. Prince Albert I married Lady Mary on September 21, 1869, at the Grimaldi property in Champagne, France. 

The marriage produced an only child, the future Prince Louis II of Monaco. They separated three years later. Prince Albert I remarried to the Dowager Duchess de Richelieu but the marriage did not produce any children.

When he was still young, Prince Albert I served the Spanish Navy as a navigator, a passion he cultivated later in his life. He developed a keen interest in oceanography and exploration and took many expeditions during his lifetime. 

He owned four impressive research yachts and traveled around the Mediterranean to conduct oceanographic studies, maps, and charts. In 1918, the US National Academy of Sciences awarded him its Alexander Agassiz Medal for his achievements. He was also awarded the Cullum Geographical Medal of the American Geographical Society. 

He died on June 26, 1922, in Paris, France and was succeeded by his only child, Louis II.