Ten years ago today, the royal family of Monaco welcomed its first set of twins into the world with 42 cannon shots. There were 21 for each baby – Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques.
Though Princess Gabriella was born two minutes before her brother Jacques, it is he who will lead the royal household as the future Prince of Monaco.
Born to Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene on December 10, 2014, they were delivered by caesarean section at the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco.
Their father had chosen not to learn the gender of the babies before they were born, saying: ‘It is one of the beautiful surprises that life offers us.’
But Prince Albert made it clear that if a boy and girl were born, the boy would become the royal heir, in line with the male priority of Monaco’s succession law.
Princess Charlene holds Princess Gabriella on the balcony of Monaco Palace on January 7, 2015
Charlene and her husband Prince Albert II with their new-born twins
Monaco’s royal household dates back to the 13th Century, and Gabriella and Jacques were its first set of twins. Their birth was announced in an official statement released by Monaco Palace.
It said: ‘To the Monegasque people and the residents of the Principality, I have the immense pleasure to announce that Princess Charlene, my beloved wife, has given birth on December 10, 2014, to a son and a daughter: Crown Prince Jacques, Honore, Rainier and Princess Gabriella, Therese, Marie.
‘As sovereign, husband and father, I would like to share this joy with you and I know that you will be united in your good wishes for the princess and I.
‘At this very special time for our family and the history of our country, we are extremely grateful for all of your expressions of fondness and affection. Let us thank God and rejoice.’
Cannons firing 42 shots – 21 for each baby – to mark the birth of Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques in 2014
The official announcement of the twins’ birth from Monaco Palace on December 10, 2014
Jacques and Gabriella have two other siblings, fathered by Albert before he was with Charlene and who are deemed illegitimate.
Less than a week after the twins were born, Charlene gave her first post-birth interview.
Speaking to French magazine Paris Match, she said that spending time with the twins was ‘magical’.
‘What I can tell you is that they are both very active and very expressive,’ she continued. ‘They are beautiful, adorable, I’m crazy in love with them.’
She also told of the moment the children arrived and admitted she was nervous for their health, as they arrived two weeks early. ‘At first, I was happy to hear their first cries,’ she said. ‘I was obviously a bit overwhelmed with emotion.
‘Every second with them is magical. I look forward to spending more time in their presence.’
The siblings made their debut on January 7, 2015, held in their parents’ arms on a balcony at the Palais Princier. Charlene smiled and waved as she clutched Gabriella while Albert cradled Jacques.
Albert and Charlene with twins Jacques and Gabriella in matching outfits at the traditional Monaco Picnic in 2022
The family-of-four wave from the palace balcony on Monaco National Day, November 19, 2022
The twins have attended events with their parents since they were young. In November 2015, when they were less than a year old, Jacques and Gabriella accompanied their parents to protests demanding action against climate change.
The two infants sat contently in a pushchair while Albert and Charlene interacted with protesters.
In December 2015, as the twins turned one, their parents revealed in an interview what life was like in the palace with two toddlers. Albert said Charlene had handled motherhood ‘marvelously’.
He added: ‘I am very happy that she is able to spend as much time as she does with them.
‘I have never really heard them complain. Yes, when they are hungry [they do] but they’ve never been noisy [except when] they are being joyful.’
Discussing their looks, he continued: ‘Several people have said that Gabriella looks more like me than Jacques… I definitely think there is a bit of Charlene in both of them. But it’s too early to say for sure.’
Four years later, in November 2019, Charlene revealed to French magazine Point de Vue that her parenting duties were ‘often exhausting’ but also also ‘very stimulating in many areas’.
She went on to share the ‘incredible affection and gentleness for one another’ that the twins have and added: ‘[They] talk to each other all the time.
‘Like all children they sometimes can be a little abrupt, a little hard even in their exchanges, but they support each other unconditionally. When all is well, then nothing and no one can stop them.’
Albert and Charlene with their two children attending the opening of the Monaco model building section at Miniatur Wunderland in April this year
The Monaco royals attending the 2024 Monaco E-Prix at Circuit de Monaco
In September, the twins made an appearance at the annual Monaco picnic with their parents.
Arriving at the Parc Princesse Antoinette in Monaco, the family-of-four put on a classy front as Charlene took the lead with a striking red jumpsuit. Albert wore a black blazer fashioned with gold buttons, paired with cream trousers. Jacques matched with his father while Gabrielle wore a white dress and sandals.
However, things have not always been smooth for the royal family. Reports of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene’s relationship being on shaky ground date back to their wedding day in 2011, when she was dubbed the ‘Runaway Bride’ by French media for reportedly trying to flee before the ceremony.
And in 2021, Charlene spent several months in South Africa away from her husband and children after she contracted an illness.
She returned to Monaco that November, but then spent some time recovering at a Swiss health clinic before fully reuniting with her family in 2022.
Upon her return to the principality, Albert claimed she was ‘overwhelmed’, telling People magazine that it became ‘pretty evident’ a few hours after Charlene’s return that she was ‘unwell’ before she went to Switzerland for further treatment.
He said the former Olympic swimmer ‘realised she needed help’, adding: ‘She was overwhelmed and couldn’t face official duties, life in general or even family life.’
Gabriella and Jacques made an appearance at the annual Monaco picnic with their parents earlier this year
The prince said decisions about treatment involved an intervention with family members. He recalled: ‘I sat her down with her brothers and a sister-in-law. She had already made her decision, and we only wanted her to confirm it in front of us. She wanted this.
‘She already knew the best thing to do was to go and have a rest and have a real medically framed treatment. And not in Monaco. For privacy reasons, it would have to be someplace outside of Monaco.’
Meanwhile, he revealed Gabriella and Jacques would ‘visit’ Charlene once they had the ‘medical go-ahead’, saying the twins ‘knew she was tired’ and ‘not quite herself’.
Last year, Charlene visited South Africa again for the first time since 2021.
During an interview on her trip, she revealed she was tired of hearing rumours of trouble in her marriage, and that she has no idea where they come from.
Charlene has said she wants to keep the twins away from the ‘pressure’ of life in the public eye for as long as possible – although she admits they are already picking things up
The comments come after she told a publication in Monaco that she is ‘serene and happy’ in her marriage – denying rumours that surfaced in German and French media that she was now ‘living in Switzerland’ and that her marriage was ‘ceremonial’.
Speculation about the couple’s marriage was further fuelled last year when Charlene deleted her Instagram account.
However, the mother-of-two shut down speculation around her decision, claiming it was purely to protect the privacy of her children.
She revealed she wants to keep the twins away from the ‘pressure’ of life in the public eye for as long as possible – although she admits they are already picking things up.
Speaking about the close-knit siblings, she said she is ‘grateful’ to know they will always be there for one another.
