Inside Princess Charlene’s Tragic Childhood

Princess Charlene’s struggles began as soon as she was born. Her mother, Lynette Wittstock, gave birth to her about eight weeks early, causing a great deal of stress for the family. In an interview with the Daily Mail, the princess’ great-aunt, Jacqueline, reflected on just how difficult this time was. “We saw [Charlene] in hospital in Mater Dei Hospital, just before we left [the country]. She was a little red thing in a big glass case with pipes everywhere. It’s amazing that she has turned out so fit and strong.”

Despite the challenge of coming into the world too soon, baby Charlene was able to fight for her life. As her father, Mike Wittstock, would later tell the French publication Paris Match, “The first time I saw her, she was in an incubator and the nurses said to me, ‘Your little one is very tough.’ It was 1978, when the country was still called Southern Rhodesia. She was born two months premature, and survived.” In Wittstock’s view, this early sense of tenacity has defined Charlene’s personality throughout the years. “And that’s how she has always been throughout her life: a very strong girl with an iron will,” he said.

Interestingly, this experience would have a profound impact on the princess. When Charlene welcomed her own children, twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, prematurely, she found strength in her own story, telling Paris Match, “I was much smaller and frailer than them.”