Charlene - In search of a princess

​Author: Arlene Prinsloo
Publisher: Jonathan Ball
Reviewer: Hazel Makuzeni
Ever since she was a little girl, author and veteran journalist, Arlene Prinsloo has been fascinated by tales about princes and princesses.  She traces her love affair with fairy tales from when her mother would tell her stories about them. As she says, “I still have the well-worn books she read to me.” Her enchantment with the lives of royals has seen her covering royal news as a blogger for Sarie magazine and Netwerk24. It’s no wonder her unauthorised biography of Her 

Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco is here.  Besides thorough research, the author got input for this book from Charlene’s friends and old swimming mates. She approached Charlene through official palace channels but got no response.
“My passion for the lives of royals has taken me to Britain for the weddings of Prince William and Prince Harry. I was one of the thousands of admirers who wanted to drink in the atmosphere and get a glimpse of royalty,” Arlene Prinsloo. She even travelled to London for the funeral of Princess Diana.
In this book the author takes the reader on a tumultuous journey into the astounding life of South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, a compassionate, down-to-earth woman who in 2011 married into royalty when she wed Prince Albert Grimaldi of Monaco. Their star-studded union was watched by millions around the globe. To those watching the spectacle, this must have solidified their belief in a modern day fairy-tale. Here was our golden girl from obscure Benoni, with middle-class upbringing, marrying into the grand Grimaldi dynasty who have ruled, the picturesque principality and playground for the rich and famous, for over 700 years.
I must admit I don’t follow the royals that much but the Grimaldi empire is intriguing. Like her late mother-in-law – the larger than life, Oscar-winning Hollywood actress Grace Kelly – Charlene is a commoner who married into royalty. And royal life seems to be quite stifling. From the beginning, her marriage has been rocked by scandals about Albert’s love children and her unhappiness at the life she now lives in Monaco. Her health battles are fodder for the media who scrutinise every single aspect of her life. Nothing is sacrosanct to the paparazzi.
For all the opulence that royal life offers to one, I’m sorry it’s not for me.  Not only does one not have any privacy, the archaic set of rules one must follow would drive me to the asylum. I can just only imagine the tremendous sacrifices one has to make, and the isolation you must feel, especially as a commoner when marrying into royalty. The immense pressure to fit in with the royal family must be debilitating. I now fully understand why some parents are today refusing to read fairy tales to their little daughters.   
Good luck to Princess Charlene, Prince Albert and their twins. And respect to Arlene Prinsloo for holding on to the dream.