These two were early adopters of the royal lifestyle — but were they really rocking
swimmies before their first pairs of sneakers?
These are the royal twins of Monaco, like you've never seen them before.
These days, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques are two thriving young royals who
can be spotted frolicking at the beach or even attending a circus.
However, that wasn't always the case.
The sister and brother were born 15 days before term and were, consequently, much smaller
than average.
In a conversation with Paris Match, Princess Charlene offered some insight into how the
royal children held up following their birth:
"They are growing every day, gaining weight."
Even so, the princess conceded that they would have to wait and see how the children would
progress, saying,
"Everything now depends on their progress, and the opinion of doctors.
[... ] You see, they are the 'bosses' now."
Despite the twins' small size, their parents tried to resist worries about their ability
to grow.
Speaking to Point de Vue, Prince Albert said,
"We followed the evolution of the babies in their mother's womb, and everything was fine.
Despite being premature, there were no big risks."
That being said, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene went out of their way to keep the
twins comfortable.
If some people were born for the spotlight, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques were
born for the crown.
According to their mother, Princess Charlene, the royal twins of Monaco had the right disposition
for their respective roles from the very beginning.
Just seven months following the twins' birth, Princess Charlene told Paris Match that Prince
Jacques already had the personality of an heir who watched everything around him, saying,
"Jacques is a real 'boss.'"
Meanwhile, Princess Gabriella seemed to embrace her title at an early age.
Princess Charlene said,
"As for our daughter, we note with a certain amusement that she is already developing the
attitude of a true little princess."
In Princess Gabriella's case, this attitude apparently manifested itself in her likes
— and dislikes.
"I can tell you that pink is her favorite color and 'no' is an answer she doesn't like."
Interestingly, these characteristics have appeared to remain constant over the years.
In a 2021 conversation with People, Prince Albert echoed his wife's earlier description
of Jacques, saying,
"He's a great observer and loves to size up the situation."
Likewise, he hinted that Gabriella, in true princess fashion, will shine at public engagements,
saying,
"She has no qualms about being in front of people."
Thanks to Princess Charlene's Olympic past, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella were
able to experience swimming from a young age.
When the twins were about 7 months old, Princess Charlene even joked to Paris Match,
"I'm sure they'll be swimming before they even start walking."
Although this statement seems to be an exaggeration, the royal twins were indeed allowed to get
their feet wet early on.
Prince Albert told People that by the time the twins were 19 months old, they were getting
in the pool twice per day.
While Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella may have been born to a pair of Olympians,
that doesn't mean that they will receive pressure to follow in their parents' footsteps.
Because of this, the princess didn't teach her children how to swim with the intention
of shaping them into competitive swimmers.
On the contrary, her main goal was apparently to teach her children about water safety.
As the princess wrote in an opinion piece for her foundation, the Princess Charlene
of Monaco Foundation,
"Now I have my own children, one of my top priorities has been to teach them to swim.
It is an essential life skill, like learning to safely cross a road.
Far too many people, often children, drown because they can't swim."
"It's just something that I hold close to my heart."
Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques may be part of Monaco's royal family, but that
doesn't mean that they exclusively identify as Monégasque.
Thanks to their mother's South African background, the young royals are encouraged to explore
this side of their identity.
"I am African.
This is my home.
It will always be, it's in my, it's in my heart, it's in my veins."
One of the biggest ways that the twins connect with their roots is by speaking English in
addition to French, the official language of Monaco.
As Princess Charlene revealed in an interview with Point de Vue,
"We speak in English when the three of us are together, but at school, Jacques and Gabriella
are of course educated in French".
Of course, raising bilingual children is not without its challenges.
In the same interview, Princess Charlene divulged that her secret to multilingual parenting
is flexibility.
She said,
"Me, as a mother, I discover, I learn.
I find it wonderful to follow their evolution, to accompany them on this path."
Luckily, the princess' child-rearing strategy seems to be working beautifully — especially
as far as foreign languages are concerned.
As the proud mother told Point de Vue,
"I am amazed at how quickly they are learning.
They are already both fluent in French and English".
Like many children across the world, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques faced the challenge
of studying during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, both students had to pause their in-person schooling as a part of measures
preventing the spread of the illness.
Rather than going to school as usual, the twins attended a sort of "royal home school"
in the Great Hall at Grimaldi Palace, according to Vanity Fair.
While this setup was certainly a change for the twins, they were able to maintain a sense
of normalcy.
For one thing, several teachers came to the palace to give in-person lessons, which supplemented
their online activities.
In addition, four of Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella's classmates were able to join them
for their home-schooling journey, ensuring that the twins had adequate social interaction.
Holding home school inside palace walls may seem rather intense, but that doesn't mean
that the twins don't have plenty of support.
In an interview with People, their father, Prince Albert, opened up about the ways that
he helped Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella with their at-home learning.
He revealed that he gave the kids plenty of homework help, even joking that the material
wasn't too hard for him.
Saying,
"They're not doing calculus or anything like that yet, which is what I'll have a little
problem with."
He even divulged the twins' favorite subjects — geography and science!
"First of all, you have to try to spend as much time as you can with them and to play
with them."
For Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, the month of December is full of festivities.
Not only do the twins celebrate their birthday on December 10, but they also have been known
to enjoy Christmas-related festivities, especially those related to gift-giving and Santa Claus.
As their mother, Princess Charlene, told Point de Vue, the young royals enjoy the ritual
of leaving out some treats for St. Nick and his helpers.
The princess revealed,
"[My children leave] a glass of milk and cookies for Santa Claus, water and grass for his reindeer".
While Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques have certainly enjoyed plenty of private Christmases
at the palace, they haven't kept their seasonal celebrations to themselves.
On the contrary, in recent years, the royal twins have made a point of spreading goodwill
during the holiday.
One tradition is Monaco's official gift-giving event, which takes place at the Court of Honor.
At this event, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella step into a Santa-like role and
hand out Christmas presents to the children of Rocher.
Through the program, any child who lives in Rocher can sign up to receive a gift, then
collect it at the event.
Some of the presents that the young royals distributed included dolls, backpacks, and
construction games, according to Histoires Royales.
In European royal households, it's typical for children to spend a lot of time away from
their parents.
In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II famously departed on a 58-day tour of Australia, leaving her
two toddlers at home in England.
In 1988, Sarah Ferguson traveled Down Under without her 6-week-old daughter, Princess Beatrice.
Interestingly, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella seem to be no exception.
In 2020, the twins' mother, Princess Charlene, was visiting South Africa when she was struck
with a severe ear, nose, and throat infection, according to Hello.
Her condition was so dire that she had to stay in the country for several months, undergoing
various surgeries.
Her children, meanwhile, remained in Monaco, where they celebrated their birthday in her absence.
As could be expected, this separation was extremely difficult for Jacques and Gabriella.
In an interview with Monaco Matin, Prince Albert admitted that his children have struggled
at times, saying,
"Of course they suffered from the absence of their mother.
But they had enough distractions and a family circle that made sure they didn't lack affection."
Even Prince Albert himself was committed to giving the twins extra attention during Princess
Charlene's absence, saying,
"For me, it's quite simple.
My priority is my family."
Although Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella have suffered due to their mother's absence,
they have not skipped their royal training.
Prince Albert told People that he doesn't want to pressure the twins into facing a whole
load of royal responsibilities all at once.
Instead, the proud papa said he wants to ease the children into performing their duties.
At this point, this means a lot of casual conversations about the topic.
Prince Albert shared,
"It's basically just explaining to them in the simplest terms what [royal duty] is all about.
We're not going to do a whole drilling process of explaining to them step-by-step what's
expected from them."
So far, it seems that Jacques and Gabriella have enjoyed performing their royal duties,
according to their mother.
Princess Charlene said in an interview with Monaco Matin,
"With my husband, when we have to go to an event, we explain to them what the nature
of this event, this ceremony is.
They like accompanying us, and with the prince, the four of us enjoy doing these together.
But as I said, they are still young.
They continue to observe, to learn, before it will become natural for them."