Princess Charlene’s palace home looks so different in tribute to family heartbreak

Princess Charlene’s Monaco home looked dramatically different over the weekend as the Prince’s Palace was illuminated in brilliant blue to mark World Drowning Prevention Day.

The official Instagram account of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco shared a series of striking nighttime photographs showing the royal residence glowing against the dark sky, with the caption: “Illumination of the Prince’s Palace in blue on the occasion of World Drowning Prevention Day.”

The dramatic display transformed the centuries-old palace, with its stone towers and grand façade bathed in vivid blue light while members of the Carabiniers du Prince stood guard outside.

The annual tribute comes after Princess Charlene revealed why the campaign against drowning has become one of the defining causes of her royal life.

The heartbreaking loss behind Charlene’s mission

Although the former Olympic swimmer founded the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation in 2012 to prevent drownings and promote children’s education through sport, she only recently disclosed the deeply personal reason behind her commitment.

In a candid interview with Ouest-France, Charlene shared that, as a child, she lost her five-year-old cousin Richard, who drowned in a river near her uncle’s home. “It’s an issue that affects me deeply, not just as a swimmer,” she explained.

“As a child, my cousin Richard drowned in a river very close to my uncle’s house. He was only five years old. It was devastating. I don’t think that pain will ever go away.”

The Princess said the tragedy taught her that every drowning affects far more than the victim. “Behind every victim, there is not only a life lost but also a devastated family,” she explained, adding that water “must remain a place of joy, not of mourning.”

A second tragedy reinforced her determination

Charlene also recalled another heartbreaking loss that strengthened her resolve.

In 2018, the 19-month-old daughter of close friends drowned after wandering into a neighbour’s garden and falling into a swimming pool. “The little girl often wandered into the neighbours’ garden, and that fateful day she must have fallen into the pool,” Charlene previously told Point de Vue.

“When they found her, it was already too late. Nothing could bring their baby back to life, and I can’t even imagine the pain they both felt in that moment.”

© Vanessa von Zitzewitz

Teaching Jacques and Gabriella to love the water

Since welcoming Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, Charlene has made water safety a priority at home.

The royal has previously revealed that she wanted her twins to develop a natural confidence in the water from an early age, giving them what she describes as both “freedom and safety.”

The pair learned to swim while they were very young and have since taken beginner diving and water rescue courses at Monaco’s naval academy. They also participated in the Seadventures Summer Camp, where they proudly earned medals.

© Media24/Gallo Images

More than a decade of dedication

For more than a decade, Princess Charlene has worked through her foundation to ensure children around the world have access to swimming lessons and water safety education.

Believing that swimming is “a fundamental right” rather than a privilege, the foundation funds free swimming lessons, lifeguard training, school programmes and educational campaigns in partnership with schools, sports clubs and community organisations.