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Rugby fan Prince Albert II of Monaco made an appearance at the England v Japan match with Princess Akiko of Mikasa, while his wife Princess Charlene enjoys time with family in her native South Africa.
Albert, 65, appeared particularly engrossed in the sporting event at Stade de Nice, France.
The outing comes as Princess Charlene, 45, enjoys some time with her relatives in her native South Africa after putting to bed rumours that her marriage to Prince Albert was on the rocks.
Instead, Princess Akiko of Mikasa, 41, a member of the Imperial House of Japan, sat next to Albert.
The event saw England take on Japan during the second match of this year’s Rugby World Cup.
Prince Albert II of Monaco (pictured right) joined Princess Akiko of Mikasa (pictured left) at the Rugby World Cup yesterday
The Princess donned a Canterbury Japan home shirt, in support of her home team. Whereas Albert opted for more formal attire
The Princess recently told Monaco Matin she was ‘serene and happy’ after putting to bed rumours her marriage to Prince Albert was ‘ceremonial’
The Japanese royal donned a Canterbury Japan home shirt, in support of her home team.
Before Akiko’s quick change into her fan attire, she donned a smart tweed blazer for the occasion.
Albert, on the other hand, opted for formal attire with a crisp black suit, white shirt, and striped tie.
The royal pair engaged in light conversation during the match, and Akiko looked particularly animated during the conversation.
But they seemed to keep their eyes on the game for much of the time, which saw England’s victory 34-12 against Japan.
Albert is apparently occupying himself since his wife, Princess Charlene, 45, returned to South Africa for the first time since she suffered a horror illness and had to abandon her family.
The couple had been expected to travel to South Africa together to attend a ‘Learn to Swim’ charity event that included a Waterbike Challenge race.
But photos published on the Monaco Palace Instagram account on Sunday showed Charlene was again by herself in the Sun City resort, near Johannesburg, while her husband was seen swanning around a Prince Palace’s gallery.
The royal pair engaged in light conversation during the match, and Akiko looked particularly animated during the conversation
It comes after Albert’s wife, Princess Charlene, returned to South Africa once again without her husband
A Palace spokesman said: ‘Charlene was in Sun City on a Learn to Swim activities programme organised for around a hundred children from schools in the region’.
A source in Sun City told MailOnline: ‘It was certainly expected that Prince Albert would be here – everyone wanted to see the Royal couple together.
‘Sadly, the Prince seems to have stayed away for the moment but – who knows – he might turn up later.’
In 2021, the Princess last went back to South Africa to visit family but did not return to Monaco for 10 months. According to the palace, a sinus infection prevented her from being able to fly.
By March 2022, the Palace announced she had returned home to Monaco and was reunited with her family, but she was still in need of medical attention before she would make a full recovery. She then went to a clinic in Switzerland for further treatment.
After receiving treatment and returning to royal life, Charlene’s relationship with her husband of 12 years was put under intense scrutiny as rumours of a rift between the royal couple began to circulate.
Earlier this year, French publication ROYAUTÉ reported the couple were on the brink of divorce – rumours the Palace was forced to deny.
The rumour mill went into overdrive that same month when the mother-of-two was spotted out and about in Milan on a solo visit, without her wedding or engagement ring.
A spokesman for the royal couple issued a statement asking people to dismiss the reports, saying: ‘I would like to formally deny the malicious rumours peddled by the French magazine Royauté. Please disregard this article which is totally unfounded.’
In the months that followed, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene put on a united front and appeared together at several public outings, both with and without their children.
However, just last month, reports emerged in German and French media that Princess Charlene was actually ‘living in Switzerland’, only saw her husband ‘via appointment’ and that their marriage was ‘ceremonial’.
A source close to the couple told French newspaper Voici that the former Olympic swimmer and son of Grace Kelly are just a ‘ceremonial couple’.
It added that Charlene has promised to return to Monaco on official occasions and is now allowed to see her children more often.
‘Albert and Charlène are now good partners, take turns taking care of the children,’ a source added to Bild German newspaper.
With rumours swirling once again, the couple put on a united front and appeared at almost a dozen engagements in as many days last week – with each of the pair raking part in interviews to deny the rumours.
In her first interview for several months in the Monegasque media, the former Olympic swimmer, 45, hit back at the rumours of tension between the royal couple and insisted she is ‘serene and happy’.
She told Monaco Matin she is in ‘great shape’ and hopes to continue sport soon after regaining ‘more energy and feeling stronger’.
After a three-week family holiday to Corsica to ‘unwind’ before the start of school term, Charlene said she feels ‘serene and happy’.
The royal no longer wants to address the unfavourable rumours in the hope that they will eventually disappear.
Instead, she spoke to the publication in light of her eight-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, returning to school.
She suggested a united front and shared parenting goals with Albert when it comes to taking care of their children, revealing: ‘The first thing that seemed essential to me and my husband was to teach them to swim.’
Meanwhile Prince Albert told an Italian publication: ‘Charlène is always by my side. I don’t understand all these rumours which hurt me, about the fact that she lives elsewhere, in Switzerland, meetings by appointment to see us. These are lies.’
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