Princess Charlene of Monaco and her children have pulled out of an official trip to Japan due to ‘current events’ in the Middle East.

Charlene, 47, Princess Gabriella, and Prince Jacques, both ten, were expected to fly to Japan this week for World Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, an event sharing technologies to improve future societies. 

The palace said today via Hola: ‘In light of current events taking place in the Middle East, this has led to the decision that H.S.H. Princess Charlene and the Princely children would not be participating in this trip.’

However, 67-year-old Prince Albert will still carry out the planned engagements in Japan.

Instead of travelling with his immediate family, Albert will be joined by his younger sister, Princess Stephanie, and her children, Louis Ducruet, Pauline Ducruet and Camille Gottlieb, and her daughter in-law Marie Ducruet.

In the statement, Princess Charlene expressed her gratitude: ‘H.S.H. Princess Charlene wishes to express her sincere thanks to the teams of the Monaco Pavilion, as well as to the partners and hosts who were to welcome her in Japan, for their understanding and ongoing commitment.’ 

The royal’s activities will commence on June 27 with a charity football match titled ‘United through Legends’ at Panasonic Stadium Suita in Osaka. 

Elsewhere, Albert is expected to attend an official luncheon and enjoy an orchestra concert.

Princess Charlene of Monaco has pulled out of an official trip to Japan with her husband Prince Albert (seen in Monaco in June)

Princess Charlene has kept a relatively low profile in recent months, only stepping out for a handful of public engagements alongside her husband.

However, last week Charlene put on a united front with Prince Albert at the Monte Carlo Television Festival – amid allegations that her husband had a ‘discreet bachelor pad’ set up shortly after they wed.

The royal mother-of-two, channelled her late-mother-in-law Grace Kelly as she stepped out in a sky blue halter neck ball gown that elegantly fell to the floor paired with silver heels, oozing old Hollywood glamour.

Sporting dazzling diamond earrings and a glamorous 20s style flapper girl crimped bob, the former Olympic swimmer appeared to be enjoying the spotlight as she strutted into the prestigious event arm-in-arm with her husband of 14 years, Prince Albert.

The pair beamed as they made their way onto the blue carpet and posed alongside stars such as, Famke Janssen, Robin Wright and Judith Light at the 64th international Television Festival.

Charlene and Albert put on a display of unity as palace sources claim the Princess is seeking solace in Brigitte Macron following explosive claims made by Claude Palmero, the Palace’s former money man.

French newspaper Le Monde published excerpts from a police interview with 68-year-old Palmero, former financial adviser to the Palace of Monaco, who was arrested by Monegasque officials last September and released without charge.

Included in Palmero’s statements were claims he had prepared a ‘bachelor pad’ for Prince Albert in 2012 – a year after he married Charlene.

Charlene and her twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques have decided against travelling to Japan amid ‘current events’ in the Middle East (seen together with Albert during army parade in November, 2024)

Pictured: Monaco’s Royal Family waiting for the arrival of France’s President for a two-day state visit at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco earlier this month 

The Prince’s former confidant claimed he had been ‘commissioned’ to find his boss ‘a discreet pied-á-terre in complete confidentiality’.

In 2017, he was also allegedly asked to ‘make sure the property was ready’ for the Prince to go there. Palmero also claimed that Albert had listed him as the official tenant to conceal his true motives.

Palmero, 68, looked after the family’s money, including their investments, properties and the main palace, from 2001 to 2023, just as his father, André, had done for Prince Rainier III of Monaco two decades before him.

However, he was sacked by Albert in 2023 after being targeted by a mysterious anti-corruption website. A few months later, French newspaper Le Monde published Palmero’s ‘secret notebooks’, which claimed to detail reckless spending by the Royal Family, with a particular spotlight on Charlene.

In light of the explosive claims, the Mail’s Alison Boshoff reported that Princess Charlene has been seeking solace in Brigitte Macron, wife of French president Emmanuel.

‘Both are high profile women who are regularly caught up in unpleasant situations,’ a senior Palace source in Monte Carlo told the Mail.

‘They accordingly had much to discuss, and were very glad to be able to share their experiences. They gave each other advice, while enjoying a very happy time together.’

The pair were recently seen cosying up to each other at the start of the month during a visit to the Albert II Nautical Centre for an event organised by the Princess Charlene Foundation.

Princess Charlene continues to be thrust into the spotlight following claims her husband Prince Albert was seeking out a bachelor pad just months after their wedding in 2011 (seen in Monaco earlier this month)

They have also enjoyed a spot of tea in the gardens of the royal palace in Monaco and lunched together at the Colombe D’Or restaurant in France over the past couple of months, echoing their close-knit friendship.

Both women are in sizable age gap relationships, as Charlene is 20 years younger than Albert, and Emmanuel is 25 years Brigitte’s junior.

Brigitte hit headlines after she was caught on camera pushing Emmanuel in the face at the end of a flight on a private jet last month. 

The images reverberated around the world, however the French politician explained that they were ‘just joking around as we do’.