Prince Albert of Monaco’s former mistress and mother of his love child attends SAME glitzy gala as the royal and his wife Princess Charlene

• READ MORE: Princess Charlene of Monaco exudes glamour in a bridal-inspired gown as she attends ball with husband Prince Albert

Prince Albert of Monaco’s former mistress and mother of his love child attended the same glitzy gala over the weekend as the royal and his wife Princess Charlene.

Nicole Coste, 50, commanded attention in a scarlet figure-hugging gown as she stepped out at the 74th annual Red Cross ball on Saturday night.

The Air France air hostess turned fashion designer is regularly spotted at the glamorous yearly occasion held by the charitable organisation that was founded in 1948 by Albert’s great-grandfather Prince Louis II of Monaco.

This year, Princess Charlene, 45, also attended the event, making her first appearance in over a month as she joined her husband at the world-renowned gala.

The former Olympic swimmer, 45, exuded glamour alongside her husband, 65, in a white gown which featured a cinched waist and long sheer sleeves while at the Sporting Club Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo. 

Nicole Coste, 50, commanded attention in a scarlet figure-hugging gown as she stepped out at the 74th annual Red Cross ball on Saturday night

Nicole – who gave birth to Alexandre Grimaldi-Coste in August 2003, two years before Albert, then heir to the Monegasque throne, started dating Charlene – teamed her elegant floor-length number with a dazzling diamond ring and a cream handbag.

Nicole and Albert had dated for five years and the Togo-born beauty had made public appearances with her royal beau and met his father, Rainier III.

But Alexandre’s existence was only made public in May 2005 when Nicole gave an explosive tell-all interview to French magazine Paris Match, claiming her then two-year-old son was Albert’s.

Two months later, shortly before he was enthroned, Albert confirmed he had fathered Alexandre. The following year he also admitted he had a daughter Jazmin Grimaldi, now 31, born to American Tamara Rotolo in 1992. He shares two legitimate children, twins Jacques and Gabriella, eight, with his wife Charlene.

In the almost two decades since the 2005 interview, Nicole has raised Alexandre and his older half-brothers in Geneva, London and New York, and chosen to stay largely out of the spotlight.

However she is now firmly back in the public eye with her glamorous appearance at the Red Cross ball.

She gave a rare interview in September 2021 in which she spoke about Albert’s parenting and involvement in their teenage son’s life, before hinting at tension with Princess Charlene.

However Albert later revealed how enraged he was by the comments in an interview with Point du Vue, saying: ‘She had just informed me that she was going to release something, I thought it would be just a birthday photo. It was inappropriate, I was furious to find that out.’

This year, Princess Charlene, 45, also attended the event, making her first appearance in over a month as she joined her husband (pictured together) at the world-renowned gala 

The Air France air hostess turned fashion designer is regularly spotted at the glamorous yearly occasion held by the charitable organisation that was founded in 1948 by Albert’s great-grandfather Prince Louis II of Monaco

Nicole and Albert (pictured in 2002) had dated for five years and the Togo-born beauty had made public appearances with her royal beau and met his father, Rainier III 

Speaking to Paris Match, Nicole explained Albert has been a constant presence in his son’s life, despite reports to the contrary, and had been involved in everything from his education to his birthday parties. 

‘Albert made a commitment from the start to be present, and to gradually bring his son into his family,’ she said, in an interview translated from French. She added that Albert ‘has honoured his promise’.

Nicole did not rule out the possibility of her son playing a role in the ‘future of Monaco’, saying it was up to his father to decide.

The mother-of-three hinted at a tension with Charlene, claiming the royal had made her son feel unwelcome during the early days of her relationship with Albert.

‘As for Charlene, this is a subject that I cannot avoid because we are often put in parallel. I don’t like being compared. I never advertised myself as an enemy. I am a gentle woman,’ she said.

‘Given our respective ties to the prince, we should have made sure to support each other cordially. In our situation, diplomacy had to prevail. But during the engagement period, I experienced things that alerted and shocked me. 

‘For example, she changed my son’s room, taking advantage of his father’s absence to move him to the employee wing. As a mother, I cannot find words to describe these actions.’

However she insisted Alexandre has a good relationship with his younger half-brother Jacques, who is heir to the throne, and half-sister Gabriella, saying he ‘happily plays with them when he sees them’. 

Princess Charlene of Monaco looked chic as she attended the 74th annual Red Cross ball

The royal, 45, exuded glamour alongside her husband Prince Albert on Saturday at the Sporting Club Salle des Etoiles in Monaco

The 45-year-old mother-of-two sparkled in a white gown which featured a cinched waist and long sheer sleeves

Nicole met Albert in the late 1990s, shortly before he first crossed paths with Charlene at the 2000 Mare Nostrum swimming competition in Monte Carlo.    

Nicole, whose father was a merchant in Togo, West Africa, admitted she was excited and flattered by the attention.

Indeed, Nicole had already demonstrated her mettle when she left Africa at just 15. One of five children, she was determined to make a better life for herself and so travelled to Paris to study. 

Their liaison became the best-kept secret among Monaco society. 

Although they both attended red carpet events and mixed with socialites and celebrities, the majority of Albert’s subjects knew nothing of the relationship.

However their initial passion waned and the relationship petered out. But in its final days, Nicole discovered she was pregnant. 

Nicole gave birth to Alexandre in August 2003 and in December that year Alexandre was officially recognised by Albert as his son, Nicole told Paris Match. 

She kept a low profile for almost two years before going to the press with her story in May 2005, a month after the death of Albert’s father, Rainier III. 

The royal couple were also joined by prince Alberts niece Camille Gottlieb (right) who wowed in a purple gown

The princess elevated her ensemble with dramatic diamond earrings and a chic white clutch bag

Charlene carried a bouquet of blue, white and yellow flowers which matched her ensemble 

Speaking in September 2021, Nicole says she spoke out because there had been an issue with obtaining the documentation proving Albert had recognised Alexandre as his son, which she wanted to rectify. 

On 6 July 2005, less than a week before he was enthroned on 12 July, the Prince officially confirmed via his lawyer that Alexandre was his. The following year he confirmed he was also father to a daughter, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, who was born out of wedlock in 1992. 

Meanwhile, Charlene sparked curiosity earlier this month when she was absent from Wimbledon meaning she had been missing from the public eye for around three weeks.

Albert was snapped at the tennis tournament alongside Charlene’s closest confidante Melanie-Antoinette Costello de Massy. 

The assistant is considered a source of ‘fundamental support’ to the Royal Family of Monaco, according to Vanity Fair Spain.

The 38-year-old, who is the daughter of Prince Albert’s cousin Elizabeth, is understood to have been by Charlene’s side during her recent return to the spotlight after a period of illness and treatment for ‘exhaustion’.

In January, Charlene appeared relaxed as she attended a Mass service with Melanie-Antoinette.

And the first cousin of Prince Albert II once removed was pictured at his side during engagements throughout 2021, at which time Charlene was abroad receiving medical treatment.

She has accompanied him for events going as far back as the 2010s. It would seem that she has taken over the role played by her mother Elizabeth, who was herself a key confidante.

This is despite a complicated family history, including rumours that Melanie-Antoinette’s late grandmother Antoinette de Monaco, Baroness de Massy hatched a plan to remove her brother Prince Rainier – Prince Albert’s father – from the throne through vicious rumours that he couldn’t provide an heir.

Melanie-Antoinette was once again at Prince Albert’s side at Wimbledon – a fact which only served to highlight Princess Charlene’s absence.

Charlene was notably silent on social media when the couple celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary on July 1.

There have been years of speculation about Charlene’s well-being and her relationship with Prince Albert.

They have been hit with split rumours on multiple occasions, including earlier this year, when French magazine ROYAUTÉ claimed the couple was in the process of separation.

However, the palace was quick to hit back and deny the claims.

A spokesperson said: ‘I would like to formally deny the malicious rumours peddled by the French magazine Royauté. Please disregard this article which is totally unfounded.’

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