Prince Albert wanted a secret love nest within six months of his wedding

The extravagant dissolute life Prince Albert II of Monaco continues to bolster arguments of those who think that hereditary monarchies should not be allowed to exist in the st century New revelations emerged this week in the French and British media saying that Albert the billionaire playboy leader of the tiny Mediterranean city-state directed his top adviser Claude Palmero to arrange lavish housing for his mistresses and to manage secret offshore investments In interviews with police assessing Monacogate Palmero also revealed that Albert directed him to find a secret pied- -terre within six months of his wedding to his long-troubled wife Princess Charlene according to a review first detailed in Le Monde The Daily Mail mentioned that the French media assumed that the bachelor pad would be used for the portly prince s sexual assignments with Albert reportedly asking Palmero in to make sure his bachelor pad was ready because he was preparing to go there according to the Daily Mail MONACO - JULY Princess Charlene of Monaco and Prince Albert II of Monaco leave the religious ceremony of the Royal Wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco to Princess Charlene of Monaco at the Prince's Palace on July in Monaco The Roman-Catholic ceremony follows the civil wedding which was held in the Throne Room of the Prince's Palace of Monaco on July With her marriage to the head of state of Principality of Monaco Charlene Wittstock has become Princess consort of Monaco and gain the title Princess Charlene of Monaco Celebrations including concerts and firework displays are being held across several days attended by a guest list of global celebrities and heads of state Photo by Dan Kitwood Getty Images He trusted me Whom could he have approached with such requests other than me Palmero advised police according to the Times U K An accountant Palmero managed Albert s estimated billion private fortune as well as assets owned by the House of Grimaldi the family that has ruled Monaco since the th century and are among Europe s glitziest royals For Albert personally Palmero arranged for the purchase of an million apartment in Knightsbridge a posh district of London to house Nicole Coste a former airline stewardess with whom Albert fathered a son before he was married the Times communicated Palmero explained he also arranged for money to be supplied to Tamara Rotolo a New York estate agent with whom the prince had a daughter in Palmero noted he set up the trust funds for Albert s mistresses and their children so that Charlene wouldn t find out about them He also was involved in the destruction of compromising photos of the prince and helped him and his sisters Caroline and Stephanie hide their wealth in offshore Panamanian bank accounts the Daily Mail announced In a curious twist of irony Albert brought all this scrutiny on himself according to Le Monde Palmero had long been Albert s trusted right-hand man But the prince fired Palmero in and filed criminal complaints against him alleging breach of trust embezzlement forgery and money laundering In response Palmero opened up to police during multiple rounds of questioning By launching such proceedings Albert opened a Pandora s box Le Monde communicated The man who had stood by his side for years knew all the princely family s secrets especially those regarding the financial assets he managed Other family secrets made it into the media last year courtesy of secret notebooks that Palmero maintained and excerpts of which were published in Le Monde and Lib ration another French newspaper Palmero also spoke to Le Monde explaining This whole affair revolves around the corruption I d been denouncing with increasing force for years The Guardian released last year that Palmero s claims were shocking even to people accustomed to the lifestyles of the super-rich in Monaco which occupies just acres along the French Riviera The notebooks also reportedly described how Albert gave his much-younger wife Charlene a generous allowance of million a year lending credence to rumors that he paid her to stay married to him But even with that allowance Charlene routinely overspent according to news accounts Palmero s disclosures about Albert and Charlene s finances represent the latest twist in the couple s rollercoaster marriage Back in a French gossip magazine alleged that Albert paid Charlene million to stay with him Albert is the oldest child and only son of the late Prince Rainier II and his American wife Princess Grace who was better known as the radiant s Hollywood star Grace Kelly He s a distant cousin of Britain s King Charles III and Prince William and Prince Harry Before marrying Charlene in Albert s playboy reputation grew over his scandalous affairs including with a German topless model and multiple other women Charlene is a former swimming champion who represented South Africa at the Olympics That s the year she met Albert They didn t go citizens as a couple until then became engaged in and married in in a lavish million celebration that was considered Monaco s biggest party in years the Daily Mirror revealed MONACO - JULY Princess Charlene of Monaco wipes away a tear as she and Prince Albert II of Monaco leave Sainte Devote church after their religious wedding ceremony at the Prince's Palace of Monaco on July in Monaco The Roman-Catholic ceremony followed the civil wedding which was held in the Throne Room of the Prince's Palace of Monaco on July With her marriage to the head of state of the Principality of Monaco Charlene Wittstock has become Princess consort of Monaco and gains the title Princess Charlene of Monaco Celebrations including concerts and firework displays are being held across several days attended by a guest list of global celebrities and heads of state Photo by Gareth Cattermole Getty Images Three years after marrying Albert Charlene gave birth to twins Jacques and Gabriella But the communicated unhappiness in their relationship continued and has long been the subject of fascination the Daily Beast has disclosed Charlene allegedly tried to flee Monaco three times before the wedding at one point seeking sanctuary in South Africa s embassy in Paris She also wept openly on her wedding day Since then Charlene has reportedly struggled to adjust to her new life in Monaco complaining that she was subject to jealousy from the local high society Charlene was absent from Monaco for much of and early staying first in South Africa and then at a clinic in Switzerland recovering from what Page Six and other outlets stated was a long illness and exhaustion Since her return to royal duties Charlene has made an effort to play the role of royal consort according to the Daily Mail She performed admirably during the latest state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Yet Monaco s royal family still faces dark times amid the Palermo affair Le Monde stated