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Princess Charlene 'almost died' after surgery: 'Lost half her body weight'
Princess Charlene of Monaco "almost died" after having surgery to address swallowing issues following a severe throat infection, according to sources close to the royal.
The 43-year-old's health has been under question since her husband Prince Albert of Monaco, 64, revealed she had been admitted to a "treatment facility" where she will remain for "at least several weeks".
The royal claimed it became "evident she was unwell" within hours of her return to Monaco following 10 months in South Africa.
Now, a source has told Page Six that the extent of the Princess' health complications is being "downplayed", saying the mother-of-two has lost "half of her body weight".
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Speaking to the publication, the insider, who claimed to be a friend of Charlene's, said, "It is unfair that she is being portrayed as having some kind of mental or emotional issue.
"We don't know why the palace is downplaying that she almost died in South Africa."
They explained that Charlene had a severe ear, nose and throat infection, resulting in "severe sinus and swallowing issues stemming back from an earlier surgery".
"She has not been able to eat solid food in over six months because of all the surgeries she has since gone through. She has only been able to take in liquids through a straw, so she lost nearly half her body weight."
Charlene returned home to Albert and twins Jacques and Gabriella this month with her sister-in-law Chantell Wittstock telling MailOnline the princess may not be returning to the palace and did not plan to return to public engagements, but later retracted her statement.
Speaking of the family reunion with People, Albert said it went "pretty well" in the first few hours, but it became "pretty evident" that Charlene was "unwell".
He added that the Princess "realised she needed help", adding, "She was overwhelmed and couldn't face official duties, life in general or even family life."
Albert then shared, "I'm probably going to say this several times, but this has nothing to do with our relationship. I want to make that very clear. These are not problems within our relationship; not with the relationship between a husband and wife. It's of a different nature.
He said the nature of her health was "private", adding, "She hadn't slept well in a number of days and she wasn't eating at all well. She has lost a lot of weight, which made her vulnerable to other potential ailments. A cold or the flu or God help us, COVID."
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