Princess Charlene of Monaco has grown into her role as a royal, according to her husband Prince Albert.
The 39-year-old former Olympian married the Prince in 2011 and he has heaped praise on his wife, saying she has grown into the role as time has passed.
He said: "It’s more an ongoing process, getting her more familiarised with the people of Monaco, the institutional side, to give her a better understanding of how things work.
"In the past, I haven’t always had as much time as I’d like to devote to that because I’ve been travelling and she has work with her foundation, and I didn’t want to throw too much at her at once.
"I know that it was an issue. People felt they didn’t see enough of her in Monaco. And she wants to and will do more of that, but she’s wanted to be as involved as she can in raising the children."
Prince Albert also opened up about his family Christmas, which he spent with his wife and their two children, two-year-old twins Princess Gabriella and Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco.
He told PEOPLE: "Christmas was great. The kids got a bunch of different toys – puzzles, a Playmobil house. I assembled that myself with help from my brother-in-law Sean. We screwed a few bolts in. It was great. Fun times."
Back in 2015, Prince Albert admitted to underestimating his wife – and he still stands by his original statement.
He explained: "I’ve learned she has an incredible resilience. And pace. Husbands and wives sometimes rediscover one another’s qualities, and she has good judgement. She has excellent judgement in people. If she trusts somebody, there’s reason.
"She can also be a little more harsh than I am. But she often turns out to be right. She gets a good first impression of people. I’m more likely to give someone a second chance, or say, ‘Let’s wait and see …’"
Princess Charlene of Monaco ‘has grown into her role’
