Princess Charlene lights up Monaco with platinum hair and rouge lipstick

Princess Charlene of Monaco looked effortlessly elegant as she joined her husband Prince Albert and their two children, twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques at a fabulous festive evening on Saturday.

Lighting up Monaco with her beautiful appearance, Princess Charlene looked divine in a houndstooth coat and slick leather heeled boots, adding black leather gloves to guard against the winter chill.

Layering with a black turtle neck jumper, the South African-born royal channelled simple elegance as she stepped out in her monochrome ensemble.

Princess Charlene appeared to have added more platinum blonde highlights to her honey-hued hair, pinning up her beautiful locks into a romantic bun. She added a berry-red lipstick and fluttery mascara to complete her look.

Sharing a series of photographs, the Palais Princier shared via Instagram [translated to English]: “On Saturday 30 November, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène, accompanied by Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, launched the end-of-year celebrations by lighting up the city, the Prince’s Palace and the Carabinieri barracks.

“The Princely Family then went to the Place du Casino to discover the 18 meter high tree and the five giant animated Christmas balls, decorations inspired by magical moments of Christmas.”

Royal fans were quick to react to the sweet family moment, with one writing: “Charlene is looking beautiful.”

“The wonderful and beautiful Princely family!” chimed in another fan, as a third wrote: “Charlene looks magnificent.”

Before she became royalty, Princess Charlene’s exposure to high fashion was minimal. The former Olympian, who grew up in Zimbabwe, told Tatler in 2010: “I was used to living in a swimsuit and totally clueless about fashion.”

Recalling the moment she was invited to the Monaco Ball as the guest of her now-husband, Prince Albert, she added: “The day of the ball, I had been playing volleyball all day on the beach and didn’t think about getting ready until late in the afternoon. I borrowed a green dress from a friend, fixed my hair myself and painted my nails red. I looked like a Christmas tree.”

Speaking of her journey into immaculate dressing, the royal added: “As I spend more time in Monaco, I have developed an understanding of fashion. But coming into myself has taken time. Because I’ve got broad shoulders, clean, simple, elegant lines suit me best.”