Princess Charlene and Prince Albert just shut down rumours about their relationship

Princess Charlene is one of the most talked-about women in the world, making headlines recently for her health issues, grounding her in South Africa for six months due to a "medical emergency".

The royal has now returned to royal duties, following an extended stay at a treatment facility outside of Monaco, but her long absence has prompted speculation around her relationship with husband Prince Albert.

This is something that the couple shut down recently, engaging in a very public PDA moment on their recent royal tour, kissing in front of cameras in Oslo, Norway.

"I still find it regrettable that certain media peddle such rumours about my life, my relationship," Princess Charlene announced this month, shutting down speculation of marital problems. "Like everyone else, we are human beings and like all human beings we have emotions, weaknesses, only our family is exposed to the media and the slightest weakness is relayed."

This is of course not the first time the couple's relationship has caused controversy, with reports resurfacing that Princess Charlene tried to escape three times before their 2011 wedding.

According to reports, Princess Charlene tried to leave Monaco multiple times in the run-up to their July wedding, but was stopped, with her third alleged escape attempt reportedly taking place two days before the nuptials.

While the couple did tie the knot in a lavish three-day wedding (apparently costing around £53 million), the press reported that Princess Charlene cried openly throughout the day.

There are even reports that the couple spent their wedding night in separate rooms, with Charlene’s guarded. And this week, reports resurfaced claiming that the couple spent their South Africa honeymoon at separate hotels, 10 miles from each other.

According to reports, Princess Charlene stayed at Umhlanga Rocks, a luxury beach resort, while Prince Albert is thought to have stayed at the Hilton Hotel in Durban.

A Monaco senior courtier was quick to confirm to the Daily Mail that this was due to work and "for practical reasons, it was better [for Prince Albert] to sleep there."

We will continue to update this story.