Fox News reports that Prince Albert said in an interview that his wife, 43, is seeking medical care after suffering “exhaustion, both emotional and physical.” He also denied speculation that the princess’s troubles are a result of alleged marital problems.

“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 in an interview with People on Friday.

“She was clearly exhausted, physically and emotionally. She was overwhelmed and couldn’t face official duties, life in general or even family life,” the prince added.

News of Princess Charlene’s treatment comes just days after it was confirmed she would be taking a temporary break from duties. She cancelled a scheduled appearance for Friday at Monaco’s National Day. This came after her recent return home to Monaco after spending six months in South Africa away from her family.

“Their Serene Highnesses have both decided that a period of calm and rest is necessary to ensure the very best recovery for Princess Charlene’s health,” read a statement from the palace. “Having battled with poor health over the past few months the Princess is currently convalescing and will continue to do so for the coming weeks, allowing her time to recover from a state of profound general fatigue. In order to protect the comfort and privacy essential to her recovery, the Princess’ location will remain strictly confidential.”

“Due to this situation, the Princely Couple regrets to announce that Princess Charlene will be unable to attend this year’s Fête Nationale (National Day) celebrations, alongside her family and the people of Monaco,” the statement continued. “As soon as her health permits, the Princess looks forward to once again carrying out her Princely duties and spending time with the Monegasques.”

“During this temporary period of rest the Princely Couple kindly requests that their privacy and family environment are well respected,” the statement shared. “Information on the Princess’ health will be communicated in due course ahead of the Christmas holidays.”

The mother of twins developed ear, nose and throat complications from a procedure in May that grounded her for the last six months in South Africa as she underwent several corrective surgeries.

On November 8, a spokesperson for the royal couple confirmed to Fox News that Charlene had arrived in France after an overnight flight from South Africa.

She was greeted by her husband, 63, as well as their twins and Albert’s younger sister, Princess Stephanie.

Albert said on Friday that his wife’s return “went pretty well in the first few hours, and then it became pretty evident that she was unwell.”

In late June, Charlene announced she was being forced to miss her 10th anniversary with Albert due to additional surgery required. It didn’t take long for the separation to spark rumours of an impending split.

Those rumours intensified when Albert attended the Tokyo Olympics solo. The prince is a member of the International Olympic Committee and Charlene is also a former Olympic swimmer.

Regarding the rumours, Albert told People magazine in September he was “appalled” by the gossip, noting that Charlene was “ready to stow away on a ship to come back to Europe” if necessary.

The celebrated athlete married the prince on July 1, 2011. The wedding was a spectacle, costing an estimated $70 million for the four-day event. They welcomed twins in 2014.

Their planned public anniversary celebration was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This article was originally published on Fox News and is republished here with permission