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Princess Charlene of Monaco with hair in updo close up© Getty

Princess Charlene is unrecognisable in unearthed photo with wet-look hair and vampy makeup

Prince Albert's wife looked like a movie star in this ultra-trendy hue

Katie Daly
Lifestyle Writer
March 5, 2024
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Princess Charlene has become known for her quiet luxury look in recent years. But the Zimbabwean-born Monagasque royal, 46, didn't always sport a slick pixie cut and chic knitwear.

The Princess has been known to arrive at glamorous evening events in her best, not least at the annual Monaco National Day Gala Concert at the Grimaldi Forum. But it was her look from 2011 that will have you questioning whether Charlene was a royal or a movie star. 

Princess in taupe dress with albert © Getty
Princess Charlene wore trendy taupe with an elegant silhouette

The royal was seen in an unearthed throwback photo alongside her husband Prince Albert, 65, looking sensational wearing a cool-toned brown velvet dress that oozed glitz. Charlene's dress featured a boatneck neckline with a dramatic panel of fabric that swooped around her neck and down her back. 

Princess Charlene arrives at gala in taupe dress© Getty
Princess Charlene arrived at the Monaco National Day Gala at Grimaldi Forum in 2011 looking radiant

The garment skimmed Charlene's statuesque figure with elegance and featured a thigh-split. Charlene paired the structured one-sleeve gown with a pair of matching velvet heels with a platformed pointed-toe and held a coordinating taupe clutch in her perfectly manicured hands.

Charlene with wet look hair next to albert© Getty
Charlene's wet look hair was a far cry from her usual sleek look

The most unexpected element of the royal's look was her beauty look. Charlene rocked a milky complexion with a deep vampy eyeshadow look in plum tones with plenty of shimmer that was blended the whole way around her eye.

Princess in asymmetrical dress with albert on red carpet© Getty
Princess Charlene looked so elegant in this asymmetrical dress

The look emphasized her eyes as her platinum blonde eyebrows were left natural, blending into the skin for a high-fashion bleached look. Completing her makeup look was an icy pink glossy lip.

Princess Charlene with vampy makeup look© Getty
Princess Charlene rocked a vampy makeup look

Her hairstyle was similarly Avant-Garde. Charlene wowed in a wet-look style with a quiff at the front and the rest of her hair slicked to her head. A low bun sat at the nape of her neck. Rounding off the look were matching diamond ear cuffs.

Charlene in an ombre look in 2010 with albert© Getty
Charlene wowed in an ombre look in 2010

Charlene also looked unrecognisable compared to her look nowadays when she stepped out for the event the year prior. She decided chocolate brown was the order of the day once again when she chose an ombre look that went from ivory to deep brown in a sequinned gradient.

Princess Charlene in ivory dress with albert © Getty
Princess Charlene's 2012 look was so different from her grungy 2011 look

Prince Albert's wife added tulle around her arms to add an extra element of interest to the mermaid-style dress and wore her long hair in an updo that seemed to take inspiration from 1940s victory rolls. 

Princess Charlene in white dress with red sash© Getty
Princess Charlene's 2012 look was a style she could rock now

Meanwhile, the year after Charlene switched up her look once again in an ensemble that was more akin to what we see the Princess in today. The mother-of-two exuded elegance in an off-white floor-length gown in a straight cut that featured a plunging V-shape at the back and a round neckline.

Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene of Monaco in red arrrive at a Gala © Getty
Princess Charlene was ravishing in ruby red

DISCOVER: Brunette Princess Charlene was absolute hair goals - and looked so different 

Over the top, Charlene wore an unexpected off-white crocheted longline jacket with a collar and styled her dress with a pair of suede stone-hued heels, neutral leather gloves, and a red lip. By this time the royal had cut off her hair into her pixie cut that characterizes her look today.

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