Royal stepparents! Princess Charlene, Princess Beatrice & more blended families

Princess Charlene of Monaco shares twin children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella with her husband Prince Albert, but she became a stepmother years before welcoming her own kids. 

Albert is a father to two children from previous relationships: he shares a daughter called Jazmin, born in 1992, with American waitress Tamara Rotola, and son Alexandre, born in 2003 to Air France flight attendant Nicole Coste.

Albert took paternity tests to confirm the parentage of both. He has been pictured with Jazmin at the 2020 Hollywood For The Global Ocean Gala, while Nicole spoke warmly of his relationship with Alexandre in an interview with Paris-Match in 2021.

"As for Jacques and Gabriella, they are still small; Alexander happily plays with them when he sees them," she said.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway married Crown Prince Haakon in August 2001 at Oslo Cathedral. At the time, she was already a mother to her son, Marius Borg Høiby, from her previous relationship with advertising executive Morten Borg.

Marius' two half-siblings Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus are both heirs to the Norwegian throne.

Mette-Marit's eldest son has hit the headlines recently after being charged with two counts of rape without sexual intercourse, which he has denied, and violence in close relationships, damage, threats, and breaching two restraining orders.

Showing his support, stepfather Haakon told Norwegian broadcaster NRK: "As a family and as parents, we have wanted Marius to receive help and we have been working for a long time to get him to a place where he can receive more help. It is something we give a lot of priority to. It must be done within the framework established by the legal system".

The royal's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi has a son named Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, from his previous relationship with American architect Dara Huang.

The eight-year-old played a huge role in their 2021 royal wedding by acting as his father's best man and pageboy. The wedding, which was held at All Saints Chapel in Great Windsor Park on 17 July, is said to have had around 20 guests.

Speaking of co-parenting with Wolfie's stepmother Beatrice, Dara told Harper's Bazaar: "Wolfie has had two sets of parents trying to help him on both sides, and I just think, "The more, the merrier."

"I feel lucky to have such positive people around him, who really embrace him – because it didn’t have to be so easy." 

Beatrice and Edoardo are also parents to daughter Sienna and they are pregnant with their second child.

After King Charles tied the knot with Queen Camilla in 2005, the royal became a stepfather to her children Laura Lopes and Tom Parker Bowles from her marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles. 

There's no denying that the family share a strong bond as Laura was among the guests at Prince William and Princess Kate's wedding in 2011. Her daughter Eliza even had a starring role at the royal wedding, as one of the bridesmaids, and joined the royals on the balcony at Buckingham Palace after the ceremony.

Like Charles, Queen Camilla became a stepparent in 2005. The mother-of-two has developed a good relationship with Prince William and Prince Harry, however, it was not always smooth sailing.

The Duke of Sussex originally referred to Camilla as his "wicked stepmother" in his memoir Spare, before confessing that after their wedding, he "recognised that [Charles] was finally going to be with the woman he loved, the woman he’d always loved."

During an interview for his 21st birthday in September 2005, he was far more complimentary and confirmed the "wicked stepmother" label was incorrect, stating both he and William "love her to bits".

"She's a wonderful woman and she's made our father very, very happy, which is the most important thing," he said.

Princess Marie, who is married to Prince Joachim of Denmark, has two children called Prince Henrik and Princess Athena, as well as two stepchildren, Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, from Joachim's first marriage to Alexandra, the Countess of Frederiksborg.

Princess Caroline married her third husband Prince Ernst August of Hanover in 1999, making her a stepmother to his two children: Prince Ernst August and Prince Christian.

Meanwhile, Caroline shares Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre with her ex-husband Stefano Casiraghi. Together, Princess Caroline and Prince Ernst are parents to Princess Alexandra.

King Hussein of Jordan was a father to eight children before marrying Queen Noor in 1978. 

Hussein shares Princess Alia with his first wife Princess Dina, and King Abdullah II, Prince Faisal, Princess Aisha and Princess Zein with his second wife Princess Muna. Hussein and his third wife Queen Alia welcomed Princess Haya, Prince Ali, and adopted son Abir Muhaisen.

King Hussein and Queen Noor are also parents to four children together: Prince Hamzah, Prince Hashim, Princess Iman, and Princess Raiyah.