Princess Charlene has finally returned to Monaco after being stuck in South Africa for several months due to medical complications.

The Monegasque royal had visited her homeland in mid-May for a conservation trip, but could not return to Monaco after she contracted an ear, nose, and throat infection that restricted her from travelling. Sources told People magazine that she arrived in Nice in the south of France on Monday at 8:30 am local time after taking an overnight flight from Durban, South Africa.

Eyewitnesses said that the royal was wearing a mask as she deboarded her husband Prince Albert II's private plane, and was immediately helicoptered on to Monaco. There she would have been reunited with her husband and their six-year-old twin children Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.

During her time in South Africa, the royal not only battled with her medical condition, but also with rumours surrounding her marriage with Prince, as the trip came shortly after Albert was hit by a fresh paternity suit over a love child born in the early days of their relationship. Both she and Albert repeatedly denied the reports, with the Princess saying in an interview last month that she could not wait to see her children.

"I came to South Africa to oversee some foundation projects. I was unwell at the time. I had an infection which was addressed immediately. Unfortunately, it grounded me for some months here in South Africa," the former Olympic swimmer said.

Prince Albert also commented on the rumours that his wife of 10 years is looking for a permanent home in Johannesburg. The 63-year-old said, "She didn't leave Monaco in a huff! She didn't leave because she was mad at me or at anybody else. She was going down to South Africa to reassess her Foundation's work down there and to take a little time off with her brother and some friends."

"She didn't go into exile. It was absolutely just a medical problem which had to be treated," he reiterated.

The palace has not yet commented on the Princess's return to Monaco.

Princess Charlene
Princess Charlene of Monaco Getty Images