AceShowbiz - Princess Charlene of Monaco's health issue was reportedly more serious than husband Prince Albert made out to be. Rumor has it, the former Olympic swimmer nearly lost her life in South Africa as she struggled with a mystery illness.

The royal underwent multiple surgeries in South Africa. She allegedly suffered an ear, nose, and throat infection which prompted "severe sinus and swallowing issues" as well as a worrying weight loss.

"She has not been able to eat solid food in over six months because of all the surgeries she has since gone through," a source told PageSix. "She has only been able to take in liquids through a straw, so she lost nearly half her body weight."

"It is unfair that she is being portrayed as having some kind of mental or emotional issue," the insider said. "We don't know why the palace is downplaying that she almost died in South Africa."

Prince Albert previously said his wife checked into a treatment facility outside the principality, claiming she suffered from profound "exhaustion, both emotional and physical" that kept her stranded in her native South Africa for six months.

He dismissed marriage trouble rumors, "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."

Charlene's health woes came after she was accused of moving her biracial stepson Alexandre into the maid quarters before her royal wedding in 2011.

"She changed my son's room, taking advantage of his father's absence to put him in the employee wing," the boy's mother Nicole Coste told the press. "As a mother, I cannot find words to describe these actions."

Prince Albert was furious at Nicole for going public with the drama. "It was inappropriate. I was furious to discover that," he said. "I obviously did not know what she was going to publish. She had just informed me that she was going to release something. I thought it would just be a birthday photo."

Albert met Nicole while she was working as a flight attendant in 1997. She gave birth to Alexandre in 2003. Albert formally recognized Alexandre in 2005 after a picture of his holding the boy in his arms leaked.