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Princess Charlene of Monaco’s “special gift” from Prince Albert has found a new home. The former Olympic swimmer has auctioned off the red Tesla Model S P85 that her husband gave her in 2015. The item, which Charlene held “very close to her heart,” was donated to The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa’s #StrongTogether Auction. JO Goodwin, owner of the Design Centre SARL in Monaco, is now the proud owner of the royal’s automobile. The vehicle features a gold plaque inside that reads: “Tesla S 85P Pre owned by H.S.H. Princess Charlene.”
“As supporters of the assiduous vision of Princess Charlene and incredible work of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, the Design Centre Monaco was delighted to participate in the #strongtogether auction,” JO said in a statement shared with HOLA! USA. “We were overjoyed to have placed the winning bid for Princess Charlene’s Tesla, a car which mirrors, in our opinion, what the Principality of Monaco and Design Centre stands for elegance, innovation and environmental responsibility. It is with pride that Princess Charlene’s car has been added to our business, giving us the perfect opportunity to support this wonderful cause.”
Charlene’s personal car as well as the bobsledding shoes that Prince Albert used to compete in the Olympics were being auctioned off to raise funds to benefit individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation. The global #StrongTogether campaign, which kicked off in May, has raised a significant amount of money for the vision of The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa. Dawie Crous, foundation director in South Africa, said, “We are absolutely blown away by the generosity of the thousands of people who participated in the campaign.”
“We simply cannot thank you enough for your contribution – from monetary to time served, to spreading our message of hope. Even though this is a big problem to solve, we certainly made a significant difference and put it forward,” he continued. “Let’s continue to unite in solidarity against this pandemic and drowning so that we can serve our mission.” Princess Charlene added, “Together, we will save lives – one person, one family, one community at a time.”
After a successful first stage of the #StrongTogether campaign, the foundation has assembled a new team with plans that will change and save many lives around the world. Princess Charlene launched her eponymous foundation in 2012 to save lives. “Every year, approximately 360 000 people lose their life to drowning. The tragedy is that over 90% of these deaths are in low and middle-income countries, and children under the age of five are at the highest risk. Each life lost changes a family forever – but many of these deaths are avoidable,” the South African-born royal said.
Come September, the 42-year-old Princess will be participating in The Crossing: Calvi - Monaco Water Bike Challenge to raise funds and awareness for her foundation that focuses on the fact that drowning is a preventable epidemic. On Tuesday, the mom of two shared a new video of herself training for the rigorous challenge, which will entail two teams of four internationally renowned athletes taking turns biking from Calvi in northwest Corsica to the Yacht Club de Monaco.
Earlier this month, Charlene raced water bikes with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who will be competing in the forthcoming challenge. At the time, the Irish fighter, nicknamed “The Notorious,” shared photos writing, “A Great day racing the water bikes with Princess Charlene of Monaco. A phenomenal athlete and Olympian, we are teaming up for a 180km voyage in September to raise awareness in water safety. I cannot wait!”