Look who's turned up: Mother of Prince Albert's illegitimate son spotted strolling through Monaco... a day before he gets married"
With impeccable timing, this is the former air hostess who had an illegitimate child with Prince Albert... pictured walking through Monaco just a day before his wedding.Nicole Coste, 39, originally from Togo, gave birth to her son Alexandre in August 2003 after an affair with Prince Albert.
At the time, lawyers for the prince denied he was the father but DNA testing later proved his paternity and he admitted Alexandre was his son.
Oblivious to the storm? Nicole Coste, the mother of Prince Albert's illegitimate son Alexandre, calmly walks through Monaco a day before her former lover's wedding to Charlene Wittstock
Ms Coste's appearance could not come at a worse time after reports that Prince Albert's fiancee Charlene Wittstock had her passport confiscated after trying to catch a flight from Nice airport following rumours he had fathered a third child out of wedlock.
French magazine L'Express had claimed the former Olympic swimmer was trying to flee to her native South Africa and had a one-way ticket, but was prevented from boarding the flight so Prince Albert's aides could persuade her to stay.
Ms Coste, who is now a French citizen, said she met the prince during a flight in 1997 and the pair later had a relationship.
Pending nuptials: Prince Albert is set to marry South African Charlene Wittstock in a civil ceremony tomorrow"
But the former Air France hostess' appearance in Monaco is likely to be just a coincidence.
She lives just five miles away from Monaco in an estate in the town of Villefranche-sur-Mer provided for by Prince Albert.
Alexandre was initially named Alexandre Éric Stéphane Tossoukpé, but his mother changed their surname to Coste in November 2004.
In October 2006, Prince Albert gave an interview on U.S. TV host Larry King's show in which he said his children would not be in line for the Monaco throne, but would be taken care of financially.
Scandal: Ms Coste, 39, a former Air France air hostess, is pictured with her son Alexandre in 2005. A DNA test proved he was Prince Albert's son"
He also said they would be in line to inherit some of his personal fortune, estimated at more than one billion dollars.
Prince Albert, 53, also has a daughter - Jazmin, 19 - whose mother is U.S. estate agent Tamara Rotola. A DNA test also confirmed he was the teenager's father.
His father, Prince Rainier III, changed Monaco's laws before his death in 2005 so that if Albert did not have an heir, his sisters Princesses Caroline and Stephanie could become regent.
Miss Wittstock and Prince Albert are set to get married in a civil ceremony tomorrow.
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