Princess Charlene, grounded in South Africa due to ongoing illness, misses her twins' first day at school

• Princess Charlene of Monaco missed her twin 6-year-olds' first day back at school.
• She remains grounded in South Africa following an emergency hospitalization on September 1.
• Charlene was last pictured with her family when they visited her in South Africa in August.

Princess Charlene of Monaco missed her twin 6-year-olds' first day back at school on Monday, according to the Monaco Tribune.

Following an official visit to Ireland with their father, Prince Albert, last week, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella were seen sporting red school uniforms for the new term at François d'Assise-Nicolas Barré school, the publication reports. The twins were once again accompanied by Albert on arrival at the Catholic institution, the Monaco Tribune added, noting that their mother Charlene was absent.

The likely reason behind her missing their big day is related to the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) infection the palace confirmed she's been suffering since arriving in her home country of South Africa in May, complications of which caused her to be hospitalized overnight on September 1.

In the months since her prolonged stay in South Africa, the princess has undergone surgery for her illness, according to a statement from her foundation published by South African news outlet News24 in July.

"HSH is finding it extremely difficult to be away from her husband and children at this time," the statement read. "The recovery period is long and painful still eliminating flight between procedures as this will most certainly be detrimental to the success of her treatment. The road ahead is a long and painful one."

Charlene was last pictured with her children and Albert in August, when she shared photographs of them visiting her in South Africa to her Instagram account.

Her husband Albert told People Magazine on Wednesday that Charlene's original visit to South Africa was supposed to be "a weeklong, 10-day maximum stay."

Her extended stay has meant she's missed other significant occasions such as Monaco's annual Grand Prix in May, where was expected to attend as a guest of honor, according to Hello! Magazine. Her illness also meant she ended up spending her 1oth wedding anniversary alone on July 2, People reports.

In a previous interview with the publication published on September 2, Albert shared that his wife is keen to return to the principality. "She's ready to come home," he said. "She's jokingly said that she's ready to stowaway on a ship to come back to Europe."

Representatives for Princess Charlene did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.