I’ll do it my way ­­– Princess Charlene

Monaco’s newly-wed Princess Charlene vowed to carry out her royal duties in her own style but admitted adapting to the role was taking time, in an interview published in yesterday’s Daily Telegraph.

The 33-year-old South African married Prince Albert II in July amid reports in British newspapers that she had tried to run away before the big day, and the former Olympic swimmer took a swipe at her “enemies” in the British press.

The couple married weeks after Britain’s Prince William and Catherine Middleton tied the knot, but Princess Charlene brushed off any comparisons between the two princesses, promising to “do it my way”.

“I think for anyone living in a new country and adapting to a new lifestyle, it’s a different role,” she remarked during last week’s Paris Fashion Week.

“I’m just learning,” she continued. “I was an Olympic swimmer, I lived in a swimsuit, I lived on tour.”

Princess Charlene expects that her royal duties will eventually become a full-time occupation, but she was taking time out to adjust at the moment.

The South African admitted her French was not up to scratch, but was coming along “step by step”.

The princess questioned “why?” when informed of the Telegraph’s request for an interview, and joked she was “talking to the enemy” in light of the stories printed about her before the wedding.