Princess Charlene Finally Steps Up Her Style Game For Monaco Grand Prix (PHOTOS)

While we adore Princess Charlene of Monaco, we have noticed that in the year since her royal wedding to Prince Albert II, she's been something of a sartorial cipher, opting for tan and gray ensembles that haven't done much to flatter her gorgeous looks.

But then, things started changing. Back in April, Charlene chopped off her blonde hair into a sleek and chic pixie cut.

And this weekend for Monaco's huge Formula One Monaco Grand Prix championship, Charlene totally amped up her style, choosing some riskier clothes than her usual shift dresses. On Sunday, Charlene and Albert attended the big race, where Charlene donned a badass pair of sunglasses and an awesome dress that appears to have turquoise racing cars zooming across it. Saturday brought the couple to a charity event, where Charlene wore a chic, flowy turquoise outfit.

And on Friday, the royal pair attended the Amber Lounge Fashion Show in Monaco; Charlene chose a sheer and pleated frock from Albert Kriemler's Spring 2012 Collection. (Last year she suited up in a sparkly black jumpsuit.)

Check out the photos of Charlene & Albert's weekend below... do you think Charlene is stepping up her style game?

Scroll down for more pics.

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• January 2011

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• January 2011

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• January 2011 in an Akris dress

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• February 2011

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• February 2011

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• February 2011

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• February 2011

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• March 2011

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• April 2011 in a suit by Akris

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• April 2011 in Akris

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• April 2011

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• April 2011 in a tan Akris suit

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• April 2011 in an Akris gown

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• April 2011 in Akris

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• April 2011

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• April 2011

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• April 2011 in a tan Akris suit

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• May 2011 in an Akris dress

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• May 2011 in Akris

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• May 2011 in Akris

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• May 2011 in an Armani gown

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• June 2011

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• June 2011 in a macrame Terence Bay halter dress

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• June 2011

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• June 2011

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• June 2011 in an Armani Prive suit

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• July 2011

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• July 2011 in a Chanel suit

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• July 2011

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• July 2011 in a Giorgio Armani Privé gown

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• July 2011 in a custom Giorgio Armani Privé wedding gown

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• July 2011

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• July 2011

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• July 2011

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• July 2011

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• August 2011 in an Akris gown

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• August 2011

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• September 2011

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• September 2011

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• September 2011

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• October 2011

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• October 2011

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• October 2011 in a beaded Christian Dior dress

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• November 2011

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• November 2011

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• November 2011 in an Akris ensemble

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• November 2011 in a custom Akris dress

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• November 2011

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• December 2011

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• December 2011

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• December 2011 in Akris

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Comments

[Lilydaisy]

02:33 PM on 08/15/2012

Love Princess Charlotte. Yes she is stepping up her style and I hope she is happier too.

[celloswiss]

04:13 PM on 07/04/2012

Cool outfit. She looks terrific. Albert needs to lose weight desperately and learn how to smile in public.

[Dinah Leigh]

11:43 AM on 06/04/2012

Princess Charlene looked lovely at the Grand Prix. Her look has improved greatly in the last year.

[MNJim]

11:21 PM on 05/31/2012

Wow---Albert used to look good, too, when he was younger but now he's turned into a real curmudgeon. They should hire me! I'm pretty fun to be around..... I could take them to fun places; show them new things; I have a lot of good dirty jokes that make people scream at parties. I'd slap some smiles across those faces.....real fast.

[Bobby Smith]

10:24 AM on 05/31/2012

Agent Smith?

[kinogod]

01:04 AM on 05/31/2012

And voting for the most unhappy of priveledged royalty has closed and the honor goes to mrs and mister sourpuss!

[Paris215]

03:38 AM on 05/31/2012

I agree, she always looks so miserable, and he, so bored..

[L E M B]

02:57 PM on 05/29/2012

The pics of her in 2011 before they got married she seems much happier. Poor soul, I hope whatever is weighing on her mind now soon lifts.

[Kittenesque]

02:26 PM on 05/29/2012

She looks calm and collected. Not everyone feels like jeering to the point of wrinkles to show the world they are happy. In fact, there is no human who is happy 24/7. So no, she's no hostage. She's a 30 something adult woman who went into that marriage knowing what she was talking on. And if it doesn't work out, she still has an identity of her own.

[agness nutter]

08:20 PM on 05/29/2012

...and, if I don't miss my guess, a very sympathetic prescribing physician...

[ABXNOMORE]

01:03 PM on 05/30/2012

If so that's her business and private until it's been verified and admitted to in the press.

[Lena Collins]

10:46 AM on 05/29/2012

That dress is Prada, Spring 2012. Whomever writes for the style section should know that.

[MikeyMike]

02:10 PM on 05/29/2012

Is the red thing part of the dress? I can't tell. Really looks like ear protection issued by my workplace, but I can't imagine she'd be caught dead wearing that.

[Karama]

01:33 AM on 05/31/2012

She needed to cover her ears. Car races are noisy. Have you been to one?
I've been to a few, including one in Monaco. Btw, an Australian won!

[gemini68]

09:32 AM on 05/29/2012

Is it just me or does this woman seem perpetually unhappy? It's just a weird vibe between the two of them in photos.

[ABXNOMORE]

12:19 PM on 05/29/2012

Not everyone shows a great deal of facial exression and emotion and tradtionally doing so is discouraged by those who are well breed and elite. Even Princess Grace did not. Plus, we don't know how she looks when she is not in public and being followed and photographed by the press. It can't be pleasant.

[gemini68]

03:44 PM on 05/29/2012

I don't doubt it is. But even Princess grace smiled more in her wedding photos than this woman did. I think perhaps it has to do with the paternity scandal her husband was going through when they wed. That couldn't have been pleasant.

[agness nutter]

08:21 PM on 05/29/2012

Do you have any idea of Princess Grace's "history" prior to her marriage? "Well breed and elite"? On the contrary...

[agness nutter]

08:22 PM on 05/29/2012

I believe she is heavily sedated, and who can blame her?

[ABXNOMORE]

01:04 PM on 05/30/2012

If you don't have facts why speculate about such a matter?

[Samirah1368]

08:11 AM on 05/29/2012

Yes. Her sunglasses are badass!

[Randybostonterrier]

12:40 AM on 05/29/2012

Maybe, just maybe, people can have really good marriages without having all kinds of photos taken of them grabbing at each other endlessly and smooching.

[gemini68]

09:33 AM on 05/29/2012

I would agree- but in every photo I've seen of them her smiles look forced and the vibe between them is weird. I know there was a paternity scandal between him and another woman right before they married so maybe that has something to do with it. She just doesn't seem all that happy to me.

[Karama]

01:39 AM on 05/31/2012

Right before they married? I didn't know that. You're not talking about the air hostess from Togo, are you? That was a few years ago. The boy, Alexandre, must be 4 or 5 now.

[Candide]

10:50 PM on 05/28/2012

She looks awesome and not as awkward as usual. Knowing his grades at Amherst College, she could have done a lot better. Shine on Charlene! Keep swimming!

[maliksmama]

10:46 PM on 05/28/2012

She still looks like a linebacker in a dress.

[mukTech]

07:12 PM on 05/28/2012

Forced smile!!