Thailand romp fuels Princess Caroline marriage split rumours

Speculation was growing today over the future of the marriage of Princess Caroline of Monaco after her husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover, was photographed in a clinch with a younger woman in Thailand.

Princess Caroline, 52, and her husband, 55, who were said in the autumn to be leading separate lives, spent the Christmas holiday on different sides of the world. While he was in the Thai resort of Phuket, she was in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana with their four children.

Photographs published in German celebrity magazine Bunte showed the prince and the unnamed woman, who is said to bear a strong resemblance to Caroline, in an embrace and romping in the sea.

One also showed the woman rubbing sun cream into the prince's back. The couple are said to have made no effort to be discreet, despite the presence of other tourists.

Prince Ernst, a distant relative of Britain's royal family, is the third husband of Princess Caroline. They haver been married for 11 years.

He has a history of alcohol problems and has appeared in court several times accused of assault and similar offences.