Michael Schumacher is said to have been seen in public for the first time in many years, having attended the wedding of daughter Gina-Maria.
The 27-year-old tied the knot with new husband Iain Bethke last Saturday in a glamorous ceremony at the family's villa in Majorca. And media outlets in Germany have reported that stricken Formula 1 legend Michael was there to witness the festivities, reports The Mirror.
Schumacher continues to require round-the-clock medical care after his life-changing skiing accident more than a decade ago. He crashed while carving through the snow in the French Alps, hitting his head on a rock.
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Though he survived, the seven-time F1 champion spent months in a medically induced coma. Since he was allowed to return to the family home on Lake Geneva in September 2014, he has been cared for by his loving wife Corinna and a team of medics.
Fiercely protective of her husband's privacy, Corinna has allowed only a select few trusted friends and relatives to visit him and only a handful of people within and without the Schumacher family are said to know the details of his condition and care.
But Michael's attendance at his daughter's wedding may signal a change in the family's attitude. Though he has been flown from the family home to their Majorcan villa before, this time it was different as he appeared in front of all the other invitees at the wedding.
Measures were still taken to ensure the stricken F1 legend's privacy - all guests reportedly had to leave their mobile phones at the door so that no-one could take pictures of the 55-year-old. But a first appearance for many years in front of members of the wider family, and others, is a sign that Corinna's approach may have softened.
Michael's brother Ralf, also a former F1 driver, is one of those who has largely been excluded from details of his elder sibling's care. But he is said to have been among the invitees to his niece's wedding, hinting at the building of bridges between the Sky Germany pundit and his sister-in-law.
Majorcan news outlet Ultima Hora reported that the ceremony lasted for around half-an-hour and that the newlyweds said "I do" at around 4pm. The villa which hosted the ceremony was bought by Corinna in 2017, who is said to have paid around £27million to purchase the property from Florentino Perez, the long-serving president of Real Madrid.
And it may not be the last family event in the coming months which could see Michael make another appearance in front of people. While no engagement has yet been confirmed, Danish model Laila Hasanovic hinted that long-term boyfriend Mick Schumacher, the F1 legend's son, has popped the question by showing off a diamond ring on her finger in an Instagram post.
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