Even in this post-feminist times if you ask a very young girl what she’d like to be when she grows up, the chances are movie star or princess would be amongst their answers. But how many little girls would dare to dream of becoming both?
Until her tragically early death at the age of 52, Grace Kelly led a life then read like the perfect fairy tale. She was born from a prominent and wealthy Philadelphia family in November 1929 and attended the prestigious Ravenhill Academy. The remarkable natural beauty led her to early modeling work. Training at New York’s American Academy of dramatic arts was followed by a Broadway production. It didn’t take too long for Hollywood to sit up and notice, and by the age of 22, she was cast Officer Gary Cooper in the hugely popular western, High Noon.
Many more films successes followed including Mogambo with Clark Gable, The Country Girl, Officer Bing Crosby, which earned her an Academy Award for best actress and Dial M for Murder directed by Alfred Hitchcock and co starring Ray Milland. The royal romance, The Swan was thought had been made by MGM to capitalize on Grace’s relationship with Prince Rainier III, although that had yet to become public knowledge.
Grace’s final film was a delightful High Society, a musical version of the Philadelphia Story in which she was perfectly cast as the stunningly beautiful but imperious ice queen, Tracy Lord. Grace had first met Prince Rainier at the tiny principality of Monaco in 1955 at the Cannes Film Festival. They began to correspond by mail before the year was out, Rainier had proposed.
[Interview]
Having accepted Rainier’s proposal, Grace, along with a large contingent of family and friends including a poodle and the 80 pieces of luggage, set sail from New York on the SS Constitution bound for the French Riviera. Thousands saw her off and some 20,000 lined the streets of Monaco to welcome her to her new home, which in a country of only 32,000 people, there’s no mean feat.
The wedding was in two parts, first there was the 14-minute long civil ceremony on the 18th of April. Then the following day, there was the church ceremony of Monaco’s Saint Nicolas Cathedral. Oscar wining designer Helen Rose created Grace’s dress and a 600 strong crowd rich with such famous faces as Gloria Swanson, Ava Gardner, Aga Khan and David Nivem. The newlyweds returned to the US for a visit and learned in January 1957, just nine months and four days after her wedding, Grace gave birth to their first child, Princess Caroline.
Two other children followed, Prince Albert, the current ruler of Monaco was born in March 1958 and seven years later in February 1965, Princess Stephanie completed the family. Grace took the royal life with ease although she sometimes contemplated returning to the silver screen. Prince Rainier was adamantly against the idea, even banned her film from being screened in Monaco.
After a fourth of a century of gracious service, the much in love Princess die suddenly in September, 1982. She suffered a stroke at the wheel of her car, causing her to veer off the road and plunge over 30 meters down the mountainside.
The only other occupant of the car was Princess Stephanie who was injured but recovered fully. Grace was buried in the family vault at Monaco’s Saint Nicholas Cathedral and 23 years later, Prince Ranier then aged 81, was laid to rest alongside her.
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