Grace Kelly and Rainier III: Princesses Cry Too

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Every girl dreams of meeting a prince. The beautiful actress Grace Kelly not only met and fell in love with the 33-year-old Prince of Monaco, but also built a strong family with him. Their union was considered perfect. Grace, who was the happiest woman at the beginning of her marriage, turned out to be a bird trapped in a golden cage at the end of her life.

Grace Kelly

Grace Kelly was born in 1929 in Philadelphia in the family of the millionaire Jack Kelly, who earned his first big money as the owner of the company “Kelly. Brick works . The family had four children. All children grew up in strict rules and were not spoiled by their parents. The main role in the formation of the future personality of Grace was played by the girl's uncle, actor George Kelly, it was he who noticed her talent at a young age.

By the age of fourteen, Grace Kelly was already playing in the theater, and before her eyes the girl was turning from an ugly duckling into a real beauty. She had many fans, but Jack Kelly tried to protect his daughter from early love interests.

Moving to New York

The girl managed to get rid of her father's custody only after moving to New York. In the big city, Grace made many new acquaintances. In the company of friends, she felt liberated. Grace Kelly studied at the Academy of Dramatic Arts. There she met a student Herbie Miller, and an attractive boyfriend became her friend. The girl worked as a fashion model, and sent all the money she earned to her family.

Luck smiled at the girl during the casting for the film "High Noon", which was going to be filmed in Hollywood. In April 1952, Grace woke up famous, the film "Exactly Noon" where she starred, received three Oscars at once.

Grace Kelly meets Rainier III

In 1955, when Grace Kelly became truly famous and led a delegation of US filmmakers during the Cannes Film Festival, she received an offer to visit the Principality of Monaco. Then many celebrities dreamed about this, but Grace reacted to this proposal quite restrainedly.

Everything did not go according to plan from the very beginning. Due to the fact that the electricity in her hotel was cut off, the actress managed to dry her hair to the end, she came to the meeting with the prince in a rumpled dress and with a bun on her head. Rainier was also not delighted with the upcoming meeting, but as soon as the prince saw an attractive blonde who was rehearsing a bow of greeting at the mirror, he fell in love with her at first sight. Then there was a fascinating walk in the park and a nice conversation. It turned out that they have more than enough common themes. Despite her carelessness, Grace Kelly was educated enough and was able to conquer the prince not only with her appearance, but also with her knowledge of many topics.

The meeting ended, and the girl flew home, she sent Rainier a letter in which she thanked him for the reception. The Prince of Monaco was over thirty, he was looking for a future wife and mother of his children. Whatever you say, Grace was in the right place at the right time.

The Wedding and Marriage of Grace Kelly and Rainier III

By this time, the career of actress Grace Kelly had reached its peak. The admiring glances of men bothered her, she had to make a decision on how to live on. On December 25, Prince Rainier visited the Kelly family, he invited Grace to marry, and she said yes to him. The wedding ceremony took place in Monaco on April 18, 1956. The bride was in a dress that took one hundred meters of ancient lace, which was searched for in all museums in France, and her veil was decorated with one thousand pearls

It was truly a royal wedding. The dowry of the future princess was two million dollars. At that time, Grace decided what she wants from life. The girl completely abandoned her career as an actress, her family worried about her much more than working in a movie. Less than a year later, Grace gave birth to a daughter to her husband, who was named Carolina Louise Margarita; a few years later, Albert Alexander Louis Pierre, the heir to the throne, was born.

Grace Kelly's stay in Monaco had a positive impact on economic growth in the principality. Even before the wedding with Rainier, Grace Kelly was quite a recognizable person, it was her name that added the number of tourists who began to visit Monaco. Grace Kelly devoted all her free time to charity, in addition to this, she was engaged in raising her own children.

In 1965, the couple had a third child, it was a girl, she was named Stephanie Maria Elizaveta. Unfortunately, Grace Kelly could no longer have children - the fourth boy died without being born. It was rumored that after that Prince Rainier lost interest in his wife: he became a real tyrant, jealous of her and humiliated, believing that the inhabitants of Monaco loved his wife more than himself. Grace forgave everything to her husband. In 1981, they celebrated their silver wedding.

Last years

Time passed, the children grew up. Carolina had a high-profile and scandalous marriage under her belt, Albert, who was the future heir, was not interested in anything except sports and girls, and her youngest daughter Stephanie grew up as a "kid" - she drove a motorcycle and despised feminine clothes. The image of an impeccable family that Grace so diligently built was crumbling. She no longer considered her life to be fabulous, and her family ideal, although she tried not to show her disappointment to the public.

Shortly before the disaster that took her life, Grace, according to contemporaries, made a lover in Paris and practically moved to live with him. At the very end of her life, she dreamed of only one thing - to resume her acting career. Her violent and restless nature, which had been hidden for so long behind the facade of the impregnable "snow queen", was torn out.

Once she decided to talk to her daughter face to face, and for this she decided to refuse the services of a driver and got behind the wheel of the car herself. This was a fatal mistake. Immersed either in her own thoughts, or in conversation, the wife of Prince Rainier made a mistake, the car drove off the road and fell from a great height.

Journalists said that there was a quarrel in the car, and Grace Kelly suffered a stroke. Still not recovering from the accident, the princess died, it happened on September 14, 1982. At that time, she was only 52 years old. The youngest daughter Stephanie, who was in the car with her mother, survived. There was practically no scratch on it. Great love ended tragically, and it was a huge loss for Monaco and the whole world.

Rainier's life after Grace's death

Celebrities and monarchs from America and Europe came to the princess's funeral, the locals sobbed right on the streets, and Rainier walked arm in arm with his daughter and did not hide his tears. By his decree, he banned the screening of films in which his wife was filmed on the territory of Monaco. He was more and more alone, and less and less appeared at social receptions.

He outlived his wife by 24 years, having lived to 82 years old. Rainier III was buried next to his wife. For a generation, the love story of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier was a fairy tale with a sad ending.

BONUS

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