April 18, 1956

Grace Kelly & Prince Rainier of Monaco

Grace Kelly, movie beauty and girl-about-town met Prince Rainier at a photo-op during theCannes Film Festival in 1955. The two began a passionate long distance correspondence which ended in their engagement and Kelly’s abandonment of America and her beloved film career.

The “wedding of the century” took place in Monaco in 1956. Grace dubbed it the “carnival of the century”, filmed by MGM, clogged by reporters and attended by both Hollywood and actual Royalty.

As Prince and Princess of Monaco the Rainier’s were a glamorous and charitable couple. With his wit and vision and Grace’s elegance, kindness and high profile they brought Monaco a new international prominence it had never previously enjoyed. The pair had three children- Caroline, Albert and Stephanie and both were very hand- on and loving parents.

Though rumors of infidelity swirled around the couple (Grace was adamant that her “life was no fairytale”)  they were together till Grace died tragically in a car accident on Sept. 14, 1982.

Many friends say Rainier never really got over his wife’s early death. On the 20^th anniversary on her passing in 2002 a now elderly Rainer released the following statement: “Twenty years after her disappearance, Princess Grace is always present in our hearts and in our thoughts”