Grace Kelly

Grace, Princess of Monaco, (born Grace Patricia Kelly) (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an Academy Award-winning American film actress who, as a result of marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco on April 19, 1956, became Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco. She was the mother of the principality's current reigning Sovereign Prince, Albert II of Monaco. Princess Grace was required to renounce her American citizenship upon her marriage.

Early life

Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John Brendan Kelly, Sr., also known as Jack Kelly, and Margaret Katherine Majer, a Catholic convert from Lutheranism. Kelly's father's Irish American Catholic family (originally from Kidney Lake, Newport, County Mayo, Ireland) were new but prominent figures in Philadelphia society. Her father was a self-made millionaire and a gold-medal-winning Olympic sculler, and her brother John B. Kelly, Jr., sometimes known as "Jack, Jr." or "Kell," followed in that tradition. John, Jr., gave his sister as a wedding present the bronze medal he won at the 1956 Summer Olympics. Kelly Drive in Philadelphia is named for John, Jr., who was a city councilman there. Her father's large family included two prominent uncles in the arts: Walter Kelly, a vaudevillian, and the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright, George Kelly. Kelly's maternal grandparents, Carl Majer and Margaretha Berg, were of German descent.

Career

Though her family had opposed her becoming an actress, Kelly became a fashion model and appeared in her first film, Fourteen Hours (1951), when she was 22. The following year she "starred" (with a supporting role) in High Noon (1952), a generally praised but somewhat controversial western starring Gary Cooper.

Her next film, Mogambo (1953), was a drama set in the Kenyan jungle which centers on the love triangle portrayed by Kelly, Clark Gable, and Ava Gardner. Whilst filming this movie she had an affair with Gable, later memorably commenting "What else is there to do if you're alone in a tent in Africa with Clark Gable?" The movie earned Kelly an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but the award went to Donna Reed for her role in From Here to Eternity. Kelly made three films with Alfred Hitchcock: Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and To Catch a Thief.

In 1955, she was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Country Girl. While it was being filmed, she was romanced by co-star Bing Crosby, a fellow Irish Catholic (who had recently lost his wife), but Kelly always denied that they had an affair.

Life as Princess

The musical comedy High Society (1956) was her last film, as her marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco marked her retirement from acting. Before her marriage, she was previously allegedly involved with Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Ray Milland, William Holden, Oleg Cassini, and Jean-Pierre Aumont. She reportedly was surprised to learn from Rainier that she was expected to give up her film career entirely, but followed his wishes grudgingly.

Her Catholicism and ability to bear children were key factors in her being chosen to marry Prince Rainier. Tales were circulated that Monaco would revert to France in the absence of an heir; and though there is no requirement for a Catholic marriage, it was thought unlikely that a Catholic prince would divorce and remarry if his chosen wife were barren. In fact, there was really little actual danger that Monaco would revert to France since, in 1882, a childless prince of Monaco could adopt an unrelated heir, thereby ensuring Monaco's survival as a principality. Prince Rainier's maternal grandfather, Prince Louis II of Monaco also legitimized his illegitimate daughter Charlotte Louvet, who would become Rainier's mother and made her his heir Princess Charlotte of Monaco.

Before Kelly drew Rainier's attention, French film star Gisèle Pascal had been his love interest for six years. Pascal and Rainier supposedly parted when a physical examination reportedly found her to be infertile, but she later married Raymond Pellegrin, to whom she bore a child.

Prince Rainier and Princess Grace had three children:

Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite, born January 23, 1957, and now heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco
Albert II of Monaco, born March 14, 1958
Princess Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth, born February 1, 1965

In 2002, a new treaty between France and Monaco clarified that even if there are no direct heirs of the reigning prince, the principality will remain an independent nation, rather than reverting to France. Due to Prince Albert's enduring bachelorhood, Monegasque law now states that in the event of a reigning prince's lack of descendants, his siblings and their children will inherit the throne. The line of succession is now Princess Caroline, then her children by her late second husband Stefano Casiraghi, who died in 1990, and her daughter by her third husband, HRH Prince Ernst August of Hanover.

At the age of 52, in September 1982, Princess Grace suffered a stroke while driving. It had been rumored that she was driving on the same stretch of highway in Monaco that had been featured in To Catch a Thief, although her son claims that it was not. It resulted in an accident, and she died the next day without regaining consciousness. Princess Stéphanie, who was alleged by some sources to have been the actual driver of the car, suffered only minor injuries.

Princess Grace is interred in St. Nicholas Cathedral, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Prince Rainier being buried alongside her following his death in 2005.

Filmography

Fourteen Hours (1951)
High Noon (1952)
Mogambo (1953)
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Green Fire (1954)
Rear Window (1954)
The Country Girl (1954)
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
To Catch a Thief (1955)
The Swan (1956)
High Society (1956)

Trivia

She was the first actress to appear on a postage stamp. (Source: The Book of Useless Information, published 2002.) She's also mentioned in Billy Joel's history themed song "We Didn't Start the Fire" ("Princess Grace").

The French haute couture fashion house Hermès named one of its most famous, and now most sought-after, products for Grace Kelly—the "Kelly Bag." Waiting lists of up to two years are not unusual for this handbag, and prices start at $5000 for the small version in plain leather and soar over $50,000 for crocodile skin or other unusual materials.

The classic head-cover of a silk scarf crossed under the chin and knotted at the side or nape of the neck is universally known as the "Grace Kelly." This chic look is still copied by many female Hollywood stars when they wish to retain a degree of anonymity in the public eye. Famous users include: Sharon Stone, Madonna, and Annette Bening.

The gown that Princess Grace wore on her wedding day was donated to the Philadelphia Museum of Art shortly thereafter. It is currently on display in honor of her fiftieth wedding anniversary.

Alfred Hitchcock wanted to cast Kelly in the title role of his motion picture Marnie, but the people of Monaco were not happy with the idea of their princess taking on the role of such a character.

The opening track on the band EELS' third studio album—"Daisies of the Galaxy"—is titled "Grace Kelly Blues" and, while not mentioned by name in the song, the second verse certainly applies to her, with the lyrics "the actress gave up all her old dreams/traded up and now she's the queen/royal families don't have time/for that sh*t/your crystal ball, you keep it hid". It is an upbeat song, though it deals with traditionally depressing subjects, such as loneliness and unfulfillment in life.

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