Here's information about the apparent fairy tale romance, wedding, and marriage of actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco.
News Update:
4/15/05: After celebrating a requiem mass that was open to the public, the children of Prince Rainier of Monaco buried him next to his wife, Princess Grace in a somber state funeral full of tradition and meaning.Even Rainier's old hunting hound, Odin, a griffon korthal, followed the coffin on its journey from the palace to the cathedral. The music played as the coffin was moved to the cathedral was Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" which was the same music played at the funeral of Princess Grace.
The Monte Carlo casino and all stores were closed during the funeral.
4/6/05: A statement from the palace in Monaco announced, "His Most Serene Highness Prince Rainier III died on Wednesday April 6 2005 at 6.35 in the morning (0435 GMT)."
Birthdates:
Grace Patricia Kelly was born on November 12, 1929, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.She died on September 14, 1982 in Monacoville, Monaco in a car accident when she was 52 years old. She was driving a British Rover 3500 and reportedly suffered a stroke. The car plunged down a 45-foot embankment. Grace Kelly is buried at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Grace's grave is the only grave permanently honored with fresh flowers.
Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand de Grimaldi, was born on May 21, 1923 in Monaco.
Prince Rainier died on April 6, 2005, after fighting a long battle with lung, heart, and kidney problems. He was 81 years old at the time of his death. He was buried in a white marble tomb next to his wife, Princess Grace of Monaco.
How They Met:
Known as the wealthiest bachelor in the world, Prince Rainier broke off plans to marry a girlfriend because she was infertile. Grace Kelly met Prince Rainier in May, 1955, when Grace was attending the Cannes Film Festival and had agreed to be photographed with the Prince for "Paris Match." She was 26 years old. The Prince was just a few days shy of being 32. After the photo shoot, the Prince and Grace visited the Prince's gardens and small zoo.Their second meeting was a dinner date and a meeting with Grace's family.
Engagement:
In December, 1955, the engagement of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier was announced. He first gave her an friendship ring of diamonds and rubies. Her engagement ring was a twelve-carat emerald-cut diamond ring.
Weddings:
Grace and Prince Rainier had two weddings: one was a civil wedding, and the other a religious ceremony. See page two for detailed information about their weddings, Grace's wedding gown, receptions, and honeymoon.
Children:
See page three for detailed information about their three children: Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, and Princess Stéphanie.
Education:
Grace Kelly graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York.
Residences:
The Grimaldi family resides in a 235-room, pink hilltop palace in Monaco overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.In later years, Grace established a second home in Paris.
Miscellaneous:
Prince Monaco wanted a substantial dowry from Grace's family. $2,000,000 was the final amount the Kelly family agreed to. So that her brother and two sisters wouldn't be shortchanged, the funds were diverted from Grace's inheritance.Grace was required to take a fertility test prior to their wedding.
Grace Kelly did not make any more movies after her marriage to Rainier.
Grace signed a marriage agreement in which she agreed that if they divorced, she would relinquish all rights to their children.
Quotes:
Prince Rainier, on the 20th anniversary of Grace's death, in 2002: “Twenty years after her disappearance, Princess Grace is always present in our hearts and in our thoughts.” He praised her for “carrying out to perfection her role as spouse and mother.” Source: MSNBCPhilippe Delorme, biographer: “He never really got over her death. It was an irreparable loss. It would have been very hard to replace her.”
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier's Weddings
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier's Children
