Grace Kelly: What did life in luxury bring her?
Grace Kelly’s life story may seem like a walk through the rose garden. A beautiful young Hollywood star wins the heart of one of the world’s wealthiest men and becomes the Princess of Monaco. She lives in luxury, has three children and the whole world admires her. But not all is gold that glitters.
Rise to Hollywood fame
Grace Patricia Kelly was born in 1929 in Philadelphia, where she lived with her parents and sibling. Grace was a shy child, but dreamed of becoming an actress. She was accepted to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and gradually found her way into the world of film.
Thanks to her meeting Alfred Hitchcock and acting in his films, she found herself among the silver screen elite and won the admiration of Hollywood. She starred in films like Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, and won a luxury Oscar trophy for her role in The Country Girl.
Critical year of 1955
1955 was a crucial year for Grace. She was in the limelight at the time and her acting career could have continued to develop successful, had it not been for an invitation to the luxury film festival in Cannes and an offer to shoot a spread for a prestigious French magazine in Monaco. This fateful year changed her life from its foundations.
Calculation of the royal court or love at first sight?
At the time, Monaco certainly wasn’t as rich as it is now. It was essentially facing bankruptcy and prince of Monaco Rainier III was a bachelor. It was essential to bring new prestige and money to the principality and the price needed an heir to prevent Monaco from disappearing and becoming part of France. A marriage to a Hollywood star seemed like a good solution.
However, there are rumours of infatuation and love, which erupted between the two at first sight. This was followed by an engagement in 1956. Grace Kelly left America and her film career behind and became the Princess of Monaco full time. Millions of people watched the luxurious wedding in live broadcast.
The empty heart of Grace Kelly
Yet soon after the wedding, the couple seemed to start growing apart. The prince had dictatorial inclinations regarding his wife and she was exhausted by endless aristocratic engagements and etiquette. Nor did the public take a particular liking to the princess, and her staff were reserved. It was only after she gave birth to her first daughter Caroline that she was accepted as the Princess of Monaco. But Grace never fully adapted to her role as one of the symbols of Monaco and its provider. She wanted to act again, but the door to the world of film was closed forever. She devoted herself to charity in order to get her mind off her sadness.
She was unhappy with her husband, a fact that remained unrelieved by the three children she had with him. In the end, she bought a luxurious apartment in Paris and moved away from Monaco. She died in hospital after a tragic incident when the car she was driving fell off a cliff. It was 1982 and Grace was 52 years old.
