June 1 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rainier of Monaco, the prince who conquered the brightest star in Hollywood. But his love story with Grace Kelly was not a fairy tale.
One hundred years have passed since the birth of Rainier of Monaco on June 1. The prince rose to fame because he fell in love (after paying a dowry) with Grace Kelly. The American Hollywood star with a successful artistic career decided to give it all up for a love story that captivated the world. But the fairy tale with her prince charming Grimaldi turned into a nightmare. On the Centenary of the birth of Rainier of Monaco, there will be many celebrations. But we make room to tell the saddest story of all.
When Grace Kelly arrived in Monaco, aboard the Constitution liner, on April 4, 1956, she was 27 years old and one of the brightest stars in Hollywood, with a solid career behind her. She was going to give up everything in exchange for becoming the princess of a small European principality (including her lovers), which was barely known in America. To leave behind everything she had fought for, from a very young age. Her wedding to Rainier of Monaco took place on April 15 and was followed by 30 million people on television.
A fairy tale without happiness for Grace Kelly
What is it that led a young American with a splendid artistic career behind her back to give up everything for a supposed fairy tale that fooled the world? Grace Kelly's biographers are still unclear. And they don't know if Grace was really happy in that tiny rocky area in Europe.
Grace Kelly had left behind a life of freedom and success to face the rules of nineteenth-century protocol, a foreign language to learn in record time, and a life dedicated, body and soul, to public events and foundation presidencies. From that moment on, she must be disciplined, discreet and earn the respect of the Monegasques.
A poisoned family
But Grace's path, after leaving the cathedral of Santa Devota converted into the princess of Monaco, is full of obstacles. The families that govern the social life of the principality subtly ignore her. She is considered "too American." Grace feels lonely and also has to deal with two powerful enemies inside the palace: her mother-in-law, Princess Charlotte, and her sister-in-law, Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Rainier's sister.
Charlotte is the illegitimate daughter of Louis II of Monaco, Rainier's grandfather, and cabaret dancer Marie Juliette Louvet. When it becomes clear that there are no heirs, Louis II recognizes her daughter and names her Duchess of Valentinois in 1919. Charlotte marries a year later the French Count Pierre de Polignac. They have two children: Rainier and Marie Antoinette.
Grace had a close and affectionate relationship with her mother-in-law, to whom Rainier was devoted t. This was the reason for Carlota's contempt. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law met very rarely, but Carlota never stopped showing her coldness to Grace. She passed away in 1977, aged 79, and her final act demonstrated her dislike of Grace for her: she left him none of her jewelry, which passed directly to Carolina.
Grace was able to survive a dismissive mother-in-law because she never saw her. It was more difficult for her to overcome the ploys of her sister-in-law Marie Antoinette. A resentful woman who saw Grace's arrival as a threat and dedicated all her strength to complicate her life and discredit her. Marie Antoinette wanted her son to be her heir and she to become regent, which led her to organize all kinds of conspiracies. Rainier sent her into exile, but she, despite being far from her, did not stop spreading rumors.
The Cannes Film Festival was the link between Grace and Rainier
It is not easy to understand why Grace agreed to marry Rainier. Many say that in her marriage there was no love. Different biographies claim that the marriage was an arrangement, at a time when the economy and the future of Monaco were uncertain. It was, according to what they say, Aristotle Onassis who put on the table the idea of a wedding with an American actress.
The first name of her was Marilyn Monroe, and the second that of Grace Kelly. Rainier thought that Grace was more suitable. The Cannes Film Festival was the excuse to arrange a meeting. They met on May 6, 1955. And the engagement was announced on January 6, 1956.
However, there is another element that makes this courtship an obstacle for Grace: she had to pay out of her pocket for the dowry that her marriage to Rainier demanded. Grace's father was shocked when he found out, but he paid for half of it out of Grace's inheritance and the other half out of her acting earnings, wiping out her entire personal fortune.
Cinema as an aggravating circumstance and the last days of Grace Kelly
Rainier was a shy and dour man, caught up in duty. Grace devoted herself to her obligations as a mother and as a princess. From the beginning, Rainier was clear that he would not let her return to the cinema. Away from her friends and her family, he had to face the melancholy of living in a foreign country.
She didn't share Rainier's passion for hunting or old cars. It was in 1962 when the tension between the two because of the cinema could have broken their marriage. Alfred Hitchcock was considering Grace for the role of Marnie, in "Marnie the Thief." Rainier did not object,ut allowed the media pressure to be very strong. The role will ultimately end up in the hands of Tippi Hedren. In an interview with Paris-Match, Rainier acknowledged, many years later, that Grace missed the screen a lot.
In her later years, Grace took up residence in Roc Agel's country house. There, away from the paparazzi, she can enjoy her passions for reading and gardening, and visits from her Hollywood friends like Cary Grant or Frank Sinatra. When Grace Kelly died in a terrible car accident on September 14, 1982, she had reached a certain harmony with her destiny.
