The story of Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly.”

by Dahami Samarathunga

Being universally loved, even by generations yet to come, could be a dream for many. But, once a while, some rare specimens are born and would leave their imprints on earth so profoundly, that many seem to struggle of letting them go. Grace Kelly was born on November 12th, 1929, amidst the aftermath of the Wall Street collapse, into a family led by Jack Kelly, a former Olympian, whose fortune remained intact despite the mayhem.

He married Margaret Majer, an educated and ambitious woman of German descent, she was a true matriarch who raised her children with a ‘Teutonic’ approach, earning her the nickname ‘Prussian general mother’ from her children. Despite their lavishes, the Kellys ensured their children remained grounded and the Kelly kids to call her their ‘Prussian general mother’. Despite their lavishes, Kelly’s ensured their children were grounded and weren’t oblivious to the realities of the world.

Grace was first sent to ‘Ravenhill Academy’, where she evoked her passion for acting. Despite her family’s disapproval, she found a confidant in her uncle, Pulitzer price winning playwright George Kelly, who supported her passion. Kelly was later sent to ‘Stevens School ‘in Germantown, as her father believed Ravenhill didn’t emphasize enough on athletics. At Steven’s Grace was dubbed as a bit of a troublemaker, often going on rebellious strikes.

“She always had this interesting dichotomy between wanting to do what her mother and traditional mores told her to do and having this rebellious pull…”, writer James Spada revealed. Growing up in a conservative household, it comes as no surprise that Kelly might’ve felt the urge to tap into her wilder and rebellious side, after frequently succumbing to pressure from her parents throughout her entire life.

In 1947, Grace was enrolled in new York’s American academy of dramatic arts. However, her audition was nothing remarkable, and was noted for her pronounced Philadelphian twang, which the teachers found a bit crass and unusual, for theatre. “So, she developed this almost British way of speaking, very measured, vowels very rounded.” Spada revealed. Shortly after the criticism to work on her accent, Grace’s instructors noticed a change in her dialect and believed that now she had potential to pursue a career in theatre, with the hope of testing the waters of Hollywood. And by 20 years old, Grace was earning a sizeable income as a model who appeared in both magazines and television.

Grace was quite taken aback with her new status as a model, as growing up she has never considered herself as a remarkable beauty. Alice Dodre, a childhood friend of Kelly once revealed ‘We had no idea she was as beautiful as she was, Grace always had a bandana on and the glasses.”, adding, “And when she went to NY and we started to see her on television and we’d see her magazines, it was like ‘my heavens that’s our Grace?'”

In 1949, Kelly’s big break on Broadway came with ‘The Father,’ but the play closed shortly after its release. However, this setback didn’t hinder her career, as she went on to appear in over 60 television dramas within the next two years. Regardless of her success, Kelly wasn’t thrilled with her career direction as she didn’t consider television as a serious form of artistic medium and believed it lacked certain elements and artistic expression that was more profound in theatre or cinema. In 1951 Kelly, starred in her first Hollywood movie, “Fourteen Hours”, but many believed her breakthrough when she was casted in the movie ‘High Moon’ opposite Gary Cooper.

‘High noon’ lifted Kelly from obscurity and put her on the map in Hollywood, which made director John Ford, offer her a role in ‘Mogambo’. However, prior getting the role, MGM demanded her to sign a standard 7-year contract, which she swiftly refused, asserting her authority as someone not to be taken lightly. ‘She wasn’t a girl of hosiery counter or from a small town. She was well provided for so she could be tougher in her negation “, film critic Andrew Sarris once revealed. “She was less dependent on other people’s responses than any actress I’ve met in Hollywood, who was extremely strong willed, but with great politesse”, actress Celeste Holm once said, “She was even more aware of who she was, she was George Kelly’s niece, that’s who. And she knew it.”

During the shooting of “Mogambo” in Africa, Kelly infamously fell in love with her co star Clark Gable. However, despite being romantically linked in Africa, Gable insisted on breaking off their relationship once they arrived in LA, which left her heartbroken. Again, it was easier for a woman to build a reputation in Hollywood and for Kelly the rumour was that she was falling in love with their co stars.

Her close ones believed Kelly couldn’t quite comprehend how relationships in Hollywood functioned and the duality of its repercussions. Shortly after the heartbreak, Kelly received a call from Alfred Hitchcock, who was searching for his next leading lady for his upcoming project,” Dial M for Murder’ as his leading actress Ingrid Bergman had taken a career hiatus. Hitchcock was distraught over Bergman’s absence, but sensed fire under Kelly’s often regal and sensual image which propelled him to make her his muse. And it was safe to say that Kelly eventually ended up becoming his saving Grace.

Hitchcock praised Kelly for the subtlety and the level of sophistication she brought to the screen, revealing his fascination with her, comparing her to a ‘’A snow covered volcano ‘. He visioned her as someone ‘that was ladylike, elemental and was suggestive of icy Olympian height, that wasn’t uncovered by autonomy yet. And throughout their collaborations, he emphasized these characteristics and enshrined her as an archetype that was vastly different from the “bimbo” type of characters, other actresses were forced to play.

After the release of her movie “Rear Window” in 1953, Kelly was looking for roles to finally showcase her dramatic prowess instead of her sexual appeal. She found a project that she felt could finally showcase her full artistic flair in the movie ‘Country Girl’, which was a character that was the opposite of her previous breezy heroin roles. Kelly was determined to take on the offer, as she had never played such an unglamorous role, but the studios were against her decision, fearing it might hinder her status in Hollywood as one of its most sought stars.

William Halden, her co star in ‘Country Girl’ once revealed how Grace overcame the disapproval of studio bosses to star in ‘Country Girl’ by standing on her ground, threatening to leave the studio, saying, “I’ll tell you what I will do. I’ll give you my address so you will know where to send your Christmas cards.’, Halden also revealed that less than 20 minutes after the call, she finally had the part.

Kelly’s compelling performance in “Country Girl” landed her an Oscar in 1955 with critics praising her for her selectiveness when it came her movies. “No movie star ever had a great script like Kelly.” they said.

In year 1955 Grace attend the Cannes, and on May 6th she was invited to near by Monaco palace to meet its Prince Renier, to spend the afternoon and pose for photographs, which was a decision that altered the course of her life. After reluctantly agreed to a photo session with the prince, Kelly was given a tour of palace garden and zoo, where the two posed together for press. The meeting certainly brought a lot of attention to Monaco due to Kelly’s fame and later that evening, it was said that she reported to a friend that she found her prince charming, as their chemistry was undeniable.

It’s been revealed that Marilyn Monroe was one of the first choices they had in mind when searching a bride for Renier, as Greek shipping magnate Aristotle who was a close friend of Reinier, suggested to improve the image of Monaco by marrying a Hollywood star, as it would increase tourism to the now cash-poor destination. Although Monroe wasn’t interested in Reinier, she was certain that upon their meeting, ‘he’d fall head over heels for her’.

However, at the time Monroe was going through her own personal turmoil and was in an uphill battle against Hollywood, who were exploiting her for her fame. Besides, the chaplains of Monaco later voiced apprehension that Monroe’s status as a global sex symbol might overshadow their public image as a royal couple, which propelled them to look for other options. However, on the day of Kelly’s wedding, Monroe was one of the firsts to send her well wishes, sending a telegram that read: “I’m so happy you found a way out of this business.”

No matter the fame and recognition, the likes of Monroe and Kelly knew that with the course of time, the inevitable would eventually occur. Kelly was now of course at peak of her career, but she wasn’t sure about how long it would last before, she too could possibly fade into the shadows of show business as it had happened to starlets before her time due to Hollywood’s unkind treatment of women. Also, Her father had initially refused to consider acting as a noble career for his daughter, viewing it as a profession “a slim cut above streetwalker”, which often lingered in the back of her mind.

Kelly’s parents were finally impressed with her choice of a partner in Reiner and bestowed their blessings upon their marriage. “What better son in law l for a social climbing man, than a prince.” Spada once said on Jack Kelly’s joy on his daughter and Reinier’s union. “He was roman Catholic; he (Reinier) had never been married or divorced.”

Despite the premise and resemblance of a fairytale, their marriage was carried to fruition under the French law, which relied Monaco’s survival as a principality on prince producing an heir. It was reported that Grace was submitted to a medical examination ensuring she could supply a successor to the prince, which put an extra pressure on her. An according to ancient tradition, it was revealed that her parents had to provide a sizeable dowry, which had said to “left a sour taste in their mouth”.

However, they eventually relented after Grace’s pleading and offer to pay a half of the dowry by herself, making sure her siblings weren’t left short handed. After going public with their union, Kelly was still under contract with MGM was set to star in the movie “High Society”. As the public was left with the question whether Kelly will resume her career after tying the knot, Reinier was firm on his stance announcing that “High Society’ would indeed be Grace Kelly’s final motion picture.

19th April 1956 Grace Kelly became her serene highness princess grace of Monaco. The wedding was televised live to over 30 million people, marking a milestone in media history. Barbara Walters recalled interviewing Kelly about her impending wedding in 1956 and noted Kelly’s struggle to answer questions, which she believed might’ve ‘caught her off guard’- ‘Every question was difficult for her”, she said, “when the interview is over, she almost broke down in tears,” implying that the reality might’ve hit Kelly that her fate was on the verge of undergoing a drastic change.

Kelly gave birth to a daughter and son in years 1957 and 1958 and with her fame, their tourism increased tremendously, with Monaco bursting into the global consciousness, with Kelly taking the center stage, captivating the world’s attention.

In 1962, Kelly received a message stating that Hitchcock wanted her to star in his upcoming movie, “Marnie.”, which showed her demand in the industry, despite leaving Hollywood almost a decade ago. Her closed ones knew she yearned of returning Hollywood, especially once her children grow older as she always felt she couldn’t end her career on her own terms.

It was rumoured that Reinier initially didn’t show any disdain to the idea of Kelly’s return to silver screen, which’s why many believed she was distraught when he objected the offer at the last minute, causing her to withdraw from the movie.

It was reported that Kelly was offered a staggering 1 million for the movie, but her closed ones knew, it wasn’t the prospect of wealth that flattered her, but the opportunity to reclaim the independence, earning power and agency she felt she had lost in her marriage. In 1965 she was ecstatic with the birth of her 3rd child Stephanie, as she believed her daughter’s arrival made it easier for her to shift her attention elsewhere over her personal and career heartache.

By the 70s it was said that Kelly and Reinier had grown apart, with rumours speculating that Rainier had been unfaithful to her. During the rough patch, making the best of the situation, Kelly transformed Monaco’s red cross society into one of the generous and powerful units in the world, creating the “Princess Grace Foundation’ to assist international artists, who needed a helping hand. During this time, she dedicated herself wholeheartedly to philanthropy, travelling across the globe, championing cases close to her heart.

But again, this was once a movie star, who had won an Oscar at 26 years old and had abruptly ended her career, during what many considered to be her prime. In 1976, Kelly’s wistful thinking of returning to Hollywood became a reality, as she made a rare appearance at the Edinburgh Film Festival and performed in a poetry recital, proving she could still very well move an audience.

In 1976 Kelly sat down for an interview with Merv, where she reflected on career, humanitarian work, and life as a royal. When she was asked about her earliest memory of Monaco, she recalled how uneasy she felt during the shooting of one of her movies, where she had to drive at the narrow hillside in Monte Carlo and couldn’t focus as she was fearful of losing control of her vehicle. “I had to drive a car and go on a very tricky little turn and had to stop by a Bush this far from the edge.

I think I was more worried about that and less able to take in the beautiful scenery”. She said. Ironically, this would become a premonition of her untimely death, as it was eerily similar to what would be her tragic end six years later, as she was killed in a car accident in the hillside of Monte Carlo, while driving with her youngest daughter, who survived the crash.

Grace Kelly’s journey, from Hollywood royalty to serene highness of Monaco, was something for storybooks. For her, becoming a royal was her toughest role yet, as the public of Monaco seemed even harder to impress and more judgmental than those of Hollywood. However, in the end, the public believed she had more than fulfilled her promise, exceeding their expectations of those who scoffed at her for marrying a prince. She redefined and was a blueprint for modern day princess and served as an inspiration for the likes of princess Diana, whom she had formed a kinship, due their similar upbring as commoners, marrying into royalty. “The idea of my life as a fairy tale is itself a fairy tale”, Kelly once said.

It was known that her role as a princess prevented her from indulging in the joys she once found in her younger years as she had to uphold her image as the princess of Monaco, which left her feeling shattered. But Kelly often made no secret that, she preferred ‘good memories to regrets”, and was committed to succeed in her role as a royal, just like she did in Hollywood, as it became her ‘self fulfilling prophecy’. “I’ve had happy moments in my life, but I don’t think that happiness, is a perpetual state that anyone can be in.” Kelly once said. “Life isn’t that way.”