Seventy years later, the wedding of Grace Kelly and Rainier III of Monaco has not yet been surpassed in glamour. Although there have been other emblematic unions since, such as the marriage of Prince Charles to Diana, Princess of Wales, none has equaled the fairy-tale ‘I do’ of the Oscar-winning Hollywood star with the prince of a small and very wealthy European principality. The actress was 26 years old when she married Prince Rainier III, then 32, on April 18, 1956, in a civil ceremony, followed by a religious ceremony the next day.
By then Grace Kelly, born in Philadelphia, had already been dazzling audiences around the world for five years with films such as To Catch a Thief or Rear Window, when she led the United States delegation at the Cannes Film Festival in 1955. There, she was invited to cross the French border to neighboring Monaco for a photo session with Prince Rainier at his palace. The spark between them ignited, and soon they began a secret correspondence. That same year they got engaged and swiftly began preparations for a wedding that would eclipse all others.
St. Nicholas Cathedral was prepared for the religious ceremony, which was followed by television worldwide by 30 million people. Meanwhile, MGM, Grace Kelly’s studio during her peak years, provided two wedding dresses designed by Oscar-winning Helen Rose, one of which took three weeks to sew. Invitations were sent to 700 people, among them Aristotle Onassis, hotel magnate Conrad Hilton and movie stars such as Cary Grant, Gloria Swanson and Ava Gardner.
Meanwhile, the bride remained in the United States. And so, on April 4, 1956, Grace Kelly, together with her family, six bridesmaids, 80 suitcases and a poodle, boarded in New York aboard the SS Constitution bound for Monaco. They were also accompanied by a multitude of journalists and photographers eager to witness history in the making. Up to 400 reporters applied to participate in the voyage, but most were denied. Even those who stayed on land enjoyed a spectacular view: when the interpreter boarded the ship, an airplane owned by Onassis flew overhead, dropping red and white carnations.
Grace Kelly and Her Voyage on the Ship of Love
“My mother would occasionally mention the whole voyage on the Constitution,” Prince Albert told People magazine on one occasion. “He said it had been fun for the wedding guests. It really helped strengthen the bonds among all the people of Philadelphia, her family and friends, who traveled together on the ocean liner.” The current head of the Grimaldi family added then that his mother used to talk a lot also about her French poodle Olivier, which was a gift from Cary Grant.
Grace Kelly’s arrival in Monaco was an event even grander than her departure, with 1,800 photographers gathered to capture the historic moment. After eight days of travel, the actress and her entourage arrived in Monte Carlo, where Rainier III came out to greet her on his own yacht, the Deo Juvante II. Off the coast, thousands of people cheered the two vessels to welcome the woman who would soon become Princess Grace. She stepped ashore with a serenity that seemed almost cinematic: dressed with elegance, a silhouette accentuated by a large white hat and that unmistakable aura of calm sophistication.
Grace Kelly greets her fiancé as she arrives in Monaco in 1956.
The light of the Mediterranean seemed to welcome her, as if aware that this was not just any arrival, but the prelude to a modern fairy tale unfolding before the eyes of the world. “My father said it was exhausting to go through all those circumstances, the pomp and the planning,” Prince Albert also told People magazine about the days leading up to his parents’ wedding. A series of plans that would lead to an eight-day festival period culminating on April 17. A day before the wedding, the Prince’s Palace hosted a grand reception with forty foreign delegations and a fireworks display.
And Grace and Rainier Dined on Partridges
The following day the civil ceremony took place in the Palace Throne Room, with Grace Kelly dressed in a two-piece ensemble of pale pink tafeta, covered with champagne-colored French lace, the first of the dresses provided by MGM. The actual ceremony lasted barely 16 minutes, but then they devoted 25 full minutes to listening to the 140 new titles that now belonged to the actress as Monaco’s new princess. And then the newlyweds had to repeat the whole ritual again for the press.
Grace Kelly, Rainier and Olivier, about to begin their honeymoon voyage.
The second ceremony took place at the St. Nicholas Cathedral the next day. In the sight of 30 million people, Grace Kelly arrived in a dress worthy of a princess, made with 274 meters of antique Belgian lace and 137 meters of silk, tafetán and tulle. Rainier was more nervous than she was, and his newly minted wife had to help him place the ring on his finger. The wedding ended with a traditional offering to Saint Devota, Monaco’s patron saint, and a banquet of caviar, lobster and champagne for 600 guests. The wedding cake alone cost 15,000 euros and was unlike any other, as it contained two live doves, animals that symbolize fidelity, trust and lasting love.
Next, the prince and the princess boarded the Deo Juvante II, to enjoy a seven-week honeymoon. At that moment, they anchored off the coast of Monaco and, according to contemporary chronicles, quickly slipped into a well-deserved sleep. The couple began their honeymoon the following day, leaving behind memories and images that would endure far beyond their own lives. Grace Kelly passed away at the age of 52 in a tragic car accident in 1982. The prince Rainier never remarried and dedicated himself entirely to his work and his children until his death in 2005.
