Princess Grace's Life
Little girls always dream of one thing: becoming a princess. For Grace Kelly, her life was a dream come true. Grace was born on November 12th, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York to become an actress. When she graduated in 1949, she worked as a model. She debuted on the stage in New York in the play "The Father" with Raymond Massey. Just four years after graduating college, she played the part of Georgia Elgin in "The Country Girl" with Bing Crosby, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1955, she traveled to Monaco to film "To Catch a Thief." At the Cannes Festival in 1955, she met Prince Rainier III, the unmarried ruler of Monaco. He needed to have an heir, or Monaco would be ruled by France and the people would have to pay French taxes when he died. The Prince and Grace then spent Christmas with her family in America. On January 5th, 1956, the two announced their engagement. Only three months later, on April 18th, they were married at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. This national celebration lasted for two days. From this event, Grace earned the title of Her Serene Princess of Monaco, although she is commonly referred to as Princess Grace. Princess Grace and Prince Rainier had three children: Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, Rainier's successor to the throne, and Princess Stephanie. Princess Grace wanted to raise her children as normally as possible, so she cooked and took personal care of them. Unfortunately, on September 14th, 1982, the Princess was driving around a bend in Rivera with her daughter, Princess Stephanie, when she had a stroke and drove off a cliff. Though her daughter survived, Princess Grace had fatal injuries, and died almost immediately. She was deeply mourned by her family and both of her countries. The United States and Monaco even made stamps to honor her. Her funeral was held in the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, where she was married nearly 20 years before, and was broadcast worldwide. As an idol for many, she was very important to the 1900's.
Princess Grace looking out her balcony over Monaco.
Significance
Princess Grace was significant in many ways. Firstly, she was important to Monaco. The people of Monaco had loved her for her kindness and generosity. She was the president of the Red Cross of Monaco, the Gardening Club of Monaco, and the committee that founded the International Arts Foundation. She also was on the board of 20th Century Fox Productions and earned the Ceres Medal from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for public service. There is a foundation that she established called the Princess Grace Foundation. The Princess Grace Foundation gives scholarships for and encourages young adults to pursue a career for performing arts. In America, she made a difference in acting. She starred in 11 movies and 60 television shows during her life. According to Premiere Magazine, she was the 12th best actress of all time. The Princess Grace Foundation that was originally based in Monaco spread out to America, and has helped many aspiring actors, musicians, and artists to get on their feet. Lastly, she changed the way people think about royalty. Before 1956, royalty was given to you by birth. Queens, Kings, Princes, and Princesses had never had civilian lives. Then Grace Kelly, the American actress, becomes a princess, only something that would happen in your imagination. The way that she tried to raise her children normally showcased her family's values and personality, which some royal families don't get a chance to do. She was able to show the world that her family was just as kind and caring as regular people are. Her impact on the world will never be forgotten.
The last interview of Princess Grace before her startling death.
Comments (7)
BridgeRiver said
at 3:40 pm on Sep 23, 2010
I think that modern princesses are often forgotten by many of the citizens in the United States, where they are considered the stuff of fairy tales. But clearly Princess Grace helped to prove that not only were princesses still around, but they also could lead normal lives, as she did. I find it interesting that she actually cooked and took personal care of them in an effort to help them lead normal lives. I wondered if this was a result of how she was brought up. What was her childhood like? I admire how she did things such as starting the Princess Grace Foundation, and also had an influential acting career. I would not think of an actress becoming a princess outside of the movies. I think that this article was extremely well-written, and it taught me a lot about someone who I did not know a thing about. I believe that you have proven that Princess Grace deserves to be mentioned in the song.
Princess Grace said
at 3:53 pm on Sep 23, 2010
Thanks for your comments. Princess Grace was born into a wealthy Philadelphia family. Her grandfather was a famous playwright, George Kelly. If you want to know more about her family, www.imdb.com is a great place to look.
Space Monkey said
at 4:58 pm on Sep 23, 2010
Did you ever dream of becoming a princess? From the time that I was 4 to the age of 7 that was my primary, and unrealistic, dream? You should have seen my room! At that time princesses were a fairytale to me, as BridgeRiver mentioned. I imagined them as beatiful women that had jewels and magnificently woven clothes. Princess Grace shows the world that this image is untrue. Princess Grace proves that just because she is wealthy and leads a privileged life doesnt mean that she can't effect the world in her own way. Bravo! My opinion is that women should have a more influential role in society. I welcome the day that the first women is elected into office, as a President. Anyways, I think that this wiki shows your ability to make any topic your own and to beautifully craft a writing piece that strongly supports why Princess Grace was such an important figure. I especially loved the video that you added, it strenghts your piece. One of the things that I found interesting was that Princess Grace was a movie star, usually you think of princesses and you think of people that try to keep out of the public eye. Thank you for teaching me a few things that I did not previously know about Princess Grace. : )
reagan said
at 5:02 pm on Sep 23, 2010
I found it very interesting how Princess Grace treated her whole family to a normal life, not caring about the fact that she was very wealthy and famous. Most princes and princesses have maids and butlers to look over their childeren. Princess Grace looked over hers and spent time with them, so I found that very interesting. I had absolutely no clue who or what Princess Grace was before I read this article. You taught me a lot of stuff from her birth to her death. Is there any other big organizations she participated in with her generosity besides The Princess Grace Foundation? Anyways, great job!
Campanella said
at 5:11 pm on Sep 23, 2010
It's so interesting how Princess Grace acted towards her family, trying to live a normal life, while most princesses have everything! Good job!!
Richard Nixon said
at 5:31 pm on Sep 23, 2010
It is intersting because I never knew so, many things about Princess Grace!I did not know much about her death. Even though I knew she was a movie star before she bcame princess I had no idea where she acted or much about how long she acted for.
Princess Grace said
at 7:41 pm on Sep 23, 2010
As I hope you can interpret from my writing, Princess Grace was a very charitable person. She was also very involved in the Red Cross of Monaco. The award she won from the UN was for helping the Red Cross house refugees from countries during conflicts. She also helped the Red Cross raise money from her connections. At one of the charity balls, Frank Sinatra came as a guest of the Princess. More information on her generosity is best found at http://www.popcultureuniverse.abc-clio.com.
Thanks for all of your positive comments!
You don't have permission to comment on this page.