Princess Grace's Life

     Young girls always dream of becoming one thing: 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 acted as George 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, the unmarried ruler of Monaco. He needed to have a heir, or Monaco would be ruled by France and the people would have to pay French taxes.^[1] 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, they were married on April 18th at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. This national celebration lasted for two days. From this event, Grace earned the title of Princess. Princess Grace and Princess Rainier had three children: Princess Caroline, Prince Albert, and Princess Stephanie. Princess Grace wanted to raise her children as normally as possible, so she cooked and took personal care of the children. 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 fell off a cliff. Princess Grace had fatal injuries, and died almost immediately, though her daughter survived. She was deeply mourned by her family and her country. The United States and Monaco made stamps to honor her. ^[2]Her funeral was held in the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, and was broadcasted worldwide. As an idol for many, she was very important to the 1900's. 

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    Princess Grace looking out over her balcony on Monaco.

Significance

     Princess Grace was significant in many ways. Firstly, she was important to her country. The people of Monaco had loved her for 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 the creative arts an encourages young adults to do art. She also made a difference in the American Acting. She starred in over _____ movies in her life. According to _____, she was the 12th best actress of all time.