"Rainier III, Prince of Monaco Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs in European history. Though internationally known for his marriage to American actress Grace Kelly, he was also responsible for reforms to Monaco's constitution and for expanding the principality's economy beyond its traditional casino gambling base. Gambling accounts for only approximately three percent of the nation's annual revenue today; when Rainier ascended the throne in 1949, it accounted for more than 95 percent. Rainier"
"May 6, 1955. At the time of her initial meeting with him, she was dating the French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont. After a year-long courtship described as containing ""a good deal of rational appraisal on both sides"" (""The Times"", 7 April 2005, page 59), Prince Rainier married Kelly in 1956. The Napoleonic Code of Monaco and the laws of the Roman Catholic Church necessitated two ceremonies – both a civil ceremony and a religious wedding. The 16-minute civil ceremony took place in the Palace Throne Room of Monaco on April 18, 1956, and a reception later in the day was attended"
"eventually being appointed President of the United States Olympic Committee shortly before his sudden death from a heart attack in 1985. Kelly's daughter Grace was an Academy Award-winning actress who became princess of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier in 1956. Kelly purportedly gave Prince Rainier a $2 million dowry for his daughter's marriage. Kelly is the maternal grandfather of Albert II, the reigning monarch of Monaco. When Grace's engagement to Prince Rainier was announced, Kelly quipped: ""I told the Prince that royalty didn't mean that much to us, and that I hoped he wouldn't run around the way some"
"nomination in 1954. Subsequently, she had leading roles in five films, including ""The Country Girl"" (1954), for which her deglamorized performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Other films include ""High Noon"" (1952) with Gary Cooper, ""Dial M for Murder"" (1954) with Ray Milland, ""Rear Window"" (1954) with James Stewart, ""To Catch a Thief"" (1955) with Cary Grant, and ""High Society"" (1956) with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Kelly retired from acting at the age of 26 to marry Rainier and began her duties as Princess of Monaco. They had three children: Caroline, Albert II, and Stéphanie. Kelly"
"the breakup of the relationship. Rainier's marriage to Grace Kelly in 1956 and the arrival of his heirs, Princess Caroline in 1957 and Prince Albert in 1958, effectively scuttled Antoinette's plans. She was removed from the Palace by her sister-in-law, Princess Grace, and thereafter was estranged from the princely family for many years. She was known to be somewhat eccentric, even having been described as ""completely mad"" by her servants. Having been banished from Monaco in the late 1950s, she lived down the coast from Monaco at Èze, with a large collection of dogs and cats. She was the president"
"year, she portrayed a long-suffering wife of an alcoholic actor played by Bing Crosby in ""The Country Girl"" (1954) for which Kelly received the Academy Award for Best Actress, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama in 1955. She reteamed with Hitchcock on the romantic thriller ""To Catch a Thief"" (1955) opposite Cary Grant. In 1956, she appeared in the romantic comedy ""The Swan"", and the musical comedy ""High Society"". Later that year, the 26-year-old Kelly retired from acting to marry Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and become the Princess of Monaco. Grace"
"May 1949, and the accession of her step-grandson, Rainier III, she became Dowager Princess of Monaco, a title she held until her death. Ghislaine Dommanget Ghislaine Marie Françoise Dommanget (13 October 1900 – 30 April 1991) was a French actress and the Princess consort of Monaco from 1946 to 1949. Dommanget was the daughter of Colonel Robert Joseph Dommanget (1867–1957) and his wife, Marie Louise Meunier (1867–1957). She married Paul Diey (1863–1931) in 1923 and subsequently had a relationship with André Brulé, an actor. She broke up with Brulé and married the reigning Prince of Monaco, Louis II, on 24"
"with the French film actress Gisèle Pascal, whom he had met while a student at Montpellier University, and the couple lived at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Rainier's sister, Princess Antoinette, wishing her own son to ascend the throne, spread rumours that Pascal was infertile. The rumours combined with a snobbery over Pascal's family origins ultimately ended the relationship. Rainier became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco on the death of Louis II on 9 May 1949. After ascending the throne, Rainier worked assiduously to recoup Monaco's lustre, which had become tarnished through neglect (especially financial) and scandal (his mother, Princess Charlotte, took a noted"
"in Monaco were on 18 April 1956 (civil) and 19 April 1956 (religious). Their children are: In 1979, Prince Rainier made his acting debut alongside his wife Grace in a 33-minute independent film called ""Rearranged"", produced in Monaco. According to co-star Edward Meeks, after premiering it in Monaco, Grace showed it to ABC TV executives in New York in 1982, who expressed interest if extra scenes were shot to make it an hour long. However, Grace died in a car crash caused by a stroke in 1982, making it impossible to expand the film for American release. Rainier then may"
"the jet set. The marriage of American film actress Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier of Monaco on 18 April 1956, attracted world attention once again. It was viewed on television by 30 million people. During the 1960s, the Mayor of Nice, Jacques Médecin, decided to reduce the dependence of the Riviera on ordinary tourism, and to make it a destination for international congresses and conventions. He built the ""Palais des Congrès"" at the Acropolis in Nice, and founded a Chagall Museum and a Matisse Museum at Cimiez. High-rise apartment buildings and real estate developments began to spread. At the end"
"1954. Subsequently, she had leading roles in five films, including ""The Country Girl"" (1954) with Bing Crosby, for which her deglamorized performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. Other films include ""High Noon"" (1952), with Gary Cooper; ""High Society"" (1956), with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra; and three Alfred Hitchcock films: ""Dial M for Murder"" (1954), with Ray Milland; ""Rear Window"" (1954), with James Stewart; ""To Catch a Thief"" (1955), with Cary Grant. Kelly retired from acting at the age of 26 to marry Rainier, and began her duties as Princess of Monaco. They had three children: Caroline,"
"Her affair with composer Isidore de Lara resulted in Prince Albert slapping her in view of an audience at the ""Salle Garnier"". The Prince and Princess of Monaco separated judicially on May 30, 1902 (Monaco) and June 3, 1902 (France), but remained married. Upon the prince's death 20 years later, Alice became the Dowager Princess of Monaco. She did not remarry. Her former home in New Orleans is now the ""Café Amelie"" and advertises itself as a setting for weddings, receptions, special parties and the like. Alice Heine Alice Heine (February 10, 1858 – December 22, 1925) was the American-born"
"(born 1947) and Christine Alix (1951–1989). By 1951, Rainier was the Prince of Monaco, but was unmarried and had no children. Some have reported that, citing the need for an heir to continue the throne of Monaco, Christian's mother Princess Antoinette sought to gauge support among Monegasque citizenry for a change to the constitution to place Christian upon the throne as a child, with his mother exercising sovereign authority as regent until his adulthood. The Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1918 already provided that a childless sovereign of Monaco could adopt an heir to the throne. Therefore, had Rainier then chosen to"
"1929) and Elizabeth Anne (born June 1933 and nicknamed ""Lizanne""). Kelly's younger sister Grace would go on to become an Academy Award winning film actress who married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956. Kelly's nephew is Monaco's current monarch Prince Albert II. The children were raised in a 17-room house on Henry Avenue in East Falls, Philadelphia Kelly served in the United States Navy during World War II. He was stationed in Bainbridge, Maryland. Kelly graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1950 and rowed for the varsity team. Kelly represented the United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics"
"Dommanget (1900–91), a French film actress and former wife of actor André Brulé. Absent from Monaco during most of the final years of his reign, he and his wife lived at Marchais, the family estate near Paris. Prince Louis II died in 1949 in the Prince's Palace and is buried at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monte Carlo, Monaco. His widow, Ghislaine, Dowager Princess of Monaco, died on 30 April 1991 in Paris, where she was interred in the Passy Cemetery. Hereditary Princess Charlotte ceded her succession rights to her son, Rainier, in 1944, at which time he became Hereditary"
"Ghislaine Dommanget Ghislaine Marie Françoise Dommanget (13 October 1900 – 30 April 1991) was a French actress and the Princess consort of Monaco from 1946 to 1949. Dommanget was the daughter of Colonel Robert Joseph Dommanget (1867–1957) and his wife, Marie Louise Meunier (1867–1957). She married Paul Diey (1863–1931) in 1923 and subsequently had a relationship with André Brulé, an actor. She broke up with Brulé and married the reigning Prince of Monaco, Louis II, on 24 July 1946 — the first bride of a member of the House of Grimaldi without a dowry. Following Louis II's death on 9"
"medical examination reported that she was infertile. Pascal subsequently married actor Raymond Pellegrin on 8 October 1955 and had a daughter, Pascale Pellegrin, on 12 September 1962. Gisèle Pascal Gisèle Pascal (17 September 1921 – 2 February 2007) was a French actress and a former lover of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. She was born Gisèle Marie Madeleine Tallone at Cannes in France. Her first movie role was in 1942's ""L'Arlésienne"". For six years, she was involved in a relationship with Prince Rainier, and lived together in a villa in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy, Rainier's sister, seeking to"
"Guinness and Louis Jourdan. Her final role was in Charles Walters's musical film ""High Society"", a re-make of the 1940 MGM classic ""The Philadelphia Story."" In this film, she stars opposite Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Celeste Holm. Kelly headed the U.S. delegation at the Cannes Film Festival in April 1955. While there, she was invited to participate in a photo session with Prince Rainier III, the sovereign of the Principality of Monaco, at the Prince's Palace, about 55 kilometers away from Cannes. After a series of delays and complications, she met him at the Prince's Palace of Monaco on"
"Prince of Monaco. The couple had two children: Their marriage was not, however, a happy one; they separated on 20 March 1930 due to his homosexuality, and Charlotte left him to live with her doctor and Italian lover, Dalmazzo. The couple were divorced on 18 February 1933 by ordinance of Prince Louis II. On 30 May 1944, the day before her son's 21st birthday and in full agreement with her father, Charlotte renounced and ceded her rights to the throne to her son Rainier, subject to the stipulation that he did not predecease her. From this date she was no"
"Gisèle Pascal Gisèle Pascal (17 September 1921 – 2 February 2007) was a French actress and a former lover of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. She was born Gisèle Marie Madeleine Tallone at Cannes in France. Her first movie role was in 1942's ""L'Arlésienne"". For six years, she was involved in a relationship with Prince Rainier, and lived together in a villa in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy, Rainier's sister, seeking to obtain the throne of Monaco for her own son, spread malicious rumors that Pascal was incapable of bearing children. A contemplated marriage was called off when a"
"of her uncle Rainier III with Grace Kelly. Elisabeth-Anne was married twice. She married firstly in Monaco on 19 January 1974 and divorced ""Baron"" Bernard Alexandre Taubert-Natta (Geneva, 2 July 1941 - Geneva, 13 April 1989), and had one son: She married secondly in London on 18 October 1984 to choreographer Nicolai Vladimir Costello a.k.a. ""de Lusignan"" (b. Lees, 24 December 1943), and had one daughter: She is well known for her charity work in Monaco. She is President of the Monegasque Tennis Federation and of the Monte Carlo Country Club. She lost her place in the line of succession"
"intarsia designs which include the double R monogram of Prince Rainier III. Together with his wife, the late Grace Kelly, Prince Rainier not only restored the palace, but from the 1970s also made it the headquarters of a large and thriving business, which encouraged light industry to Monaco, the aim of which was to lessen Monaco's dependence on the income from gambling. This involved land reclamation, the development of new beaches, and high rise luxury housing. As a result of Monaco's increase in prestige, in 1993 it joined the United Nations, with Rainier's heir Prince Albert as head of the"
"the June 24 issue of ""Collier's"" magazine, with a celebrated photo of Kelly rising from the water with wet hair making the cover. Conant wrote that he thought that Kelly's sole flaw in her appearance was her jaw, which he considered too square. He would use a dog or a baby to disguise it when photographing her below her jaw. Conant later said that ""You trusted Grace's beauty...You knew it wasn't built from clothes and makeup...this was Grace: natural, unpretentious"". Kelly sailed on the ""SS Constitution"" from New York to Monaco for her marriage to Prince Rainier in 1956. Many"
"movie star Grace Kelly had an arranged meeting and photo shoot with Prince Rainier III of Monaco; they married in 1956. The Carlton's distinctive domes on both seaward corners were reputedly designed to resemble the breasts of Caroline Otero (""La Belle Otero"") the most famous courtesan of the French Riviera during the years surrounding World War I. The Carlton's elegant seventh floor formal dining room was named La Belle Otero in her honour (this restaurant was closed and the entire seventh floor is a VIP floor comprising the hotel's finest suites). There are a couple of restaurants: the Carlton Restaurant"
"starring Grace Kelly. According to Head, Kelly ""fell in love"" with the bag. Within months of her 1956 marriage to Prince Rainier III, the pregnant Princess of Monaco was photographed using the handbag to shield her growing belly from the paparazzi. That photograph was featured in ""Life"" magazine. A Hollywood celebrity from a wealthy Philadelphia family and married to a European monarch, Princess Grace was a fashion icon, and the handbag immediately achieved great popularity. Although the handbag instantly became known as the Kelly bag, it was not officially renamed until 1977. The handbag with which Princess Grace was photographed"
"which in 1997 celebrated 700 years of rule from the same palace. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the palace and its owners became symbols of the slightly risqué glamour and decadence that were associated with Monte Carlo and the French Riviera. Glamour and theatricality became reality when the American film star Grace Kelly became chatelaine of the palace in 1956. In the 21st century, the palace remains the residence of the current Prince of Monaco. The palace is a blend of architectural styles; its ancient origins are indicated by a lack of symmetry. Thus to evaluate the architecture,"
"have been romantically involved with his second cousin, Princess Ira von Fürstenberg, a former actress turned jewellery designer, who is also a Fiat heiress and the former sister-in-law of fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg. Princess Ira, like him, is a great-grandchild of Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, the Scottish-German wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco, though by Lady Mary's second marriage. After Grace's death, Rainier refused to remarry. Rainier established a postal museum in 1950: the Museum of Stamps and Coins, in Monaco's Fontvieille district by using the collections of the Monegasque princes Albert I and Louis II. The prestigious"
"his succession to the princely throne of Monaco and the Grimaldi noble titles. However, France had undergone two wars against Germany and did not wish to see German princes ruling the Principality of Monaco. Therefore, France reached an agreement with the principality allowing the illegitimate daughter of Louis II, Charlotte, to be his heir presumptive to the princely throne and Grimaldi noble titles. Charlotte renounced and ceded her rights to the princely throne on 30 May 1944 to her son Rainier who became Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. Princess Florestine of Monaco Princess ""Florestine"" Gabrielle Antoinette of Monaco (Full French"
"Paris. Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois (Charlotte Louise Juliette Grimaldi; 30 September 1898 – 15 November 1977), was the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. From 1922 until 1944, she was the Hereditary Princess of Monaco, heir presumptive to the throne. Born Charlotte Louise Juliette de Monaco in Constantine, French Algeria, she was the illegitimate daughter of Marie Juliette Louvet, a cabaret singer, and Louis Grimaldi, then Hereditary Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois, son and heir of Monaco's reigning prince, Albert"
"uncle Rainier III with Grace Kelly. Christine-Alix was married twice. She married firstly in Monaco on 14 February 1972 and divorced in 1976 Charles Wayne Knecht, first cousin once removed of Princess Grace (b. Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, 23 November 1944), and had one son: She married secondly on 25 March 1988 Leon Leroy, without issue. She died of leukemia at the age of 37. Christine Alix de Massy Christine Alix de Massy (Noghès) (8 July 1951 – 15 February 1989) was born to Princess Antoinette of Monaco and her then lover Alexandre-Athenase Noghès. She was a first cousin of"
"actresses in film, plays, and television. In 2013, Cartier created a replica of the ruby and diamond tiara they had originally made in 1956 for Princess Grace of Monaco for the film, ""Grace of Monaco"" starring Nicole Kidman. Tiara A tiara (from , from ) is a jeweled, ornamental crown traditionally worn by women. It is worn during formal occasions, particularly if the dress code is white tie. Today, the word ""tiara"" is often used interchangeably with the word ""diadem"", and ""tiara"" is often translated to a word similar to ""diadem"" in other languages. Both words come from head ornaments"
"Prince Rainier of Monaco and his wife Grace Kelly, and Aga Khan IV; entertainers included Julio Iglesias. In 1973, exiled dictator Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar, who had left Cuba with a fortune estimated at between $100 and $300 million and lived extravagantly in various Iberian resorts, died of a heart attack there. Fugitive financier Marc Rich bought a house in Marbella, renounced his American citizenship and claimed Spanish citizenship during his decades of evading American income taxes, although he spent more time (and died) in Switzerland. In 1974, Prince Fahd arrived in Marbella from Montecarlo. Until his death in 2005,"
"Wales, and Empress Farah of Iran. At a later memorial service in Beverly Hills, James Stewart delivered the following eulogy: Rainier, who did not remarry, was buried alongside her in 2005. Kelly left a lasting legacy as a model, theater artist, television actress (her most prolific work, acting in around 100 TV plays), and an iconic Hollywood film star. Kelly has been cited as one of the ""classic Hitchcock blondes"", and as one of the most elegant women in cinematic and world history. One author describes her as the ""elegant glamour girl of the screen"". Grace Kelly appeared on the"