Grace Levine


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It is strange to think they would be led by such a petty motive. Moreover, they formed such an interesting contrast in photographs, one brunette, one blonde, yet with a definite resemblance (hairstyles for instance). Well, who knows ?
 
somehow I cant see it , Princess grace and Prince rainer being worried about her out shining caroline, it could be Grace didnt want to be in the spot light , I suppose we will never know.
 
I also find this very stupid, but that's what that mag (in this case it was Novella) wrote. I wouldn't take what these mags write as gospel.
 
Tosca said:
I also find this very stupid, but that's what that mag (in this case it was Novella) wrote. I wouldn't take what these mags write as gospel.

It sounds like a magazine just trying to stir up a story where there isn't one. It must have been a slow news week when they printed that.
 
This is part of an article from The Philadelphia Inquirer on October 9, 1977, the year I "knew" her because I taught French at the University of Pennsylvania and saw her in the hallways and on campus.
"More often than not she is identified simply as 'Princess Caroline's beautiful American cousin from Philadelphia.'
'It took them awhile to figure out who I was,' the beautiful American cousin, otherwise known as Grace LeVine, said the other day"(... )'I guess they figured with my blond hair and slight resemblance to my aunt, I was some relation. It didn't matter though, because they never got the stories right anyway.'
It will be some time before they get any stories, right or wrong, about the peripatetic Miss LeVine, who recently returned to Philadelphia and is currently enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania.
A French major who attended three other colleges (freshman year at Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland, sophomore year at Georgetown University in Washington, and junior year at the University of Paris), Miss LeVine said she needed 'about three semesters' of course work to receive her degree from Penn.
Why did she give up la vie Parisienne?
'I just didn't want to stay in Paris any longer and I thought it would be nice to come to Philadelphia and get to know the city,' said Miss LeVine who grew up in Gladwyne and graduated from Harriton High School in Rosemont. 'I really don't know that much about center city. When you live in the suburbs you never really have any reason to come into town. So for me it's like moving to a new city that happens to be close to home.'
'I haven't been around too much except for here on campus,' she went on. 'But it looks like it will be pretty neat.'
'Neat' is an appropriate adjective to describe the reed-slim, 21-year-old namesake of Princess Grace who was wearing a crisp white shirt with a beige cardigan slung over her shoulders, and tweed slacks and red clogs. The resemblance to her famous aunt was evident in her delicately chiselled features, sea-blue eyes and ash blond hair, yet she looked less like a serene royal highness than a fresh-scrubbed All-American homecoming queen.
Indeed, she seemed refreshingly open and matter-of-fact as she described her recent sojourn in Paris where she lived in the elegant Grimaldi townhouse on a secluded square off the fashionable Avenue Foch.
Princess Grace, she said, often resides there, looking after her niece and daughters Stephanie, 12, and Caroline, 20, a philosophy student at the Sorbonne.
'There were just so many things to do!' said Miss LeVine with an exuberant gesture of a hand adorned with a tiny emerald-and-diamond ring. 'Paris has really good theaters-especially the Comedie Francaise-and lots of different cafes and restaurants. Everything starts much later there. You didn't eat dinner till 10 or 10:30 and you don't start going out dancing and stuff until nearly midnight.'
'It's crazy,' she continued in a tone that implied she loved such craziness. 'I had 8 o'clock classes some mornings which meant I had to leave the house by 7 to take the Metro. I don't know how I did it.'
Despite the social whirl, Miss LeVine said she had managed to pass all her courses, which required rigorous three-hour written and oral examinations.
'Caroline is a very good student,' she said when asked about the rumor that her cousin transferred to the Sorbonne because she had failed her final exams at the Institute of Political Studies. 'She has a very, very good memory. And we both cracked the books-every once in awhile.'
She went on to say that neither she nor her cousin were considered 'anything special' by her French classmates ('You'd have trouble picking out Caroline from a bunch of kids on campus').
On the other hand, photographers trailed the young women all over Paris, not to mention Monaco.
'We got to be pretty good at ditching them,' she said with a grin. She also said she usually spoke English with Caroline except when Prince Rainier was around and everyone conversed in French. 'Sometimes when we were driving we'd stop some stranger and say, 'Oh, sir, please help us we're being followed.' He'd block the photographer's car and we'd zip off.'(...)
Miss LeVine, who said there was no special man in her life just now, described American men as being more "mature" than European men who she described as "more polite."
'There really isn't any woman's lib in Europe,' said the poised, softspoken student who spent the last three summers working in the group sales department at Atlantic City Race Course. 'Men there light your cigarettes, pour your wine, and things like that. I like having my wine poured for me but I don't like being treated like a little girl. I mean, some European men carry these things too far.'
Miss LeVine, who commuted between her parent's Main Line home and the university in her red Honda, said she planned, within the next few weeks, to move into her brother Christopher's West Philadelphia apartment. She added that she was "really close" to her 20-year-old brother who is a junior at Penn. ('I guess not that many brothers and sisters get along, but we do.')
Later, relaxing on a bench outside Furness Hall, Miss LeVine revealed that she was a chocolate addict whose favorite dish was a "spinach and rice type quiche" concocted by the palace chef in Monaco; that she bought her clothes at a Paris discount store because 'you'd need a gold mine to afford anything otherwise;' that she does decoupage designs for friends; that she helps her mother with charity events for the Medical College of Pennsylvania.
Her career plans, she said, are "undecided," adding that she was toying with the idea of becoming an interpretor.
'A lot of people suggested modeling to me,' she said, brushing back her hair to reveal two tiny earrings in her right earlobe. 'But the only modeling I've done has been for my mother's benefit fashion shows.'
She smiled and shook her head when asked whether she had any ambition to be an actress. What did she think of her aunt's films?
'I don't think I've seen all of them,' said Miss LeVine with a shrug. 'I liked 'High Society' but I fell asleep halfway through 'The Swan.'
'It's funny, but when I see her on screen it's like watching a different person,' she added, reflectively. 'She doesn't look like that now and I was never around when she was an actress. To me, she's just my aunt.'
 
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You're all very welcome. Glad you enjoyed it !
I still wish there had been some kind of public ceremony (in Paris or Monaco) for all who had known her to bid her farewell and bring closure. I know they thought of the event as purely family, but Grace was a public figure in her own right, and I know I would have done my best to attend.
 
Also making Grace special to royal watchers is the fact that Lizanne named her after the Princess as she was heavily pregnant with her during the wedding (thus making her unable to attend). So in a way, she is the closest Kelly link to Grace Kelly.

There doesn't seem to be a Kelly relative besides her who has been noted by the press or observers as resembling Grace Kelly in any way physically.

I suppose her Grimaldi cousins gave her their tribute by having a special award named after her at the Princess Grace Awards.
 
iloveroyals said:
You're all very welcome. Glad you enjoyed it !
I still wish there had been some kind of public ceremony (in Paris or Monaco) for all who had known her to bid her farewell and bring closure. I know they thought of the event as purely family, but Grace was a public figure in her own right, and I know I would have done my best to attend.

she wasnt that "Public" really , and I must admit I agree with the family , its private , Not as if she was famous in her own right , or royalt . she was know for being Grace Kelly's neice ! , but must say its a shame that she died so young !
 
I know, but many of us loved her, and would have liked to pay our final respects in a memorial service. That's all. I am glad this forum provides a form of tribute to her.
 
iloveroyals said:
A French major who attended three other colleges (freshman year at Franklin College in Lugano, Switzerland, sophomore year at Georgetown University in Washington, and junior year at the University of Paris), Miss LeVine said she needed 'about three semesters' of course work to receive her degree from Penn.'

Interesting! I'm from Philadelphia, went to Franklin College my junior year and used to work at Penn! I also used to drive by the Kelly house every day when I lived in Philadelphia.
 
btsnyder, tell us more ! Did you know her or of her ? Were you curious ?

Royrules, there is actually another niece of Grace's who resembled her, John Kelly's (brother of Grace) daughter, except that Grace LeVine had fine delicate features, and Liz Kelly looked like a very robust Grace Kelly, puffy cheeks, wonderful smile but otherwise the same shape of face. She was photographed for a long article in 1988, was 29, and was a baker in Philadelphia. She too stayed in Princess Grace's Avenue Foch apartment and took French lessons. In the photograph, she looks like Princess Grace looked at fifty, but very "simpatico".
 
do you have the picture of Princess Grace's other niece , "iloverroyals"
 
I do, as well as the whole interview, but the new rules on posting pictures intimidate me! I guess all I have to do is write the Philadelphia Inquirer and ask them, is it that simple ? By the way, the interview focused on Liz Kelly' s work, creations, personality, there was very little connecting her to Caroline, as opposed to the Grace LeVine interview. Of course it was 11 years later too. She said she went to Monaco often on summers, got along particularly well with Albert, but got bored with parties and sunbathing and enjoyed working better. She was more like someone of the male Kelly line, thriving on work and independence. Her baking and pastry creations sounded scrumptious !
 
iloveroyals said:
btsnyder, tell us more ! Did you know her or of her ? Were you curious ?

I'm much younger than Grace LeVine was - I was at Franklin in 1988. But being from Philadelphia, the Kelly's are everywhere. Interestingly, Princess Grace's father and brother are more well-known in Philly than she is. For example, Kelly Drive in Philadelphia is a beautiful thoroughfare along the Schuykill River where the two Jacks used to row. It's actually named for Grace's brother - many visitors think it's named in honor or Grace.

The Kelly's are like Phiadelphia's Kennedy's - but with finer features!
 
I totally agree with you. It was the Kellys who made the news, not the Grimaldis, unless they came to town. Especially Jack Kelly, what a character ! I moved to Philadelphia in 1975 and lived there till 1988, then moved nearby but still commuted to work, and I felt so lucky that of all the cities in the U.S, I had landed in the one that would have the most articles about Caroline, through her mother, a Kelly girl. So I relished all the articles and photos of when Caroline came to visit her relatives in the summer, walking on the beach, introducing Philippe Junot, Rainier playing tennis or golf (I forgot) in the country club, P.Grace visiting with her old friends. I ate it up ! I had encouraged my husband to accept the position in Philadelphia for that very reason. How silly can one be ! But I was 22 and a fan, what can I say ? So now I have all these archives that I treasure.
 
btsnyder said:
I'm much younger than Grace LeVine was - I was at Franklin in 1988. But being from Philadelphia, the Kelly's are everywhere. Interestingly, Princess Grace's father and brother are more well-known in Philly than she is. For example, Kelly Drive in Philadelphia is a beautiful thoroughfare along the Schuykill River where the two Jacks used to row. It's actually named for Grace's brother - many visitors think it's named in honor or Grace.

The Kelly's are like Phiadelphia's Kennedy's - but with finer features!

Kelly Drive is the location of "Boathouse Row". For those of you not familiar with Philly, if you are ever watching a nationally televised sporting event from here, they usually show shots from around the city. Boathouse Row are all the really big "houses" along the river that are outlined in white lights. It is absolutely beautiful. In fact, I have a framed picture in my bedroom of Boathouse Row at night. It is here you can see the statue of John Sr. (Graces Dad) in a sculling boat. He was the superior oarsman of the family. In fact, I think that statue may be at the finish line for the rowing events on the Schulkill. It's been a long time since I've been to a race down there.

My mother used to say you couldn't go down a street in Philly without seeing the "Kelly for Brickwork" signs on construction sights & peoples lawns. John Sr. built a heck of an empire. :bang: I only added this guy for the brick wall.:lol:
 
Used to drive by it every day....

http://philadelphia.about.com/library/gallery/blkelly_drive80.htm

In thinking about the Kellys, you know what I always find funny? Whenever I see mentions of Grace in the media, the Kellys are always referred to "Philadelphia blue bloods" or Grace is referred to as "Philadelphia socialite." These descriptions are so inaccurate. The Kellys had some money, but they were most definitely not one of Philadelphia's elite familes. They were Irish, Catholic and nouveau riche...three strikes against you in being a Philadelphia blue-blood.
 
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btsnyder said:
In thinking about the Kellys, you know what I always find funny? Whenever I see mentions of Grace in the media, the Kellys are always referred to "Philadelphia blue bloods" or Grace is referred to as "Philadelphia socialite." These descriptions are so inaccurate. The Kellys had some money, but they were most definitely not one of Philadelphia's elite familes. They were Irish, Catholic and nouveau riche...three strikes against you in being a Philadelphia blue-blood.

True, but given that we're in 2006, the media isn't that mindful about the rather snobbish attitude that created the bias against the Catholic Kellys. Also, Philadelphia is aware that the Kellys produced an American Icon that their city can be so proud of.

Grace and her siblings were raised in wealth, by the way. There was this other angle I read before where they thought that by saying that her family was nouveau riche, they thought Grace was born poor. I suppose Jack Kelly had more money than some of the Main Line families who are mainly backed up by their family names and not actual cash and property :)
 
Yes, it is. She was present at all the festivities surrounding the wedding.
 
The Delaware County Daily Times which is one of the local suburban papers has a little column called "Other Times". In it they list news items from that dates paper 100, 75, 50, 25, & 10 years ago. The 12/31/06 paper had as an item...10 Years ago-1996 Sweetwater Farm, an historic inn that has been a bed and breakfast since 1983, has new owners. Ric Hovesian and Grace LeVine bought the property from Michael Gretz and Jonathan Propper.

It caught my eye so I thought I would share it. Hope everyone had a good New Year.
 
Grace Levine demystified

Grace did NOT graduate from college, never had a real job. Married Packer in the early 80s. Divorced HIM. Bought the B&B in PA. Packer then married Grace's cousin, Meg Davis,daughter of Peggy Kelly, Grace Kellys' sister. Meg Davis left HER husband, Richard Roe, to marry Packer. Grace Levine never had any children. Her brother, Chris, married Vickie McNeill, the Tylenol queen. They have a daughter, Kelly Levine. Grace Levine died from cancer...no real mystery there.
 
RealReality said:
Grace did NOT graduate from college, never had a real job. Married Packer in the early 80s. Divorced HIM. Bought the B&B in PA. Packer then married Grace's cousin, Meg Davis,daughter of Peggy Kelly, Grace Kellys' sister. Meg Davis left HER husband, Richard Roe, to marry Packer. Grace Levine never had any children. Her brother, Chris, married Vickie McNeill, the Tylenol queen. They have a daughter, Kelly Levine. Grace Levine died from cancer...no real mystery there.

I think Chris & Vickie also have a son named Christopher.
 
Realreality has the facts wrong. Packer was married to Meg, who is also Princess Grace's niece, since I believe 1964 for 29 yrs so it could not have been the same Packer who married Grace Levine.
 
Not true! Meg married Roe first and had three sons with him. Grace Levine married Packer first, divorced him & he married Meg in 1992 or so...I can't remember. Levine never married again.
 
Can anyone provide any documentation that support either claim?
 
Clarity

Senior Bachelor
This is Meg's FIRST hubby. They were married in 1964, had three boys.
They divorced in 1991.
Meg then married Packer, who is in the financial arena. They live in Blue Bell, PA, where Meg is active playing golf.



This is Meg:

Friends of the Boyd
 
RealReality you are right!! I reread the article and it was about Roe, I, for some reason thought it was about Packer. I stand corrected, sorry about that!!
 
WOW! She looks much more like Caroline and even Charlotte than Stephanie looks like Caroline!Yes she was stunning! So sad she died so young. Sweet that Caroline and Albert started a Grace Levine awards after her.
 
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