Princess Grace's Legacy

[Florestane]

Stephanie's two eldest children were not in the Succession as long as Stephanie was not married to their father, Daniel Ducruet. Once Stephanie married Ducruet,Pauline and Louis were in the Succession and they remain so to this day.

Only Camille is not in the Succession and it's not because Rainier was embarrassed by her. It's simply because children born out of wedlock cannot inherit the Throne in Monaco until and unless their parents marry.

Your recollection that Rainier cut ties with his troubled youngest child is simply incorrect. He visited her in California during her exile there with the record producer who I cannot be bothered to remember, and he publicly stated on more than one occasion to be careful about shutting doors on ones' children because once the doors were shut it was difficult to reopen them.

He cut Stephanie's inheritance for the exact reason Florestane posted. He was concerned about her naivete and her judgement,and he didn't want her taken advantage of. Even so, she is still an exceedingly wealthy woman. Neither she nor her children will ever want for anything.

Both Rainier and her brother Albert have seen to that.

Late in his life I remember watching an interview on TV with either Diane Sawyer or Barbara Walters interviewing Rainier. When the interviewer mentioned to Rainier that Stephanie had stated that her father was the only man in her life who had never betrayed her, Rainier teared up.

That pretty much sums up their relationship imo.

That's pretty much how I remember it to.

I also think Rainier was too worldly a man to be embarrassed by Stephanie's choices - he might sometimes have wished they were different but he accepted them. All three of his sister's children were born before she married their father, his mother was pretty strong-willed...

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Kitty 1224 Let's just say the combined wealth of HSH Albert II and HRH Princess Caroline alone could purchase them half the planet.

I've read that each of them(Albert and Caroline) is worth at least 1 billion dollars...at LEAST.

Stephanie is in the tens of millions.

Add to that the 1.5 billion dollar net worth of Andrea's wife Tatiana Santo Domingo and there you have some idea.

They don't worry about disgruntled citizenry complaining about taxes, surly reporters dissing them in print, opinion polls, or needing to tap dance on the world stage to present a fake facade of respectability like in some other monarchies. Their Principality is one of the safest, most beautiful spots in Europe. Their 900 year old dynasty is quite secure.

They play only to their 30k or so subjects who are mostly thrilled with them.

It's why when I read posters online sniffing about how the Grimaldi are somehow not worthy of their peers in Royal Europe I throw back my head and have a good cackle.

Deep down, I am willing to bet that many of their peers would trade places in a second.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Not 30.000 "subjects". Like in all other continental monarchies the roughly 5.000 real monégasques are self-conscious, proud citizens with democratic rights, subjected to no one but the rule of law.

The other around 30.000 residents of the principality are foreigners. Maybe "subject" has another meaning in English but in my ears it has an intrinsic inferiority.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

You are right and I stand corrected but my point is the same...The House of Grimaldi has it made.

 

[iceflower]

.

Let's get back to the topic of this thread - which is not the wealth of the Grimaldi sibblings nor their relationships with their father or the like. Further off-topic posts will be deleted without notice. Thank you!

 

[Kitty1224]

Grace was a great woman!! She did a lot for Monaco.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Grace was a great woman!! She did a lot for Monaco.

Hard to substantiate what "a lot for Monaco" means but of course she was a nice, beautiful and famous American lady who -in American eyes- entered a sort of fairytale.

Grace's "tragedy" was that she felt trapped in a golden cage and had to live to the fairytale she was in: she was enslaved to be la Princesse de Monaco, every hour of the day, every day of the week. That made that she has had periods of unhappiness, homesickness, lonelineless and feeling trapped in Monte-Carlo.

That is the real life of Grace. So much more than only the De Givenchy-dresses, the Hermès handbags and the nipping of Moët Pommery Rosé at the tribune d'honneur during the Grand Prix de Monaco. That is the superficial outside.

 

[Kitty1224]

Hard to substantiate what "a lot for Monaco" means but of course she was a nice, beautiful and famous American lady who -in American eyes- entered a sort of fairytale.

Grace's "tragedy" was that she felt trapped in a golden cage and had to live to the fairytale she was in: she was enslaved to be la Princesse de Monaco, every hour of the day, every day of the week. That made that she has had periods of unhappiness, homesickness, lonelineless and feeling trapped in Monte-Carlo.

That is the real life of Grace. So much more than only the De Givenchy-dresses, the Hermès handbags and the nipping of Moët Pommery Rosé at the tribune d'honneur during the Grand Prix de Monaco. That is the superficial outside.

As well as doing charity and humanitarian work as well. Grace will always be in history.

 

[Denville]

most royal women do charity work, it does not make them special....

 

[O-H Anglophile]

I feel like this topic has been beaten to death over the last 11 days--it is just going in circles and not accomplishing anything.

 

[Denville]

True, I'm out.....

 

[Kitty1224]

most royal women do charity work, it does not make them special....

That’s true but some make a huge impact and difference which makes it cool.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

As well as doing charity and humanitarian work as well. Grace will always be in history.

Can you name any royal lady, any, who does no charity work?

The Duchess of Cambridge and her involvement with Childrens' Hospices? The Royal Foundation? Action on Addiction?

The Infanta Doña Elena and her involvement with the Cruz Roja española? With Cáritas? With Acción Social?

Or even a completely non-official royal like Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau fully active in Girls, Not Brides (against enforced child marriages), for the Aids Fund, for War Child, etc.

That’s true but some make a huge impact and difference which makes it cool.

Do you have an example of the "true impact and difference" of charities and humanitarian work by Grace, in one of the world's ultra-wealthiest places? And would another princely spouse not do the same charity and humanitarian work?

 

[Missjersey]

Some make a huge impact. I’ve been reading these for days and find myself coming back thinking about leading a horse to water. To M Payton, Osipi and Duc_et_Pair and some others, your vast knowledge of Monaco nourished this old horse. Thank you for letting me drink from your well.

 

[Kitty1224]

Do you have an example of the "true impact and difference" of charities and humanitarian work by Grace, in one of the world's ultra-wealthiest places? And would another princely spouse not do the same charity and humanitarian work?

I don’t get it. Why can’t you make a difference and impact in a wealthy place/country? People do it all the time in the US

 

[Kitty1224]

Princess Pains | PEOPLE.com

Grace Kelly & Prince Rainier III | PEOPLE.com

articles from 1972 and 1996 talking about Grace's impact on Monaco.

 

[Kitty1224]

Why did Grace hate being a princess after she became one?

 

[Curryong]

I don't know that Grace 'hated' being a Princess. I've never read that was so. She felt a bit awkward in the position at first IMO and certainly missed her acting career a lot throughout her life. (I believe that Grace's achievements as an actress equal hers as a Royal, btw.)

Her marriage to Prince Rainier had rather cooled off in the years before her death but I still think that Grace performed her engagements as Rainier's consort conscientiously and was loyal to Monaco till the day she died.

 

[Kitty1224]

I don't know that Grace 'hated' being a Princess. I've never read that was so. She felt a bit awkward in the position at first IMO and certainly missed her acting career a lot throughout her life. (I believe that Grace's achievements as an actress equal hers as a Royal, btw.)

Her marriage to Prince Rainier had rather cooled off in the years before her death but I still think that Grace performed her engagements as Rainier's consort conscientiously and was loyal to Monaco till the day she died.

It was said she found royal duties and being a princess boring and I think the novelty wore off with her and she missed acting very much.

I wasn't alive but how great of a princess was she to monaco?

 

[Curryong]

Well, I think you have to divide the time Grace spent as a Princess of Monaco up. At the beginning her impact on the world stage was huge. She, this glamorous, beautiful Oscar winning actress, came to a small Principality that was struggling financially and brought huge publicity to Monaco (helping with tourism, the lifeblood of the place) from her wedding day onwards.

It always has to be remembered I think, that Monaco had fallen into a trough after its days as a favourite resort of royalty like Russian princes and European nobility before the First World War. It had gradually receded from that position between the wars and by the 1950s was really trying to keep its head above water. And the Onassis struggle wasn't helping.

Later on people became used to Grace being a Princess of Monaco and there were personal difficulties and disillusionments in her private existence. However, at least in the English speaking world, people were still interested in her life and those of her children. That may well have helped as Monaco began to establish itself as a tax free place of residence for the super-rich.

Prince Albert is now of course a very wealthy ruler as a result of those policies. Whether Grace's lasting reputation as a great film star and Albert being her son helped with that, I really can't say.

Everything I've read inclines me to believe that native Monagesques had considerable affection for Grace and cherish her memory. However, as for her lasting legacy on the principality, I think it is still too soon to assess it properly. Comparisons may be odious, but perhaps Monagesques living there might compare Princess Charlene's efforts to Grace's in an entirely different era.

 

[Denville]

I don't know quite how much Grace missed acting. She was at first happy to give it up, as she disliked Hollywood and the vulgarity of that world.. but i think she didn't quite realize as an American that being a Princess was a job for life and that it would have quite so many restrictions.. and when she considered doing another movie, it was quite out of the question.
And I think the marriage with Rainier was never Loves young dream. it had its difficulties, and again perhaps it didn't come up to expectations for her.. but Rainier did care a lot for her and I think they developed a relationship where they did spend a fiar bit of time apart but still got on.

I don't know that Grace 'hated' being a Princess. I've never read that was so. She felt a bit awkward in the position at first IMO and certainly missed her acting career a lot throughout her life. (I believe that Grace's achievements as an actress equal hers as a Royal, btw.)

Her marriage to Prince Rainier had rather cooled off in the years before her death but I still think that Grace performed her engagements as Rainier's consort conscientiously and was loyal to Monaco till the day she died.

I dont think she hated being a Princess, but I dont think she was a great actress. She won an oscar but that was because she was so beautiful and she "daringly" played a dowdy woman... in the Country Girl. She knew she was not a great actress and was at first glad to give it up.
I think she enjoyed many aspects of being a Princess but she found it restricting, and her way out of it was to spend time in Paris....

 

[An Ard Ri]

I never read anything that made me think that Princess Grace hated being a Princess or a member of a ruling dynasty.Her role as consort may have had its restrictions but her world wide impact was huge and iconic.

We shall not see the likes of HSH Princess Grace sadly again.

 

[Denville]

No, not hated it but found it difficult at times. And mabye if she'd really realised how many limitations there were she might not have married Rainier.. but she was a woman of an older generation, and she wasn't likley to break up her marriage or to take an attitude of not being happy publicly. She made her marriage work as best she could, she found satisfaction in her role as best she could...

 

[An Ard Ri]

And she has gone down as one as the most beloved Princesses of all time so her legacy will continue for generations.

 

[Mirabel]

I think Grace was very unhappy in her later years (became an alcoholic), and missed the freedom she'd had previously.
I believe she did eventually regret her marriage, although I'm not certain she was sorry about giving up her acting career.
But she tried her best to fulfill her duties in Monaco.

 

[Denville]

I think the marriage was alwasy difficult, but she made the best of it. She ws fond of Rainier but found him difficult and controlling but she wasn't going to leave him or her children..

 

[Kitty1224]

And she has gone down as one as the most beloved Princesses of all time so her legacy will continue for generations.

She was beloved?

 

[Denville]

Why not read a few biographies of Grace?

 

[MissJanet]

She was beloved?

She certainly was. First being a world famous actress and then becoming a fairy tale princess for real, she was all beauty, charme and class, idolized and beloved by many people. Women of her generation aspired to be like her, her fashion choices and her style got copied alot. Especially her class, the way she hold herself was greatly admired.

I think that her marriage to Rainier brought Monacco on the map. Her Hollywood friends came to play at the casino, Monacco was "the place to be". Rainier, clever business man that he was, used all this to the best interests of Monacco.

When she died and the news was reported on the radio, I was just caring for patients as a nurse-in-training. The women were crying, men were just stunned. I remember standing still in the hall for a moment, collecting myself. Naive as I was, I couldn't believe that someone so beautiful could die so tragically. All nurses, doctors, everyone was talking about her the whole day. I called my mom as soon as possible, she was her age and in tears, too. It was a collective loss, someone of great value was gone too early.

 

[Kitty1224]

She certainly was. First being a world famous actress and then becoming a fairy tale princess for real, she was all beauty, charme and class, idolized and beloved by many people. Women of her generation aspired to be like her, her fashion choices and her style got copied alot. Especially her class, the way she hold herself was greatly admired.

I think that her marriage to Rainier brought Monacco on the map. Her Hollywood friends came to play at the casino, Monacco was "the place to be". Rainier, clever business man that he was, used all this to the best interests of Monacco.

When she died and the news was reported on the radio, I was just caring for patients as a nurse-in-training. The women were crying, men were just stunned. I remember standing still in the hall for a moment, collecting myself. Naive as I was, I couldn't believe that someone so beautiful could die so tragically. All nurses, doctors, everyone was talking about her the whole day. I called my mom as soon as possible, she was her age and in tears, too. It was a collective loss, someone of great value was gone too early.

Wow that's mazing. It seemed like she touched the people's hearts and did so much for Monaco and charity work