Interesting. So has anyone read it yet?
Breffney perhaps? Any reviews?
Good timing. !
I am more than three quarters way through the book. It is very, very interesting. Joan Dale gives a fascinating insight into the lives of the Grimaldi clan.
Within about a year of meeting Grace & Rainier, the Dales were frequent guests / visitors at the palace. As time went on this included both formal and informal gatherings.
They and their children really were treated like part of the family. They accompanied the family on their annual skiing holidays (a month's duration), frequently sat at their table at official functions (which angered quite a few people), often watched movies at the palace with the family, attended pool parties, had many, many late nights just chatting, playing cards and drinking champagne, were frequent guests at Rocagel and so on.
Joan Dale obviously kept great diaries as many events and menus are described in wonderful detail.
The book includes many letters which the couples wrote to each other during the course of their lives.
There are also some great family snapshots.
Grace comes across as loving, caring, kind, considerate and a tireless worker.
PS: Joan devotes a good bit of the book to "The Crisis" that was depicted in the film, "Grace of Monaco". I can see now why the Grimaldi family was so against the film. There was never a suggestion that Grace used her charm or wiles to save Monaco from a French take-over. The only reference to Grace's part in this whole affair was that she was a help and comfort to Rainier, she helped him to stay calm, urged caution as Rainier could be very hot-headed, was a shoulder for him to lean on and so forth.
