September 1982 ( Stephanie's condition etc.)

[michelle]

I re-read Stephanie's interview of the year 2002 and that made me think about the accident and the daays after again.
Whenever I'm in Monaco and when I drive down that road I always have this feeling...it's sad. And it's heartbreaking to read Stephanie's words as she describes how she felt with all the pain , the sadness and her physical injuries , which are not often mentioned but severe anyhow.

Like for example she had her spine severely injured and therefore her neck which made one half of her body paralysed and she wasn't able to walk. She also had some teeth broken which got fixed later ( I don't know which, its hard to figure out ) . She had also bitten into her tongue...

People shouldn't think that after the accident I could walk home as if nothing happend. Several months I suffered from severe physical pain. Later I had eight months of rehabilitation. I had three broken cervical vertabrea. I could have died or stay paralysed for the rest of my days.....I also had a broken collarbone, broken ribs... I was damaged everywhere...kind of a spare parts store....even my teeth were broken, the tongue bitten, had woons on my head ... I had lost a lot of blood...

Stephanie about the accident, October 2002

Except from these physical injuries, which would be fortunatly completely healing:....

The princesses injuries on the upper spine and those on the nerve-cord are limited and will be healing completely without after-effect. The bone fractures at the spine are not life-threatend and will be healing with the help of special treatment without after-effect as well.

Palais Princier, Ffficial communiqué September 20th 1982

....Stephanie's mental pain was horrible. Even imaginig that she had to whatch her mothers funeral on TV is terrible....

pictures: bunte

1. Paul in Stephanie's hospital room looking out
2. Caroline on the way to visit her little sister ( what she, Robertino and Albert did several times a day)

 

[michelle]

Some more pics I have from those days....

(personal col.)

 

[monaco70s]

Michelle thanks for the effort you've put in this sad thread, when some people think about Stephanie and the accident sometimes they don't even take a minute to think on all the emotional and physical pain Stephanie had to go through during those hard times.

It must be really hard to go all the stuff she went thru and then also being accused by some people of many horrible things and being pressured and chased for 20 years to give an interview about the accident. Her 2002 interview was a very touching one in which she didn't only focus on the accident but on her family and life.

 

[michelle]

You are absolutely right, monaco70s...

She also said that she was filled with all kinds of medcine to erase her pains for the weeks following the sccident. She didn't understand what was happening to her. It was all too much ...and then the confrontation with reality when she left the hospital, she said, was so terrible...the confrontation with the media...as she realized that they spraed stories of her being reponsable for the accident. They accused her of having killed her mother...how could they dare :-(

 

[monaco70s]

Yes what they did was something really cruel because they didn't respect the hard times the family was going thru, they forgot she was going through a physical recovery from her injuries, she couldn't deffend herself, and what they said was very sick.

 

[dw2108]

The good news is Stephanie came trough such a disaster and many others would not have.

David

 

[michelle]

You're right, David

A few pictures that featured Stephanie's interview in 2002:

(source: bunte + alloverpress)

 

[sebastian]

You're right, David

A few pictures that featured Stephanie's interview in 2002:

(source: bunte + alloverpress)

She looks so melancolic in these pictures - makes me want to kiss away her pain.

 

[LadyMacAlpine]

Some more pics I have from those days....

(personal col.)

Looking at the second photo which I have seen before it made me think again about why Albert and Step are so close. Look at them in the picture. There is nothing odd about it as some have implied in the past. She is younger and was with their Mom at the time of the accident. He always traveled with his Mom at her request. They filled in for each other for the loss of the woman they loved Mom. Who did he turned to again this year at the Red Cross Ball for that dance? Stephanie not Caroline. No doubt they got through the pain together. Thanks Michelle for sharing these pictures of Stephanie. Perhaps if more knew the emotions one goes through due to that type of loss more would understand Stephanie better.

 

[sebastian]

Looking at the second photo which I have seen before it made me think again about why Albert and Step are so close. Look at them in the picture. There is nothing odd about it as some have implied in the past. She is younger and was with their Mom at the time of the accident. He always traveled with his Mom at her request. They filled in for each other for the loss of the woman they loved Mom. Who did he turned to again this year at the Red Cross Ball for that dance? Stephanie not Caroline. No doubt they got through the pain together. Thanks Michelle for sharing these pictures of Stephanie. Perhaps if more knew the emotions one goes through due to that type of loss more would understand Stephanie better.

I think you're right. Some years ago in Steph's restaurant Albert was there and they had a little party with all kinds of guests. They also played the song 'True love' - I think it was by accident 'cause it was a radio programm - Stephanie was sitting next to her brother and they lookedd at each other when they heard their moms voice ( I believe that happens more often) _ Albert smiled at Steph and they went on talking with the people present and during that talk ( the song was still playing) Albert took Steph into his arms. The one seated on Alberts right side said something to Stephanie and to be closer to this person Stephanie took a slide over onto Alberts knees - she was sitting on Alberts knees for a long time and he held her and talked to her - when the song was over they looked at each other again and smiled. They went through it together that's for sure - but Caro went with them as well.

 

[LadyMacAlpine]

I think you're right. Some years ago in Steph's restaurant Albert was there and they had a little party with all kinds of guests. They also played the song 'True love' - I think it was by accident 'cause it was a radio programm - Stephanie was sitting next to her brother and they lookedd at each other when they heard their moms voice ( I believe that happens more often) _ Albert smiled at Steph and they went on talking with the people present and during that talk ( the song was still playing) Albert took Steph into his arms. The one seated on Alberts right side said something to Stephanie and to be closer to this person Stephanie took a slide over onto Alberts knees - she was sitting on Alberts knees for a long time and he held her and talked to her - when the song was over they looked at each other again and smiled. They went through it together that's for sure - but Caro went with them as well.

Thanks for sharing the story with us. But the closeness Albert and Steph share seems more then with Caroline and either or them from all seen in photo's and talk. Perhaps also a part is because neither of them has found that one true loving long term relationship. Steph has been married but things were missing and Albert hasn't been able to make the same choices as either sister when it came to marriage. All of it can make a difference.

 

[Piewi]

Thanks for sharing the interview Michelle. Poor Steph Grace´s death had to be really sad for her. And she was so young.

Albert is such a sweet brother. He is always with Steph (and with Caro of course). i think that he is a bit closer to Steph becouse Caro is married and she always had a husband and own family while Steph had so many boyfriends/husbands that it seems that the only man who is always with her is Albert and Albie hasn´t got his own family (i mean children and wife) so they complete each other

 

[monica17]

Thanks a lot for the story, Michelle.

I didn't know Steph's injuries were so bad. The press just kind of glossed over her condition then.

It was, no doubt, a horrible time for her and the rest of the family. It was good of her to talk about the accident - to clear things up and for her own healing as well.

 

[lashinka2002]

I re-read Stephanie's interview of the year 2002 and that made me think about the accident and the daays after again.
Whenever I'm in Monaco and when I drive down that road I always have this feeling...it's sad. And it's heartbreaking to read Stephanie's words as she describes how she felt with all the pain , the sadness and her physical injuries , which are not often mentioned but severe anyhow.

Like for example she had her spine severely injured and therefore her neck which made one half of her body paralysed and she wasn't able to walk. She also had some teeth broken which got fixed later ( I don't know which, its hard to figure out ) . She had also bitten into her tongue...

Wow, her injuries seem very severe indeed!
I do have a question though in regards to the accident - It has been said, I think by Stephanie that she crawled out of the car after the accident through the drivers side. How could she manage that if she was paralyzed on one half of her body? Did inflamation set in later possibly causing this?

 

[dw2108]

Wow, her injuries seem very severe indeed!
I do have a question though in regards to the accident - It has been said, I think by Stephanie that she crawled out of the car after the accident through the drivers side. How could she manage that if she was paralyzed on one half of her body? Did inflamation set in later possibly causing this?

If she were in traumatic shock, which seems both possible and normal, her crawling out under in any condition wouldn't be unusual even with partial paralysis. I've seen it happen too many times.

David

 

[lashinka2002]

Geez!! Amazing what the human body can endure. Thankfully she seems to have recovered at least physically fully.

 

[michelle]

Geez!! Amazing what the human body can endure. Thankfully she seems to have recovered at least physically fully.

She completely recoverd physically, even if still today she suffers from headaches which doctors draw back to her back and neck injuries.

 

[dw2108]

She completely recoverd physically, even if still today she suffers from headaches which doctors draw back to her back and neck injuries.

She must have put the pain of those headaches and that bad experience into the happiness and consolation of her music.

David

 

[michelle]

She must have put the pain of those headaches and that bad experience into the happiness and consolation of her music.

David

That could be true...

 

[RADKER18]

i had no idea she was hurt that bad the press and books always leave that stuff out thanks for sharing the information with us. Michelle what interview in 2002 are you talking about?

 

[michelle]

i had no idea she was hurt that bad the press and books always leave that stuff out thanks for sharing the information with us. Michelle what interview in 2002 are you talking about?

Stephanie gave a major inteview in October 2002 to Denis Torato. She spoke about the accident, the runours, her life and family.
I think 'Hello' featured the english version of the interview.

 

[michelle]

One more of the time
It's hard to figure out but I just asked myself if her teeth had already been fixed this day. I think yes but can't see it really.


(own col.)

 

[monaco70s]

Well it's a difficult question to answer, since that pic was taken a month later on a mass dedicated to Princess Grace at the Cathedral, on October 1982.

 

[michelle]

Well it's a difficult question to answer, since that pic was taken a month later on a mass dedicated to Princess Grace at the Cathedral, on October 1982.

You're right....and since it was a month later I think everything has been fixed.

A few more pictures

(thanks to SIPA)

 

[lashinka2002]

Is Caroline in those pics? I don't see her. Does anybody know where she was?

 

[tbhrc]

Here is one with Caroline.

From Olycom

 

[RADKER18]

I read thet Caroline moved into Stephanies Hospital room with her is that true.

 

[michelle]

I read thet Caroline moved into Stephanies Hospital room with her is that true.

As far as I know, yes she did for some days as Paul could not be around all the time. Caro slept in Steph's room the nights and comforted her injured little sister. She helped her to eat and and to try her first steps to walk again.

 

[RADKER18]

wow thanks its nice to see that if stephanie really needed her caro would be their.

 

[michelle]

wow thanks its nice to see that if stephanie really needed her caro would be their.

Yes...and vice versa. Stephanie said in an interview: ' If Caroline needs me she knows she'd just have to call and I'd be right there.'