Engagement of Prince Rainier & Grace Kelly

[Nadine]

You are exactly right, EmpressRouge.

And in the back of my mind I was thinking about that when I typed the above. In fact just last week I was looking over the official figures, here: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mn.html and realized that the breakdown goes as follows:

French = 47%
Monegasque = 16%
Italian = 16%
Other = 21%


By the way, what exactly are the Monegasque people? I always thought they were like the Creoles down South, in that I mean a mix of different ethnic groups, and in their case a mix of French & Italian?

Whatever the case, Princess Caroline's children are a perfect mix of two of the three ethnic groups that make up Monaco ~ Italian and French ~ they blend right in with the people of Monaco imho.

Anyhow, intriguing topic, one I wouldn't mind delving into further in another thread, as right now we're way off topic, and will most likely see our posts deleted.

 

[FanofMonaco]

The Monagasques came from Genoa, Italy. Their language is a mix of Lingurian, the ancient Italian they spoke in Genoa, and Occente (?) the ancient French language of the area around Nice. Traditionally, I don't think the ruling family has married Monagasques very often. Most of the time they haven't even lived in Monaco; probably mainly in Paris.

 

[Nadine]

You know I'm really glad you posted that, FanofMonaco, and thanks!

In my previous posting I was going to mention what Charlotte Casiraghi said once about what her mother told her, something to the effect of what you just wrote, FanofMonaco, about how Italian is part of the Grimaldi/Monegasque heritage, or something like that. Thus, I'm sincerely glad you posted what you did!

 

[queen4aday]

hi,does anyone know if there is a dvd we can get of elizabeth's 2nd wedding and/or coronation?
and is there a dvd of grace kelly and prince rainier's wedding ceremony,pageantry?thanks for any help...

 

[Marisaa]

Do you know what I realised some time ago? Grace and Rainer met first time on April the 6th 1955 and exactly 50 years later died Rainer (6th April 2005). And they met again.. first time in heaven.I like think about it in that way

 

[NoorMeansLight]

Marisaa, they met on May 6th, not in April. Grace was visiting the Riviera because of the Cannes Festival.

Queen4aday, you can find many videos of both the Queen's coronation and the Monaco wedding on Youtube. Just type the basic words.

 

[Marisaa]

Oh, you're right. The false information comes from Grace's biography "Once Upon a Time.."

 

[FanofMonaco]

In the Barbara Walters interview with P. Caroline (on You Tube), PC said that her parents got married 3 months after they met. I think it was closer to a year later. It must be creepy when strangers know more about your family than you do.

 

[victor1319]

The website "The Court Jeweller" has an article about the Engagement Rings of Grace Kelly. Yes, there were several rings!
Grace Kelly's Engagement Rings | The Court Jeweller

A modest one, a diamond and ruby one and a massive diamond ring.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

I like the fact that Grace was able to wear her true diamond ring in the film instead of a false one.

 

[Prinsara]

Photos of Rainier and Grace in New York in January 1956. The photographer was a friend of Grace's. (And she had clip on earrings!) https://ancillasvintage.quora.com/F...970&share=96f51ce0&srid=UNFg&target_type=post

Does anyone know if she really did call him "Ray"?

 

[An Ard Ri]

Another article on the engagement
https://royalwatcherblog.com/2021/0...e-rainier-iii-of-monaco-and-grace-kelly-1956/

 

[victor1319]

Another article on the engagement
https://royalwatcherblog.com/2021/0...e-rainier-iii-of-monaco-and-grace-kelly-1956/

Thanks, An Ard Ri, for the linking of this article!

Grace Kelly looked really extraordinary good in the vid there at th occassion of her engagement to the Prince!

Makes one wonder, if she - the talented, photogenic actress from Hollywood - made really the better deal in marrying into nobility/royalty instead of pursueing a career as an actress... I mean, with all we know afterwards. Hopefully she found the love of her life in Rainier!

 

[Denville]

She wasn't all that talented, and Im sure you know that her marriage to Raineier wasn't always loves young Dream

 

[Moonmaiden23]

She might not have been a great talent, but she probably didn't need to be. She was extraordinarily beautiful with flawless features.

Her marriage was certainly no dream but what Royal/Princely couples is?

The fact is that losing his wife devastated Rainier ...you cannot fake that kind of grief.

He was never quite the same after September 1982.

 

[Prinsara]

She wasn't all that talented, and Im sure you know that her marriage to Raineier wasn't always loves young Dream

She was, actually, rather talented. Aside from managing to purloin a Best Actress Oscar from Judy Garland, her movies remain fairly good watches.

If she had not been the unfavorite amongst her siblings by a country mile to the extent her parents commented "we allowed her to become an actress because we didn't know what else to do with her", she might have been content to remain in Hollywood and not seek further validation by marrying reigning royalty.

Not sure what such a needlessly bitter comment is doing in the engagement thread. It's not like Grace herself and her life don't have a score of threads.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The first meeting of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/s...ow-grace-kelly-prince-rainier-first-met-1955/

 

[Prinsara]

The first meeting of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/s...ow-grace-kelly-prince-rainier-first-met-1955/

Although not at the festival. Grace was attending it and Olivia de Havilland (and husband) invited her to meet Rainier in Monaco.

 

[Blog Real]

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier show her engagement ring to her mother and father at the Kelly home in Philadelphia, 1956.
https://static.life.com/wp-content/uploads/migrated/2013/04/150127-grace-kelly-02-1024x814.jpg

 

[SirGyamfi1]

Was Grace’s father asked for a dowry? I’ve seen stories that said her Dad wouldn’t pay for a dowry or some settlement and that it was Aristotle Onassis paid for that.

 

[Noble Consort Ming]

Was Grace’s father asked for a dowry? I’ve seen stories that said her Dad wouldn’t pay for a dowry or some settlement and that it was Aristotle Onassis paid for that.

I have never heard that Onasis was in any way involved.

Rainier demanded a dowry of 2 million(20 million in today's money). Grace's father was not happy with the demand. Grace paid either half or all of it herself.

If someone has better info please post.


Edited to add: The last princess consort before Grace(Ghislaine, the wife of Louis II) was the first to marry a Monegasque prince regnant without a dowry.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

I have never heard that Onasis was in any way involved.

Rainier demanded a dowry of 2 million(20 million in today's money). Grace's father was not happy with the demand. Grace paid either half or all of it herself.

If someone has better info please post.


Edited to add: The last princess consort before Grace(Ghislaine, the wife of Louis II) was the first to marry a Monegasque prince regnant without a dowry.

The government of Monaco requested or considered that Rainier ask for a dowry

 

[Noble Consort Ming]

The government of Monaco requested or considered that Rainier ask for a dowry

That's surprising since the ruler of Monaco, although no longer an absolute ruler, has the power to dissolve the government anytime he or she wants. Rainier and Albert are no mere figureheads.