The sad Fate of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco

When Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III Grimaldi and left for Monaco, the wives of Hollywood actors breathed a sigh of relief. Kelly easily won the hearts of men who were willing to leave their families and children for her. Oh, what a wedding it was. A fairy tale. The beautiful bride and groom swore to each other in eternal love and respect. According to the script, they were supposed to live happily ever after. But something went wrong. In 1955, Grace Kelly was considered one of Hollywood's biggest film stars. Alfred Hitchcock's favorite, the golden girl of MGM Studio, the embodiment of the American dream. In just three years, Grace won many Golden Globes and even an Oscar for her starring role in The Country Girl. She had everything she needed to succeed, beauty, talent and extreme hard work. She was the opposite of Marilyn Monroe and other bad girls of Hollywood. Grace exuded the charm of a high society girl, intelligent and poised, sensual and charming, but inaccessible. Hitchcock called it Volcano Under the Snow, others, Ice Queen. But when extinguished flash reporters and spotlights on the film set, Grace was relieved to come down from the pedestal. She put on her glasses with thick lenses from childhood was nearsighted, shoes on a flat sole and modest, comfortable clothes. She washed off her makeup, leaving only lipstick on her face. She didn't talk much, but she was always very polite. She liked to knit and read books. Just a little grey mouse, a good girl from a good home, where she was never loved or appreciated. Grace was born in 1929 to John and Judy Kelly. Her father, a former bricklayer, earned his fortune by founding a brick manufacturing company in Philadelphia on borrowed money. Her mother had a career in sports and, once married, devoted herself fully to taking care of the house and children. She had one goal in mind, to raise four successful people. The woman believed in discipline and self-control. Judy Kelly made the children look and behave impeccably, they were forbidden to cry. Showing feelings the former sportswoman considered unacceptable. Even during illness, the children had to be nice, polite and smiling. Grace was never spoiled. Moreover, the girl's parents always considered her the least valuable of their four children. The others, brother and sisters, were mean, strong, and went over the heads of strangers and relatives to achieve a goal. And Grace, I'm ashamed to say, sickly by birth, secretive and very shy. Mum and dad made no secret of their disappointment in their daughter. They openly favoured Peggy's older sister and brother. However, this neglect on the part of the family had its advantages for Grace. The girl always dreamed of becoming an actress. Her parents didn't see it that way. But Grace, her parents didn't care about her from a high tower. She wouldn't be any good anyway. Let her be an actress. Let her go to New York and waste her time chasing her stupid dream. Her parents let her go without regret, but they refused to pay her tuition. Grace did not stop this. The girl was accepted to the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Art and settled in a good hotel in Manhattan. Parents' money was enough only for a month's stay. But Grace quickly found work as a model and succeeded so well that in a few months her salary increased almost tenfold. The money was more than enough to pay for schooling, good housing and entertainment. And yet Grace still did not consider herself beautiful and talented. She was sure that only hard work would make her an actress. That's why the future Princess of Monaco worked twice as hard as her classmates. She played in the theater, starred in commercials, took part in hundreds of castings and auditions. Kelly regularly appeared in television programs and shows on Broadway. The girl's hard work justified itself. Her career was gradually gaining momentum. And a breakthrough came, she was noticed and appreciated by Hollywood. In 1952, she signed a seven-year contract with the studio MGM. Grace Kelly began to star in films with the stars of The Upper Echelon, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable and Ava Gardner. She became Alfred Hitchcock's number one actress. A dream come true, Grace Kelly is a world-famous, adored actress. But Grace's parents still saw nothing special in their daughter. Even when she won the Oscar for Best Actress, ahead of Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn, the father did not express pride in his child. He always believed that Grace's achievements are associated solely with men, which the girl changed like gloves. Yes, the young actress was a success with men. She slept with everyone. With anyone she met who could be useful to her in some way, is how her ex-fiancé Don Richardson described the Duchess. Studio MGM cost a lot of effort to hide from the public all her adventures. The image of Grace had to remain within the framework of cold blonde with impeccable manners. Rainier III Grimaldi, Prince of Monaco, has been searching hard for a wife for several months. Or rather, someone who would give birth to an heir to the throne. It must be said that the rich bachelor did not want to part with his free life. But this was a matter of national importance. If Rainier died without leaving an heir, Monaco would once again become part of France. Aristotle Onassis suggested that Rainier look for a fabulous duchess among the actresses whose fame would attract crowds of tourists to the principality and boost Monaco's fading economy. Marilyn Monroe was too provocative for this role. But the more restrained Grace Kelly, a cold blonde with impeccable manners, was quite suitable. The casting was a success. The romance developed very quickly, fairy tales and Hollywood films do not tolerate long stories. No dates and sweet courtship, no secret meetings and romantic journeys. Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III Grimaldi met in May 1955 during the Cannes Film Festival. Two meetings and several months of correspondence were enough for Grace Kelly to be chosen as princess. A few months later the prince attended a dinner at Mr. and Mrs. Kelly's. Grace's parents were madly happy that their daughter had got such a match. True, the prince was short, rather fat and rarely smiled, and Grace's mother confused Monaco with Morocco, but the evening went smoothly. Just before the engagement, the court physician checked that Grace was healthy and would be able to give birth to an heir to the throne. And soon a fairy tale wedding took place. Millions of tourists travelled to the tiny state to watch the wedding celebration of a famous actress and a prince. But that's where Grace Kelly's fairy tale ended and reality began. Grace will give up her career as an actress at the height of her fame to marry. She will become a favourite princess for her subjects, give birth to two beautiful daughters and a coveted heir to the throne. Finally, she will receive the approval and recognition of success from her parents, but she will lose her true self forever. In the first years of marriage Grace realized that Rainier likes to manage, control and dominate. A return to an acting career was out of the question. Monaco was too small and too boring for her. The climate was unbearable. Grace had constant headaches due to pollen allergies, and her eyes and nose swelled up. She was terribly disappointed in her position as duchess. She had to always look beautiful and smile happily, but no one was interested in her own opinion. Grace felt lonely, very homesick and homesick for her past life. She was annoyed by the army of servants and the French language that had to be learned. She thought of her 200-room castle as a golden prison. Rainier, however, was even more mistaken in Grace than she was in him. He was misled by the image of a girl from the upper class. He saw a polite smile, modest clothes and manners, as if from a Catholic school for well-to-do girls. Meanwhile, Grace Kelly, whom he considered the best candidate for the role of mother of the nation, was not an innocent modesty, but simply perfectly mastered the art of imitating a flawless image, as her mother taught her. She was indeed a volcano under the ice, as the astute Hitchcock described her. This was well-known in Hollywood, but carefully concealed from the audience. Grace and Rainier were a couple with two boots on the ground. They portrayed a happy family in all official photos, but in life they did not behave like loving spouses. Prince cheated on her right on the honeymoon, but Kelly wasn't in debt either. The actress became depressed and treated her sadness with alcohol, sweets and lovers. At one point Grace even considered divorce and a return to acting. Hitchcock offered her a role and an insane salary of a million dollars, but she abandoned the idea for the sake of the children. The Duchess realized that if she left, the children would disappear from her life forever. On the 13th of September 1982, the Princess of Monaco was involved in a tragic car accident. Grace Kelly was driving her car, with her 17-year-old daughter Stephanie in the passenger seat. The Duchess did not manage to control and flew into the abyss at 35 meters. Grace slipped into a coma. She had many injuries, but most importantly, irreversible brain damage. Stephanie was miraculously saved, despite multiple fractures and concussion, she survived and recovered. When Prince Rainier learned that even if his wife survived, would go into a vegetative state, he made the decision to authorize the disabling of the devices that keep her artificially alive. Today, people are still arguing about the causes of the terrible accident, recalling more and more details of that day and citing more and more arguments in favor of one conspiracy theory or another. However, at the heart of these rumors is not a desire to speculate at all, but rather pain and sadness for the princess who passed away prematurely and whom the citizens of Monaco loved so much. Princess Monaco was 52 and leaves three children, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Prince Albert of Monaco and the youngest daughter, Princess Stephanie of Monaco. After the death of his wife, the prince never remarried.