Before Charles and Diana , William and Kate , or Harry and Meghan , there was another royal coupling that was lauded around the globe: that of the Hollywood megastar, Grace Kelly, and the dashing European prince, Rainier III of Monaco.

Theirs was a somewhat unlikely union: introduced via mutual friends during the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, they had very little in common. After all, she was from a middle class American background, raised in Philadelphia and earning her living on the screen, while he was the head of state for a tiny, at that time largely forgotten, principality. Yet something clicked, and a year into their romance, the couple announced that they were engaged.

The Kelly effect was immediately evident in Monaco. Upon her arrival, she was greeted by 20,000 well-wisher

See Full Page