This summer, the Prince’s Palace in Monaco plays host to a major new exhibition about the glamorous royal wedding of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly, and three of their descendants got an early opportunity to tour the display.
Prince Rainier III had been the sovereign Prince of Monaco for several years by the time he met the American actress Grace Kelly during the Cannes Film Festival in the summer of 1955. The two became pen pals, and eventually, they fell in love. Their glamorous wedding, the marriage of a European princely dynasty and a Hollywood icon, took place in April 1956, with intense press coverage across the world.
Monaco is celebrating the 70th anniversary of Rainier and Grace’s iconic wedding with a major new exhibition at the Prince’s Palace. “The Wedding of the Century” looks back at the week-long celebrations of the wedding, including information about key figures involved in the festivities, behind-the-scenes stories, and highlights from all of the big events.
Rainier and Grace’s elder children, Princess Caroline and Prince Albert II, toured the exhibition on Friday, June 19, along with Caroline’s younger daughter, Princess Alexandra. The trio are pictured here in the palace throne room with some of the experts who curated the exhibition.
The palace has announced that the exhibition features “photographs, moving images, dresses, accessories, gifts and personal documents” connected to the various events of the wedding. Several pieces from Princess Grace’s wedding week wardrobe are on display, including the dress and hat she wore when she arrived in Monaco on April 12, 1956.
The couple were married in two ceremonies during the whirlwind wedding week. The first was a civil ceremony held in the palace’s throne room. The furniture used during the ceremony is on display in that room, along with photographs of the civil wedding.
The taffeta-and-lace ensemble that Helen Rose made for Grace to wear during the civil ceremony is also on display in the throne room.
On the night of the civil ceremony, the half-married pair were celebrated at a gala at the Opera Garnier. The Lanvin evening gown that Grace wore for the gala is also part of the exhibition.
And, of course, no exhibition about Rainier and Grace’s wedding would be complete without her wedding gown, which was also made by Helen Rose. Princess Grace donated her entire bridal ensemble to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. That institution has loaned the gown, headpiece, veil, and shoes to the Prince’s Palace for this exhibition. The missal that she carried in lieu of a large bridal bouquet also appears to be displayed, though the flowers that surrounded it look a bit more exaggerated than the ones she actually carried on the day.
Disappointingly, it looks like the jewelry associated with the wedding celebrations is not on display in the exhibition—or, at least, is not shown with the dresses she wore. I surveyed the wedding gift jewels that might have been included in an earlier article. I hope I’m wrong, and that there’s a case of sparkling diamonds and rubies tucked somewhere in the exhibition space.
But there was one rather sweet piece of family jewelry visible on the day that Albert, Caroline, and Alexandra visited the exhibition. Princess Caroline wore a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant bearing the names Rainier, Grace, and Caroline. I wonder whether this was a gift or commission to celebrate her birth in 1957.
“The Wedding of the Century” is open to visitors at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco from now until September 25. I’m very envious of anyone who gets to see it in person!
