Monday, 18 April 2016

pictures of Grace Kelly's marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco show why the event is still the world's most glamorous wedding, even after 60 years

Pictures of Grace Kelly's wedding show why event is still the world's most glamorous

On Monday it will have been exactly six decades since Grace Kelly, the darling of Hollywood, married Monaco's Prince Rainier III - and yet the event remains etched in the minds of millions. Even the royal weddings of Prince Charles to Lady Diana, and Prince William to Kate Middleton haven't dislodged the fairytale moment from history. And these magical pictures, kept by the Rainier family in Monaco's palace, show exactly why that is.
Spectacle: There were two ceremonies - a civil one on April 18 and this Catholic ceremony the following day. This event was watched by an estimated 30million people on television, and was dubbed 'The Wedding of the Century' at the time



Princess: Philadelphia-born Kelly wore a white dress that took 36 seamstresses three weeks to make, and used 300 yards of antique Belgian lace and 150 yards of silk, taffeta and tulle. It was provided by MGM Studios, and created by an Oscar-winning costumer

Build-up: The whole event was planned in just three months, but executed flawlessly. The actual wedding day was preceded by a week of revelry, galas and feasts in Monaco

The civil ceremony was set for April 18, 1956; the religious ceremony for the following day. But before either of those could happen, Kelly and her sizable entourage had to make the long crossing from America to Monaco.
To get there, they would board the SS Constitution ocean liner and sail for an eight-day voyage to the French Riviera.
And so it was on April 4 that Kelly, along with her family, six bridesmaids, 80 pieces of luggage and a poodle, boarded the ship in New York - along with a horde of reporters and photographers, eager to see history in the making. Some 400 journalists applied to join the crossing, but most were refused.
But even those on the land got a spectacular view: as Kelly stepped onto the ship, a plane owned by Aristotle Onassis flew overhead, spilling red and white carnations on those below.
'The whole Constitution trip was something Mom referred to at times,' Albert told People. 'She'd say it was fun for the wedding party. It really bonded the whole Philadelphia side, her family and friends who came over together on the crossing'
She would also talk about Oliver, her French poodle, he said - a gift from Cary Grant, with whom she had co-starred in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch A Thief.
Kelly's arrival in Monaco was an even bigger event than her departure, with 1,800 photographers there to capture the moment of their arrival. It had been an exhausting series of events - and the ceremonies hadn't even begun.

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