Thirty million viewers watched Hollywood star Grace Kelly marry Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, on April 19th, 1956. The Royal wedding, at Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monte Carlo, was filmed by MGM as a condition of releasing Kelly from her studio contract. 

The couple had met after being put together for a magazine photoshoot at the Cannes Film Festival and were engaged within a few weeks of courting - despite the fact Kelly was already engaged to somebody else.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly unpick Kelly’s iconic gown, made of 274m of lace and 91m of silk; reveal why she had been forced to have a medical examination before the big day; and consider the cocktail menu that would have had the wedding guests feeling especially woozy… 

Further Reading:

• ‘Grace Kelly’s Forever Look’ (Vanity Fair, 2010): https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2010/05/grace-kelly-201005

• ‘Why Grace Kelly, Hollywood icon, had to pay to become a princess’ (NY Post, 2021): https://nypost.com/2021/04/08/why-grace-kelly-hollywood-icon-had-to-pay-to-become-a-princess/

• ‘Grace Kelly Marries Prince Rainer III’ (MGM, 1956): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiOKFzRHm14

#France #Hollywood #50s #Royals #Fashion

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

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