Who was Grace Kelly and how did she die?
GRACE Kelly was an icon of the Hollywood Golden Era but gave it all up after finding love and becoming the Princess of Monaco.
Read on to discover more about the life and career of one of the most famous women in history.
Who was Grace Kelly?
The actress turned princess was born Grace Patricia Kelly on November 12, 1929.
She was born into a wealthy Catholic family of Irish descent in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
She was educated in convent and private schools before attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in 1947.
As a student, she modelled part-time and appeared in ads for Old Gold cigarettes and on the covers of magazines like Cosmopolitan and Redbook.
After leaving the Academy at 19, Kelly set her sights on Hollywood.
And it wasn't long till she caught the attention of producer Stanley Kramer while she was on the set of her first film, Fourteen Hours (1951).
Kramer offered her a role co-starring opposite Gary Cooper in Fred Zinnemann's High Noon (1952).
The actress got her first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for John Ford‘s adventure yarn Mogambo in 1953.
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Then along with her Academy Award-winning performance in The Country Girl, she starred in the Alfred Hitchcock films Rear Window (1954), Dial M for Murder (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955).
Kelly earned her notoriety, starting in just 11 motion pictures before abandoning Hollywood altogether to marry her prince.
She married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in a lavish wedding in 1956
Kelly starred in 11 motion pictures before abandoning a Hollywood career to marry Rainier III, Prince de Monaco in 1956.
Who was Grace Kelly's husband Prince Rainier and did they have any children?
Kelly met Prince Rainer at the Cannes Film Festival in April 1955.
The couple courted for a year before exchanging vows on April 19, 1956.
She gave birth the following year to their first child, Princess Caroline, on January 23, 1957.
Their second child and heir, Prince Albert, followed a year later on March 14, 1958.
And their youngest, Princess Stéphanie, was born on February 1, 1965.
All the royal children were born at the Palace.
Rainier III was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005.
He ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years and was crucially responsible for the transformation of Monaco's economy.
He died in April 2005 from complications relating to a lung infection as a result of frequent smoking. He was succeeded by his son, Albert II of Monaco.
What was Grace Kelly's final net worth?
The net worth of Grace Kelly at the time of her death will probably surprise most.
When Kelly married Rainier in 1956, she was the highest paid actress in Hollywood.
She may have given up her career for a life of service as Princess of Monaco, but you would expect her net worth to be high when she died.
Kelly had to pay a dowry to marry Rainier, and hers was $2 million which is about $26 million in 2023.
In order to pay the dowry she took all her earnings from her acting jobs and inheritance from her wealthy family.
So at the time of her death, she had about $10,000, about $125,000 in 2023, to her name,
She also had a cottage in Ireland that was previously owned by her grandfather.
When did Grace Kelly die and how old was she?
Kelly died tragically at the age of 52 when she lost control of her car and drove off a mountain road by the Cote D’Azur in September 1982.
Kelly suffered a mild cerebral haemorrhage and was taken to the Monaco hospital.
She died the following night after her husband decided to turn off her life support.
Kelly was later buried in the Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco.
Rainier, who did not remarry, was buried alongside her after his death in 2005.
What was Grace Kelly driving when she died?
Despite her aversion to driving, Kelly was driving her favourite car, a 1971 Range Rover 3500.
Kelly insisted on driving her daughter to the train station, waving off the chauffeur as the car couldn't take them all.
The back seat was full of luggage and dresses, as Stéphanie was leaving for school.
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What happened to Grace Kelly's daughter Princess Stéphanie of Monaco?
Her daughter, Princess Stéphanie who was 17 at the time, was in the car with her.
Miraculously, Princess Stéphanie escaped the wreckage with broken vertebrae and survived.