Grace Kelly had the unique distinction of being both Hollywood and Monegasque royalty.
The Rear Window actress who was born in Philadelphia was a silver screen icon by her mid-twenties, known for her elegant, preppy look, and the pristine white gloves she wore to auditions. Grace Kelly's style didn't change much after she found fame - clean lines, elaborate gowns, and old Hollywood glamour looks that are still recreated today.
After she gave up her Hollywood career to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco, Princess Grace remained so effortlessly chic one of the most famous Hermès bags would be named in her honor - the Kelly.
We've rounded up her best quotes, looks, and moments, from her early studio days to her life as European royalty.
Young Grace Kelly and the Philadelphia years
Grace Kelly's style was pretty regal, even before tiaras became a wardrobe staple. Kelly was born in Philadelphia in 1929 but her lifestyle took her far from her Philly roots.
“My father had a very simple view on life: you don't get anything for nothing. Everything has to be earned, through work, persistence and honesty,” the Philadelphia-native said about her family.
Growing up, Kelly's early ambition was to be a ballerina, but she became too tall to dance professionally. She turned to modelling in print advertisements for soap brands like Cashmere Bouquet, before kicking off a stage career.
Kelly is known to have worn white gloves when she auditioned and minimal makeup, showcasing her elegant, conservative style. “I favor pearls on screen and in my private life,” she has said.
Grace Kelly movies - and that accent
Before she was cast in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window - the movie that would change her career and define her style - Kelly had only appeared in four movies.
Despite her legacy as a screen icon, she only appeared in 11 films in total during her entire career (a relatively small number for a silver screen star).
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Rear Window premiered in 1954, with Grace Kelly starring as Lisa Carol Fremont in pearls and a now-famous black and white ballgown.
Celebrated costume designer Edith Head was responsible for her Rear Window ensembles, and would go on to design many of her most iconic outfits, including the blue chiffon ballgown in To Catch a Thief. Head is also famous for styling Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday and Sabrina - with 35 Oscar nominations, she's still the most honored costume designer in Academy Awards history.
"I've dressed thousands of actors, actresses and animals, but whenever I am asked which star is my personal favorite, I answer, 'Grace Kelly.' She is a charming lady, a most gifted actress and, to me, a valued friend," Head said about the superstar.
Grace entered into a seven-year contract with MGM, starring alongside Cary Grant, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra. She worked with Alfred Hitchock on her most notable films, including Dial M For Murder and To Catch A Thief.
“Mr. Hitchcock taught me everything about cinema" Kelly said about the director, "It was thanks to him that I understood that murder scenes should be shot like love scenes and love scenes should be shot like murder scenes."
One of her most iconic turns was as a chic heiress in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. “I deliberately photographed Grace Kelly ice-cold and I kept cutting to her profile, looking classical, beautiful, and very distant. And then, when Cary Grant accompanies her to the door of her hotel room, what does she do? She thrusts her lips right up to his mouth,” Hitchcock famously said about Kelly and Grant's first kiss in the movie.
Kelly also developed a signature accent, which was far from the "cheese steak, water ice" intonation made famous by Philadelphians.
“We noticed that her voice was beginning to change. Instead of her old nasal whine, she was speaking in a lower, gentler register. Her sisters would make fun of her, but she would say, 'I must talk this way - for my work.' They saw that she was serious and stopped joking,” her mother would later say.
Grace Kelly’s Academy Award
In 1955 Kelly won an Academy Award for The Country Girl. “The thrill of this moment keeps me from saying what I really feel,” she said in her acceptance speech, “Next year, it will be somebody else. I'm delighted it's me right now,” she said.
Becoming Princess of Monaco
Kelly met Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1955, while she was promoting To Catch A Thief in Cannes. After a year-long correspondence the pair married in 1956 and Kelly became Princess Grace of Monaco - a little like another actress we can name who recently became a royal family member. The Kelly-Rainier wedding was a press event for the ages. Nearly 2,000 journalists and photographers ventured to the cathedral to capture the nuptials, which were also filmed by MGM and broadcast live in Europe.
The gown Kelly wore for her big day was gifted to her by MGM and was created by costume designer Helen Rose on behalf of the studio. Academy Award-winning Rose had worked with Kelly before, dressing her in four films, including High Society.
Kelly's elaborate wedding dress, which has inspired plenty of copycat looks over the years, featured a delicate lace bodice with floral motifs, seed pearls, and ruffled petticoats under the silk skirt. The dress is now housed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, although it's not currently on display.
When Princess Grace married Prince Rainier, she said “I told the Prince that we're not impressed by royalty,” referring to her and her father’s way of thinking, “we're impressed by the man. Marriage is not a game of musical chairs with us. We play for keeps.”
Like Meghan Markle's meaningful veil, Princess Grace's veil was designed in a particular way too, with a circular shape intended to keep her face as visible as possible to those watching at the cathedral and at home - once a movie star, always a movie star.
Grace Kelly's Hermès handbag
When Princess Grace of Monaco became pregnant with her daughter Caroline, she used an Hermès bag as a makeshift shield to hide her stomach. The bag was eventually named “the Kelly” and it’s just as covetable today. Princess Grace’s go-to bags were both made with crocodile skin, one in dark brown and one navy.
Grace Kelly death and lasting legacy
Princess Grace died suddenly in 1982 while she was driving with her daughter Stephanie in Monte Carlo. A scan later revealed she had suffered two brain haemorrhages. She was just 52 when she died.
Grace’s three children, and now grandchildren, help keep her legacy alive. Her granddaughter Camille Gottlieb also looks quite a lot like her.
Kelly's life was also portrayed by Nicole Kidman in the 2014 biopic Grace of Monaco.
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