Monarch: Princess Grace Patricia Kelly of Monaco - Fontvieille, Monaco

Princess Grace Patricia Kelly of Monaco

Fontvieille, Monaco

N 43° 43.624 E 007° 25.134

Short Description: 

A statue of Princess Grace of Monaco is located in the Princess Grace Rose Garden in the Fontvieille section of Monaco.

Long Description:

The Princess Grace Rose Garden was created in 1984 as a memorial to Grace Kelly, wife of Prince Rainier III. The statue of Princess Grace in the rose garden was commissioned by her husband, Prince Rainier III of the House of Grimaldi, shortly after her death following an automobile accident.

The life-size bronze statue depicts the Princess standing amid a pile of limestone rocks in the rose garden created to commemorate her life. She is wearing a sleeveless and strapless gown. He hair is pushed back and arranged into a bun. Her right hand is touching the front of her right shoulder and her left arm is down by her left side. The statue was created by Kees Verkade in 1983.

Grace Kelly was born into a prominent Philadelphia family in 1929. She began a successful acting career at age 20 in New York City theater productions and live drama television broadcasts.

She starred in films and won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Mogambo (1953) and an Academy Award for Best Actress in The Country Girl (1954). She also had leading roles in High Noon (1952), Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), and High Society (1956).

Grace Kelly retired from acting to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco on April 18, 1956. They had three children: Caroline, Albert II, and Stéphanie. As Princess she was involved in several philanthropic activities.  She founded AMADE Mondiale, a non-profit NGO which cared for children around the world. She also started the Princess Grace Foundation in 1964 to  improving the arts institutions of Monaco and support local artisans.

Princess Grace of Monaco died on September 14, 1982, a day after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage and being involved in an automobile accident.