The rare beauty and stunning self-possession that propelled Grace Kelly into the Hollywood pantheon and ultimately to Monaco’s royal palace were more than captivating—they were completely genuine. As London’s Victoria and Albert Museum unveils an exhibition devoted to Kelly’s style, which still inspires fashion from Hermès to Tommy Hilfiger, the author looks at the intertwined qualities of an icon: white-gloved ingénue, elegant goddess, passionate romantic. It may be the softest kiss in film history. The sun is setting over rooftops. A man, his leg in a cast, sleeps near an open window, undisturbed by a neighbor singing scales. Just after […]

It has been 10 years since her death in a horrible auto accident in Monaco and more than 35 years since her last film, yet Grace Kelly’s charm, cool beauty, and elegant style have not faded from our minds or our hearts Her mother said it first: there was something “special” about Grace. As a child she had a steely determination to act, and with comparatively little trouble, she became one of Hollywood’s brightest stars in the 1950s. Though some perceived her as an “ice princess,” those who knew her well knew she was warm, funny, and it was said, […]

Her life seemed charmed. But 10 years after her death, Grace Kelly’s daughters are still searching for happy endings and wondering if things would have been different had she lived. The talk of Monaco is that there is no talk at all-at least publicly. The citizens of this pint-size Mediterranean principality scuttle about, their heads lowered, avoiding reporters’ questions about the latest romantic high jinks of the country’s royal daughters. Some Monegasques, as the residents are called, are shocked, some resigned. Most can’t help wondering: if Princess Grace hadn’t died in a tragic car crash 10 years ago this month, […]