Princess Grace (aka Grace Kelly)

[Deleted]

I wasn't sure whether to put this here or in Celebs. I'm taking a gamble.

I always wondered why her death didn't get the kind of attention Diana's did. Both died in car accidents. But Grace was more than the "people's princess." She was a screen legend, the consort of a reigning monarch, rather than the divorced wife of the heir to the throne. She was also, in my view, much more beautiful. So what gives?

[Augustus]

Good question. Perhaps different times and therefor different attitude towards her? Di's presence was everywhere, due to the media attention and scrutiny she held from the day it was known she was to be Charles's future wife until the day she died. Then again, she had the British tabloid press hunting her down, while the French aren't as ardent in that department.

And the circumstances of Di's death were different.

Perhaps it's Monaco's principality vs. the infamous British royal household? To be honest, prior to Grace Kelly I don't think many people even knew of Monaco's existence. Their wedding and mainly her presence is what made Monaco known to the rest of the world and made it the place it is today.

The only real rumblings about Grace's death are the many theories surrounding who was really behind the wheel. She or Stephanie? Beyond that, it seems no one really thinks about it anymore.

[divasahm]

I was a freshman in college when Princess Grace died, and believe me, there was a LOT of coverage for several weeks afterward. Of course, we didn't really have the cable news outlets or the immediacy of the internet [/dinosaur], but she was on every magazine cover that week and I remember watching several documentaries and specials about her with my dormmates.

And there was much speculation about whether Stephanie was driving or not, but that didn't really come up in a major way until after the funeral. The whole Grimaldi family's just one big soap opera...

[Ginger]

Good question. Perhaps different times and therefor different attitude towards her?

When she died, Grace had been retired from movies for over 25 years and even as a princess, kept a very low profile. I think she mostly kept to herself in Paris. It was a huge deal when she appeared in public to read poetry. So she was not the young, hot tabloid target Diana was right up until the week she died.

But the crucial difference I think was the lack of media. CNN was just starting out; there were not 5 or 6 24-hour news networks to cover it nonstop. People Magazine was really the only magazine of that kind at the time, and although they gave Grace (and Stephanie and Caroline) plenty of coverage, they didn't care about her the way they did Diana.

[nitenurse]

Divasahm is right. I was in Austria when Princess Grace died and she was on the cover of every tabloid. The funeral was a media event and if memory serves right Princess Diana went to it.

One theory was Grace was driving and had a stroke and Stephanie tried to steer the car to safety, an other was that Stephanie was driving and got into a huge row with her mother and the rest is history..

[tabby]

The funeral was a media event and if memory serves right Princess Diana went to it.

Yes, Diana was there. She had met Grace soon after she and Charles got engaged, at the party where she wore that strapless black number that had the media all agog.

I remember when I was a tabby kitten, watching The Swan on tv, and my dad telling me, "That lady who's playing the princess? She's a real princess now."

[Deleted]

I guess it's just that I find the coverage of Diana extremely exaggerated, with the commerative plates, and all that.

And the lack of the media circus would contribute. (I just get so sick of hearing how much of a saint Di was)

[Deleted]

I don't know much about Grace but it seems like her private life was just as screwed up as Diana's yet a lot about it never came to light until after she died (maybe I'm wrong though). Diana's private life played out in public during her actual lifetime and perhaps that made her more....relateable? It seemed like Diana filled a lot of different roles for people because we knew so much about her.

Diana's greatest legacy is her children and we'll always hear a lot about her because of them. They interest the media and because of their positions (William and Harry hold the most coveted royal positions in the world) seem to fascinate the public. Even though they party a lot and have been seen in some compromising positions they seem to mostly keep their noses clean. And as they continue to carry on her charity work, she'll probably be forever remembered in a humanitarian light. That they seem polished and somewhat well-brought up probably contributes to her image as a good mother (as well as Charles being a good father). As they grow older, they'll probably be forced to do more charity work (or they could wind up doing it by their own choosing); all in all, they'll still have to do something with their time which will probably contribute to an image of them serving their duty and their mother's legacy. I just get the impression that they'll have to do something with their lives if the Royal Family are to be taken seriously.

Grace's kids, on the other hand.....can someone explain to me why the heck they're so trashy and screwed-up?

(Yes, the British Royal family are screwed up too, but even by royal screw-up standards Grace's children seem way more screwed-up than they should be. )

[nitenurse]

Grace Kelly had a reputation before she married Prince R. It's probably in the Old Hollywood thread.

She was discreet most of the time. But remember this was before cellphones, satellite tv, etc.

Her kids, I guess she hired the wrong governesses. Plus they came of age in the late '70s and '80s a time of rebellion. With Caroline's first marriage, I think it was the case of let her do it, cause we all know she's making a mistake. Stephanie well, from what I've read she's Grimaldi all the way.

[indybear]

From what I've heard, before Rainier married Grace, Monaco's royal family was considered to be not much better than Eurotrash by the "real" royals, and marrying a movie star didn't do much to change their opinion.