Grace Kelly - Chinese Card

This is an unusual postcard of Grace Kelly wearing a Chinese silk blouse. The card is from Hong Kong and describes Grace Kelly as the winner of an Academy Award in 1955. Close - she actually received the Oscar for best actress in 1954. And by the end of 1955, Grace Kelly was engaged to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco.

Happy Birthday, Grace Kelly

What is it that gives Grace Kelly that enduring mystique and appeal? She seems to personify eternal beauty and natural poise, and inspires the same sort of devotion and fascination people also have for Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana. Decades after her death, people still want to read about her and gaze at her picture.

Grace Kelly was born in Philadelphia on November 12, 1929.  Her career as an  actress spanned only six years, yet she won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award.  Grace  retired from acting at the age of 26 to assume her duties as Princess of Monaco, upon her marriage to Prince Rainier. She died tragically in a car crash on September 14th, 1982, at the age of 52.

Grace and Rainier had three children, Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie. Albert, the current ruler of Monaco, is engaged to Charlene Wittstock from South Africa, so perhaps we'll see another marriage commemoration cover in Monaco again soon.

Here are some pictures from the May 27, 1958 issue of Look magazine.  It was a large magazine, so unfortunately it doesn't fit nicely into my scanner.

Princess Grace and Prince Rainier

Both the postcard and the stamp on the front commemorate the marriage of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco. I knew that Grace Kelly was an American actress, born in Philadelphia, and that she and Prince Rainier seemed very much in love. I was surprised when I read recently that Prince Rainier wanted a substantial dowry to marry Grace. Doesn't it seem strange to have a commoner family paying a dowry to a royal family. Luckily, Grace's family was able to come up with the $2 million. 

Princess Grace and Prince Rainer had three lovely children: Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie. I admired the girls very much when I was growing up. Unfortunately, they led rather tumultuous lives, marrying race car drivers, body guards, and circus acrobats, and having various out-of-wedlock children. (Well, now that I write that down, it sounds sort of fun and adventurous!) In any case, growing up in the spotlight and losing their mother in the tragic car accident in 1982 probably made for a difficult life.

The card reads:

10-18-'58

Liebe Gisela,

Here we are enjoying ourselves and thinking of you all.

Regards,

Kurt and Lonny

Kindest Regards "Grace"