The accident that changed Monaco forever (Part three)

Read part two here.

I would like to be remembered as someone who accomplished useful deeds, and who was a kind and loving person.1

On 18 September 1982, Monaco laid its Princess to rest.

The coffin was carried to the Notre-Dame-Immaculée Cathedral, Saint Nicholas, as bells sounded. Her husband, Prince Rainier, with their children, Prince Albert and Princess Caroline, followed the casket. Unfortunately, princess Stéphanie was still hospitalised and could not attend. The procession was led by a priest holding a mahogany cross tipped in gold. The coffin was covered with a white banner with the arms of the Grimaldi family. According to Prince Rainier’s wish, Grace was to be interred in the choir of the cathedral. The steps to the cathedral were covered in flowers.

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The service was led by Charles Amarin Brand, who was the Archbishop of Monaco. He spoke of being “united in pain” and described the events as “the rupture of the destiny of this humanly exceptional, religiously exceptional person.”Her faith “modeled, indeed sculpted, not only the public person, but the deep personality of her being.” 2 The mass included selections from Bach and Barber. The gospel reading was from John.

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The mourners included Grace’s two sisters and her brother. Foreign representatives and reigning and non-reigning royalty included the President of Ireland, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Prince Bertil of Sweden, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, Prince Philip of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke Vladimir of Russia, the Duke of Aosta, the King and Queen of the Belgians, the Prince and Princess of Liège, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, and The Princess of Wales. Her former co-star Cary Grant also attended, as did several representatives of the United States government.

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In the city of her birth, Philadelphia, a memorial mass was held. Cardinal Krol spoke of Grace, “Grace Kelly will be remembered as a famous Philadelphian, as a talented actress, and as the Princess of Monaco. But there is an important dimension to her life that merits recognition and remembrance, and that is her role as wife and mother.”3

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