From Hollywood starlet to Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly’s story continues to captivate us years later.
The actress, who was known for her Hitchcock credits including Rear Window and To Catch A Thief and her Oscar win for The Country Girl swapped movies for monarchy when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956.
But there’s a special story behind her iconic wedding dress.
The wedding dress for the religious ceremony was a gift from MGM Studio and was designed by Oscar-winning costume designer Helen Rose.
Costing $65,200 (that’s around $786,000 today), the gown was made up of 400 yards of fabric including 100 yards of silk net. It’s become the blueprint for so many celebrity wedding dresses including Princess Kate’s, Nicole Richie’s, Miranda Kerr’s and Nicky Hilton’s.
“I love Grace Kelly. She can do no wrong,” Nicky previously said. “I knew in my mind that I really wanted to do something traditional, just classic, and white lace, and beautiful. I worked closely with them and they created the most magnificent dress that I’ve ever worn and ever will wear.”
Grace’s original dress now lives in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and was a gift from the princess to the institution two months after her nuptials.
But another of the royal’s wedding dresses has been passed down and was recently spotted on Princess Alexandra of Hanover, daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco.
The 27-year-old Monégasque royal shared photos of herself in a yellow Givenchy dress that once belonged to her famous grandmother. Princess Grace wore it in May 1962 to the wedding of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain.
“Yellow mood in archival givenchy,” Alexandra captioned her snaps.
Alexandra’s not the only one of Grace’s grandchildren to carry on her fashionable legacy.
At Monaco’s Red Cross Gala in 2025, Camille Gottlieb, the youngest daughter of Princess Stéphanie and Jean Raymond Gottlieb wore a custom gown created by Italian designer Elisabetta Franchise.
The frock was a modern take of the one Grace wore in the 1954 film Rear Window.
“When I was very little, I was often told that I looked like my grandmother, she told Gala magazine.
“For me, that’s one of the best compliments anyone can give me.”
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