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Grace Kelly’s Tragic Death
On Sept. 14, 1982, Grace Kelly, the Princess of Monaco, passed away at 52 years of age. She was a victim of a stroke and thereafter a car accident near Monte Carlo.
She was a “Hollywood to Royalty” story before her marriage to Prince Rainier III. The collaboration of Elizabeth Taylor with Alfred Hitchcock was the necessary point of her career as she played main roles in Rear Window and Dial M for Murder. Beyond cinema, she also heavily involved herself in stage plays.
She won the Academy Award for The Country Girl, and consequently, she shared the screen with Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief.
From Hollywood Star to Monaco Royalty
Grace Kelly, one of Hollywood’s most majestic stars, initially saw the face of Prince Rainier of Monaco at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1955 through the actress Olivia de Havilland. Without hesitation, the snowfall diverted the trajectory of her life. Subsequently, a double ceremony witnessed by “the wedding of the century” in April 1956, followed by the relinquishing of the thriving film career by Grace to Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco.
The royal couple become parents of three kids: Princess Caroline, who was born in 1957; Prince Albert, who was born in 1958; and Princess Stéphanie, who was born in 1965.
Conversely, disaster happened in September 1982. For example, Grace was driving with Princess Stéphanie near Monte Carlo when she suffered a stroke at the wheel. She then lost control of her Rover, which went off the sharp coastal road and fell over 100 feet into a ravine. Doctors rushed Grace to a Monaco hospital, but she died the next day at age 52 from a brain hemorrhage.
Princess Stéphanie, 17 at the time, got off the crash with injuries but the death of her mother became a scar that marked the family and the principality.
A Lasting Legacy
“Quite often not only during a day but throughout a week I come to the point of not only thinking about her but also remembering her to others. And they recollect her to me,” Prince Albert said to PEOPLE on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Princess Grace’s death in 2022. “They remember her and it’s a very big tribute to her and who she was — to what an outstanding human being she was.”
So, a glance at the past focusing on the disastrous demise of Princess Grace Kelly and the incredible inheritance that she has left behind.
How Did Princess Grace Kelly Die?
On the morning of September 13, 1982, Princess Grace and her daughter Princess Stéphanie, 17 years old, were going to her British Rover 3500 from their summer residence in Roc Agel, France, back to Monaco.
While driving through the winding road at Cap-d’Ail, Princess Grace, who had a stroke, lost control of her car. The New York Times reports that the car fell over 100 feet down a ravine, rolling several times and then setting on fire at the bottom.
Paramedics rushed Princess Grace to a hospital in Monaco. The doctors there said she had a severe brain hemorrhage and they lost her to these injuries later on.
Princess Stéphanie told The Guardian in 2002 that she had tried to pull the handbrake to stop the car during the crash, though she escaped without injury.
The Crash and Its Aftermath
French police told The New York Times that Princess Grace and her daughter were not wearing seatbelts when the crash occurred. The impact threw Princess Grace into the backseat, while Princess Stéphanie later told The Guardian that the passenger door was so jammed rescuers had to pull her out through the driver’s side.
After the crash, paramedics rushed both of them to the hospital, where doctors determined they had suffered severe injuries. Princess Stéphanie had broken ribs, and as to the neck she had three vertebrae fractured and a totally smashed collarbone. Princess Grace had a broken thighbone, collarbone, and several ribs.
Grace hospital stay led to a second more grievous brain hemorrhage which ended up causing her death.
When Did Princess Grace Kelly Die?
Grace Kelly died on September 14, 1982, as a result of injuries from a car accident she had a day before. Princess Grace and Princess Stéphanie were both injured in the crash and were transported by ambulance to Monaco hospital. A statement issued by the Monaco government on the day of the tragedy, as reported by The New York Times, said that “during the night, the evolution of the Princess’ condition was unfavorable.” The message ended with, “At the end of the day, all therapeutic possibilities had been exhausted.”
Prince Albert Reflects on His Mother’s Final Hours
Grace Kelly’s sad death over 30 years ago, her son Prince Albert, in 2017, on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, shared how the family was with her during the last moments. “I remember the time when we were at the hospital with her for so many hours, and the doctors finally came to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to get better,” he said.
”It was a very shocking moment—you’re not quite sure what to think,” he added. “In the beginning, you refuse to accept the reality and that’s why you tend to think that things will get better, that the accident might not be so bad. Those hours were very tight and emotional. But, at the end of the day, it was already there, the final scene – not a good one.”
Where Did Princess Grace Kelly Die?
Grace, Princess, lost her life at a hospital in Monaco.
According to The New York Times, the incident caused her not to wake up from a coma, and hence, she was on life support for a while. The doctors then had a meeting where they decided that they could no longer offer any hope to her.
How Did Princess Grace Kelly’s Family React?
The unexpected death of Princess Grace had a deep impact on her family.
In a 2017 interview with Graham Bensinger, Prince Albert revealed that his father, Prince Rainier, never fully recovered after the tragedy. “He was affected a lot, and he did not seem to be the same person after the accident,” Albert explained.
Grace’s three children were all deeply devastated. For Princess Stéphanie, who was in the car with her mother during the crash, coping with the trauma proved especially difficult since she had lived through the harrowing moment firsthand.
Princess Stéphanie on Coping With Loss
In the interview with Graham Bensinger back in 2017, Prince Albert mentioned to the interviewer that his sister had come to the realization of the tragedy “a very long time” after it had happened. “She had to go through a lot of years before she could finally accept it — the agony of being in the car with our mother and not being able to help her or for something different to arise,” he elaborated.
Princess Stéphanie in a 2015 interview with French magazine Point de Vue, also spoke about the effect her mother’s death had on her. “After I had my anger, and the feeling of being wronged inside me, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I would have said, ‘Hey! Practically, you should have died as well,” she confessed. “When I survived, it was probably for a reason. You have a role in this world. You must discover it.”
Prince Albert on Finding Peace
During the year 2017, Prince Albert looked back and stated that he had a hard time with the death of his mother and that it took him quite a long time to accept it. “You get better with the support of your family members, friends, and people who are close to your heart and who can give you comfort,” he said.
When Was Princess Grace Kelly’s Funeral?
One week after her death, Princess Grace was honored with a state funeral attended by her family, royal associates, close friends, and the people of Monaco.
On the morning of September 18, 1982, Prince Rainier, accompanied by Princess Caroline and Prince Albert, led a solemn funeral procession through the streets of Monte Carlo. The cortege traveled from the royal palace to the Cathédrale de Monaco, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.
At that time, Princess Stéphanie was still in the hospital from the car crash and had not yet recuperated from her injuries, so she was not able to be present at the funeral.
Inside Princess Grace Kelly’s Funeral
The Mass was celebrated at the same place, the Cathédrale de Monaco, where Grace and Rainier had married in 1956. It was a 75-minute service that included a mass, readings, and music. The cathedral was packed with hundreds of people who came to pay their respects.
Grace’s brother and two sisters were among those present. In addition to them, there were First Lady Nancy Reagan, Princess Diana, a number of European royals, and Hollywood star Cary Grant, her To Catch a Thief co-star.
What Is Princess Grace Kelly’s Legacy?
Grace Kelly is remembered as a timeless icon, her legacy still shining decades after her death. That legacy spans her celebrated Hollywood career, her enduring influence on fashion, and her lifelong commitment to philanthropy.
The Oscar-winning actress built a reputation on unforgettable performances, most notably in Alfred Hitchcock’s classics Rear Window and Dial M for Murder, which remain defining roles in her storied career.
With her singing in the theatre and movies, she became one of the most talked-about actresses of the time.
“She is still very much in people’s minds forty years later,” Prince Albert said to PEOPLE in 2022. “She managed to capture the imagination and attention of several younger generations, and not many have done that. It’s an incredible gift that she had.”
Grace Kelly’s Enduring Influence on Style
The exquisite and stunning style of Princess Grace is still alive and well, and it always seems to find new admirers among celebrities, royals, and ordinary people.
>The New York Times reports that her children put together a big show of her private life with hundreds of pieces, including letters and some of her most famous outfits, in 2007, a quarter of a century after her demise.
>The exhibition opened in the summer at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco and later moved to Sotheby’s in New York in the fall. Visitors praised the collection, which showcased some of Grace Kelly’s most iconic pieces — her 1956 wedding dress, a costume from her last film High Society (1956), and the pale satin gown she wore to accept her Oscar for The Country Girl in 1955, among others.
A Legacy of Philanthropy
Though known for her acting career and style, Princess Grace’s giving back to the society was her real legacy – her support for the young talents was especially noteworthy.
>As a member of the royal family, she was very supportive of Monaco’s cultural institutions, and was the founder of AMADE Mondiale, an organization dedicated to the welfare of children in different parts of the world. The organization’s website indicates that Princess Caroline is the current chairwoman, and Prince Albert is on the board of honorary chairs.
>After her demise, Prince Rainier set up the Princess Grace Foundation–USA and the Princess Grace Awards in her memory to honor and support the new artistic talent and socially responsible creators. Both the projects are still alive, turning the wheel of her philanthropy and mentorship.
Keeping Her Legacy Alive
“It’s a huge pleasure, and it’s equally uplifting to see my dad’s dedication that he has taken on my mum’s legacy and her love for the arts community has been so far, making such a huge impact on the lives of so many,” Prince Albert told PEOPLE in October 2024. “My mother really wanted to notice the young people of these fields and support them because she knew it was never easy at the beginning of an artistic career.”
>Princess Grace, whose remarkable life was once referred to as the ‘movie queen’, still inspires the arts not only through her charitable works but also her incredible journey, as depicted in the many biographies she is the subject of, and the 2014 biopic Grace of Monaco, with Nicole Kidman as the lead.
