Royals Hollywood Royalty! Glamorous Photos of Princess Grace You Have to See Look back on Grace Kelly's stunning transformation from a Hitchcock blonde to the real-life princess of Monaco By Erin Hill Erin Hill Erin Hill is the Senior Editor, Royals at PEOPLE. She has reported on Royals for the brand since 2015. Erin previously worked at PARADE Magazine and The Knot. People Editorial Guidelines and Katie Labovitz Katie Labovitz Katie Labovitz is an editor and developmental editor for PEOPLE as of 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 7, 2023 07:36PM EST Close Princess Grace in 1966. Photo: Daniele Darolle/Sygma via Getty Though her film career lasted only a few years, Philadelphia-born Grace Kelly rose to the ranks of Hollywood royalty before she became actual royalty herself. An Academy Award winner for 1954's The Country Girl, her first trip to the Cannes Film Festival in 1955 would change her life: She met a prince at Cannes, they got engaged in the winter and married the following April. In what seemed like a whirlwind romance, Kelly traded Hollywood for Monaco, a small country on the French Riviera, where she lived out her days as Princess Grace. Though she quit acting, her enchantment followed her off-screen as she and her husband raised a family and fulfilled royal duties until her death on Sept. 14, 1982. (Kelly suffered a stroke after a tragic car crash.) Still, her legacy has endured and continued to live on in service (her Princess Grace Foundation provides grants to emerging performing artists) and fashion. Widely considered a style icon, museums — including London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art — have exhibited her designer clothing. Ahead, take a look at some of Princess Grace's most glamorous photos. 01 of 14 Grace Kelly headshot from the 1950s Sunset Boulevard/Corbis Before marrying into royalty and becoming the Princess of Monaco, Kelly was a star on-screen and onstage during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1949 and got her start in theater and television before making her film debut in 1951's Fourteen Hours. 02 of 14 Grace Kelly portrait, circa 1950 FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images After appearing as pacifist Amy Fowler Kane in 1952's High Noon, Kelly earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Mogambo, starring opposite Clark Gable. One of Alfred Hitchcock's blondes, she also co-starred in several thrillers from the Master of Suspense, including the 1954 films Dial M for Murder and Rear Window and 1955's To Catch a Thief. 03 of 14 Grace Kelly at the Cannes Film Festival in 1955 Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images Following her Best Actress Oscar win for 1954's The Country Girl, Kelly appeared at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, where that same film was competing for the very first Palme d'Or (Marty took home that honor). It would not be her last time at Cannes — other times in attendance included the 1972 presentation of Hitchcock's Frenzy and the 1980 festival just after the celebrated director's death in April of that year. 04 of 14 Grace Kelly meeting Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1955 Edward Quinn Kelly initially met her future husband when they were introduced by actress Olivia de Havilland and her husband. De Havilland — who had never even met Kelly but were on the same train en route to Cannes in April 1955 — had the idea that Kelly and Rainier should have dinner. She proposed the idea to Kelly, who agreed but said she needed to clear it with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM, the studio sponsoring her Cannes trip). Before the planned Friday introduction, the lead-up was riddled with a series of mishaps: A power outage reportedly happened at Kelly's hotel, which meant there was no way to use a hairdryer or an iron. Also, a minor car accident caused a delay, and Kelly had a tour of the Monaco Palace before Rainier could even show her around. The two did manage to speak privately for a bit and kept in touch privately after that first meeting. Rainier popped the question to Kelly seven months later during Christmas. 05 of 14 Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly in January 1956 AP After getting engaged, Kelly and Rainier spoke to the press at her parents' home in Philadelphia on Jan. 5, 1956, per Reuters. When asked by one reporter how she felt, Kelly replied that she was "very, very happy" and confirmed she would be moving to Monaco. Her parents were also interviewed, with her mother admitting that she knew her daughter's relationship was "rather serious" when Kelly told her that "the prince was very charming" — to which Kelly's father quipped, "That makes [him] Prince Charming." 06 of 14 Grace Kelly dancing with her future father-in-law, Prince Pierre de Polignac Michael Calcagno Though a Hollywood star, Kelly and her royal fiancé still had down-to-earth moments in their relationship. In the 2017 book Grace Kelly: Hollywood Dream Girl by Jay Jorgensen and Manoah Bowman, Kelly's sister, Lizanne Kelly LeVine, shared that she and her husband had Kelly and Rainier over to their modest apartment for dinner after the engagement and that Rainier "fit in very well — even helped with the dishes." Amid her engagement and spring 1956 wedding, Kelly filmed her final feature role in High Society alongside Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. She was just 26 years old when she retired from acting to marry Rainier and become Princess of Monaco. 07 of 14 Grace Kelly on her wedding day on April 19, 1956 Michael Calcagno Per the Napoleonic Code and Roman Catholic church rules, Kelly and Rainer first wed in a civil ceremony on April 18, 1956, followed by a separate religious ceremony the next day. It was this second celebration — a fairy-tale wedding praised as an "incredible affair" in which Kelly wore a now-famous gown, complete with a tiara-free veil — that is most remembered. Her wedding dress was a gift from MGM, the studio she was still with at the time, and designed by two-time Oscar-winning costume designer Helen Rose. It was built out of antique Brussels lace — along with silk, taffeta and tulle — and embellished with pearls. After the wedding, Kelly gave the gown to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as her beaded veil, wedding shoes and other accessories from her special day. 08 of 14 Princess Grace and Prince Rainer after their wedding Michael Calcagno Their wedding ceremony was held at Monaco's Saint Nicholas Cathedral. Watched by people around the world, the in-person guest list of 600 included actors Gloria Swanson, Ava Gardner and Cary Grant, as well as hotelier Conrad Hilton and Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. The royal couple was then driven away from the cathedral in a 1956 Rolls Royce after tying the knot. The car was a wedding present from the people of Monaco to the couple. Before arriving at their reception, Princess Grace adhered to Monaco tradition and made an offering of her wedding bouquet at Sainte-Dévote Chapel — named for the country's patron saint. 09 of 14 Princess Grace and Prince Rainier at their wedding reception Michael Calcagno At a towering six tiers, their wedding cake featured sugar work of Monaco's Pink Palace and other scenes of the country's history. Guests enjoyed a buffet of seafood (cold lobster, salmon and caviar), chicken, jellied eggs and Champagne. 10 of 14 Princess Grace and Prince Rainier aboard their honeymoon yacht in April 1956 Michael Calcagno Following their wedding reception, the newlyweds were supposed to leave for a seven-week cruise in the Mediterranean. "It was so exhausting," the couple's son, Prince Albert II of Monaco, told PEOPLE exclusively in 2016 before adding privately both "said that when they left on their honeymoon and got on the boat, they both just kind of passed out from exhaustion and had a good night's sleep before they got on with enjoying their honeymoon the next day." The pair were tired, yes, but also very happy with how their lavish ceremony turned out. "She'd recall 'going down this street on my wedding day' and seeing the people there," Albert recounted of his mother in her later years. "Dad did as well. He was happiest about the fact that things went so well." 11 of 14 Princess Grace and Prince Rainier with their two children in 1958 Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho via Getty The royal couple welcomed three children together: Princess Caroline in 1957, Prince Albert in 1958 and Princess Stéphanie in 1965. "Our parents made sure it felt like a normal home. Not palace-y," Albert told PEOPLE in an exclusive 2014 interview. Monaco's Royal Family: Meet the Modern Descendants of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly The family would visit the Jersey Shore and eat corn on the cob that had been planted in their own backyard. Princess Grace would lean into American culture at the holidays and serve turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, which was uncommon in Europe at the time. While Albert called Princess Grace a "hands-on mom," Caroline claimed she and her siblings were closer to their nanny, Maureen Wood, than they were to their parents. She's quoted in Isabelle Rivère's Albert II of Monaco, The Man and The Prince, saying, "For my brother and I, Maureen was the key figure in our life." 12 of 14 Princess Grace and Prince Rainier visit the White House in 1961 CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy (née Bouvier), hosted the royal couple of Monaco for a luncheon in their honor on May 24, 1961. Though the above photo is in black and white, Princess Grace's Givenchy dress and matching bolero jacket were a stunning kelly green, and the outfit is still considered a notable moment in fashion history. 13 of 14 Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, circa 1960 Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho via Getty The royal couple would only have a little over 25 years together before Princess Grace was involved in a tragic car accident in which she suffered a stroke while driving, lost control of her car and drove off a mountain on Sept. 13, 1982. Their youngest daughter, Stephanie, survived the incident, but Grace died the next day from a brain hemorrhage at age 52. Prince Albert told Graham Bensinger in a 2017 interview that "it was a traumatic experience and would be for everybody." He also noted that his father changed after losing his wife, telling Bensinger, "He was deeply affected, and he wasn't quite the same man as he was before the accident." 14 of 14 Princess Grace with son Prince Albert at the Red Cross Ball in August 1974 AP The president of Monaco's first-ever Red Cross Ball in 1948 was Prince Rainier. It was a novel thing at the time for a head of state to be so hands-on with an event like this. Princess Grace would eventually take over as president, according to Hello Monaco magazine, and continue to raise money for charities at the yearly gala as the event itself became a huge highlight of the summer season. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in 2018, Prince Albert explained his parents' involvement with the ball: "Pretty soon after their wedding, in '58, Mom took it on and then, it became something else." Event responsibilities have stayed in the family. Albert added, "Mom remained president until her passing [in 1982], and I've been privileged to head the Monaco Red Cross since then."