Visit by the Monaco Royals

In mid-June 1961, Prince Rainier of Monaco visited Ireland along with his wife, Princess Grace. While all visiting royals are given the VIP treatment, the presence of the Irish-American actress formerly known as Grace Kelly whipped media and public excitement into a frenzy.

Grace’s Irish connections were well-known in Ireland, and were a source of pride at a time when Irish-Americans seemed to be grabbing the reins of power in all arenas – JFK being the most obvious example. So when the beautiful young princess landed in Dublin, she was indeed presented with a thousand welcomes.

The royal couple arriving at Dublin Airport
10 June 1961

After the arrival, the royals were taken straight to Áras an Uachtaráin, where they were greeted by President De Valera and his wife, Sinead. The next day included a visit to the National Stud Farm and attendance at the opening ceremony in Croke Park of the Dublin International Festival of Music and Arts, by which time the couple had learned to wrap themselves up well for an Irish summer.

On Monday, the royals spent the morning at an art exhibition in Brown Thomas on Grafton Street before attending separate functions in the afternoon. Princess Grace visited Crumlin Hospital and the Sacred Heart Home for Orphans on the Drumcondra Road. Her own children, Albert and Caroline, were due to arrive that night, but Grace mentioned them to the children on several occasions.

Princess Grace leaving Brown Thomas
12 June 1961

That night, events turned a little sour when a crowd waiting outside the Gresham Hotel on O’Connell Street became difficult to control. A banquet was being held in the royals’ honour in the hotel, but the guests of honour and political figures like Lemass had great difficulties in getting safely through the crowd. Even after everyone had entered the hotel, the crowd remained until Princess Grace made an appearance on a balcony to wave to them.

The crowds outside the Gresham waiting for Grace
12 June 1961

The next day, Albert and Caroline were taken to the Áras for their introduction on what would be the last official day of the family’s state visit. But the Grimaldis would stay in Ireland for another four days, transferring to the west coast for the remainder of their holiday. This allowed Grace to visit her ancestral home, meet several of her relatives and visit Croagh Patrick. The royals did not climb the mountain – Grace’s white suit would not have been the most practical outfit if that had been their intention – but they did pay homage at the first station at the base.

Princess Grace at Croagh Patrick
15 June 1961

This visit to Ireland would be the first of many for Princess Grace, both official and unofficial, as can be seen by the number of times she appears in our archive. She became an important patron of the arts in Ireland, and the people of Ireland always had a lot of affection for her and her family. Her tragic death was mourned deeply across the country, just as had happened when JFK was cut down in his prime. But, when the Grimaldis stepped off the plane in 1961, her glamour and beauty seemed immortal.

All images available @ Irish Photo Archive

Grace and style

Any fan of Princess Grace will be delighted with the number of photographs of her various visits to Ireland contained in the Irish PhotoArchive collections. After her marriage to Prince Rainier, she was a regular and enthusiastic visitor to Ireland, and was always welcomed too.

However, while the Archive’s photos brilliantly capture the way the princess carried off her style with aplomb, the photos are in black and white. A fan of fashion will no doubt be curious about the colours and shades of Princess Grace’s outfits.

Fortunately, Judith Gantley from the Princess Grace Irish Library has provided us with this exact information on the princess’s most striking outfits from her visits to Ireland. Check them out and enjoy!

1. The off-white suit by Dior

Princess Grace visits the National Stud,
11 June 1961

In colour on Tumblr here

2. The green Givenchy dress

Royal couple arrive at Dublin Airport, 10 June 1961

The green dress, now part of Newbridge Museum of Style Icons exhibition

3. The coral ball gown

Le Bal des Petit Lits Blancs, 4 July 1965

In colour

4. The turquoise ball gown

White tie ball at Áras an Uachtaráin, 10 June 1961

In (rather lurid) colour

State of Grace

The Cannes film festival opens today with Grace of Monaco, a film that has generated far more controversy than is warranted by its subject matter. Nicole Kidman plays Grace Kelly, or the Princess of Monaco as Kelly is at this point in her life. The film focuses on a period of tension between France and Monaco which boiled down to tax collection – not the most exciting topic for a movie. However, the controversy surrounding the film all relates to players off the screen. 

First of all, there has been on-going tensions between the director, Olivier Dahan (La Vie en Rose) and the producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam on one side, and Harvey Weinstein, the US distributor on the other. Le Pogam told Le Parisien magazine: “We want to show a real crisis situation between Grace and her husband and he wants to tell a fairytale, give Americans a lesson on Monaco and Grace Kelly.”

The royal couple at Áras an Uachtarain, 10 June 1961

Secondly, Grace Kelly’s children have strongly criticized the film, claiming several scenes are entirely made up. A statement released by the house of Grimaldi said: “The royal family wishes to stress that this film in no way constitutes a biopic. It recounts one rewritten and needlessly glamorised page in the history of Monaco and its family with both major historical inaccuracies and a series of purely fictional scenes.”

It was also during this time that Kelly made her final decision to retire from Hollywood. Her husband, Prince Rainier, allegedly put pressure on her to withdraw from acting, implying that it would be unseemly for one of the royal family to appear on film. Their royal wedding had been filmed and released in cinemas in a deal that freed Kelly from a seven-film contract, but Alfred Hitchcock had been trying to persuade her to start in his new film, Marnie. Ultimately, Tippi Hedren would get the role, and replace Kelly as Hitchcock’s muse.

Despite her short film career, Grace Kelly has continued to fascinate people. She was portrayed on film as the archetypal cool blonde, an image that was only solidified when she became the Princess of Monaco. However, legend has it that she was in fact far wilder than her public persona, and that she had affairs with Cary Grant, Clarke Gable, Jimmy Stewart, and many more of her co-stars and directors.

Princess Grace meets her relatives, 15 June 1961

This wild side makes it even more surprising that Kelly would have enjoyed visiting Ireland so much in the 1960s and 1970s, when the Catholic Church reigned supreme and society was extremely conservative – particularly concerning ‘appropriate’ behaviour for women. Though perhaps Ireland allowed a certain degree of escape from the press that would not have been possible in Monaco or in the US.

Whichever Grace Kelly was the true Grace – the ice maiden or the fun-loving siren – the Irish were always proud that she was of Irish heritage, and that she cared enough about this heritage to visit our country on many occasions. Her untimely death in 1982 shocked the nation, but the nation’s affection for Grace has never wavered. 

If you want to remind yourself of how often Princess Grave visited Ireland, why not visit our website: www.irishphotoarchive.ie.

Mother's Day Presents

If you are flummoxed by what to get Mammy for this year’s Mother’s Day, Irish Photo Archive’s collection of fine art prints and iconic images from Irish history will inspire and delight.

If your mother was a rock chick in her day, she’ll love our collection of Rolling Stones images. These photos remained unseen until the recent release of the Charlie is My Darling documentary. Jagger, Richards and co. are captured just as ‘Satisfaction’ is at No. 1, a vital time in the storyline of the band. 

Or perhaps your mother was one of the lucky few to see the Beatles perform at their only gig in Ireland in 1963. The boys were in playful mood at Dublin Airport when they arrived to play the gig.

Maybe your mother was more the type to queue up to catch a glimpse of JFK or the Pope as they arrived in Ireland for a visit. Or if she is a homebird and spent her life in one small county of Ireland, why not transport her down memory lane with a print of her local town without SUVs lining the footpaths.

Then she will look as happy as Princess Grace does here when Albert brings her a rose during a stay at Carlton House in Maynooth.