Like any royal wedding, the 1956 union between Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly was a highly publicized affair. As Vanity Fair details, there were almost 2,000 reporters during the ceremony, and as bridesmaid Maree Rambo remembers, she saw "more press there than guests." If that's not all, MGM filmed the wedding and broadcast it live to over 30 million European viewers.
While there's no doubt a royal getting married is an exciting moment, it's the historical timing of it that makes it so iconic. Per Vanity Fair, the lavish event was the 1950s poster child for a successful, postwar marriage, highlighting "fairy-tale fertility and prosperity." As their son, Prince Albert, told People years later, "it's left such a mark on people ... what it's meant for Monaco, for people around the world ... that's something unimaginable."
While many dubbed the fairy tale "The Wedding of the Century," Grace quipped that it was "the Carnival of the Century" (via Vanity Fair). Prince Albert indeed confirmed his mother's anxiousness around the entire event, telling People, "Mom said it was 'overwhelming,'" and adding that both Grace and Rainier were so "so [exhausted]," they just went to sleep on the night of their honeymoon.
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