Trips 'home' to Ireland brought prince and tragic Grace closer
Prince Albert of Monaco has told how childhood family trips to Ireland brought him closer to his late mother, tragic Hollywood beauty Grace Kelly.
Prince Albert revealed how he always accompanied his mother on flights over, while his sisters travelled with his father Prince Rainier, because, due to security reasons, heads of state travel separately.
In his first Irish interview, with society magazine Social & Personal, he recalls the holidays in Ireland with Princess Grace, whose grandparents came from Newport in Co Mayo and who was very proud of her Irish heritage.
"I remember those family trips. I was the one who travelled with my mother, because my parents rarely travelled together on the same flight," he said.
"My sisters accompanied our father. Those trips bring back close conversations and memories of great relationships that mothers sometimes have with a son. Very special."
He detailed his mother's greatest qualities, describing her as sensitive to other's needs, a great listener and remembered how she ensured the young royals had a relatively normal upbringing.
"She was an incredible person. One of her best qualities was being able to listen, to have the sensitivity to respond to people crying out for help. She was very patient and when she passed on, these qualities were passed down.
"We had normal children's birthday parties. Sometimes they were in the palace, sometimes not -- our mother made sure we shared experiences with other people."
Princess Grace brought style and glamour to the royal Grimaldi family when she married Prince Rainier in 1956.
She was the most famous princess in the world, renowned for her roles in Hollywood movies such as Dial M For Murder and Rear Window.
When she was killed in a car crash in 1982, after careering over a hairpin bend in Monaco, her death sparked an international outpouring of grief and sympathy, particularly in Ireland, where she was revered as an adopted daughter.
An exhibition dedicated to Princess Grace was opened by the Grimaldi family earlier this year.
"My sisters knew it was going to be very emotional, but we looked at it as objectively as possible.
"It showcases what her life was about. We tried to do it in such a way that it would interest the younger generation and allow them to get acquainted."
Prince Albert, now 49, revealed his all-time favourite movie his mother made was Rear Window.
Her grandparents, Henry Kelly and Mary Costello, emigrated from Mayo to the USA in the 1800s. She loved Ireland and made trips here with her husband during their marriage.
The full interview with Prince Albert of Monaco is in Social & Personal magazine, on sale in newsagents from tomorrow.
- Larissa Nolan
