Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer has opened a photographic exhibition in the Atrium of the Casino de Monte-Carlo to mark the 70th anniversary of the wedding of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly, joining a wider programme of commemorations organised by the Princely Palace.
Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace married in a religious ceremony at Monaco Cathedral on 19th April 1956, the day after their civil wedding. The service was broadcast live on Eurovision and watched by an estimated 30 million viewers, earning it the title “the Wedding of the Century” and, according to the Palace, making it still the second most widely covered event in the world after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Seventy years on, the Prince’s Palace Archives and the Audiovisual Institute of Monaco are marking the anniversary with an exhibition in the Palace’s Grand Apartments, a film screening in the Cour d’Honneur on 20th July, and a series of events across the Principality.
A look back at two evenings in Monte-Carlo
Société des Bains de Mer’s contribution focuses on two evenings held in its own establishments during the wedding celebrations: a dinner-show on 15th April at the International Sporting Club, and a gala on 18th April at the Salle Garnier, the setting designed 78 years earlier by architect Charles Garnier. Working with the Walter scenography studio, the Group has installed ten life-size period photographs in the Atrium of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, drawing on images from the Palace Archives to recreate both occasions.
The 18th April gala saw the premiere of ‘Tribute to the Princess’, a five-act performance by dancers of London’s Festival Ballet, including prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn. The dancers wore costumes designed by André Levasseur, with choreography by Michael Charnley set to music by Stan Kenton.
A long-standing connection between the Group and the Princely Family
The 1956 wedding celebrations were not the only occasion on which a Société des Bains de Mer venue hosted the Princely couple. In 1976, the cellars of the Hôtel de Paris were the setting for Prince Rainier and Princess Grace’s 20th wedding anniversary celebrations. More recently, in 2019, the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo named its two finest Diamond Suites ‘Prince Rainier’ and ‘Princess Grace’ as part of its renovation, a gesture the Group says reflects ties with the Princely Family stretching back to its founding in 1863.
See also:
Palace opens exhibition marking 70 years since ‘wedding of the century
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Photo source: SBM