Books: A royal story of Grace Kelly’s life

Grace Patricia Kelly was born in Philadelphia in 1929, the daughter of Jack Kelly, a self-made millionaire, and his wife, Margaret. Grace attended her first school, the Convent of the Assumption near Ravenhill, and because of her youthful beauty and serenity, she was cast as the Virgin Mary in the school’s Nativity play.

After studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Art, she acted in television and on Broadway. Seen by a talent scout, she was tested in Hollywood and began her career as an important screen actress. She was cast in several landmark films including “High Noon,” “Rear Window” and “Dial M For Murder.” For her performance in “The Country Girl,” which co-starred Bing Crosby, she received an Oscar.

In a fascinating new biography published 25 years after her tragic death, the story of how this radiantly beautiful woman conquered Hollywood but left her acting career to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco is documented through previously unavailable sources, including exclusive interviews with more than 90 people who personally knew her. The result is a balanced portrait of this fairly complex woman.

Whether writing about Kelly’s early life, her dazzling career, royal wedding or affairs both before and after her marriage, journalist Wendy Leigh approaches her subject with compassion and care. Grace’s human flaws are portrayed as just that, human and nothing more. Meticulously researched, the sometimes turbulent story of Grace Kelly’s life is highly readable and certain to captivate readers, especially those who admire her film work.

Grace Kelly once asked psychic Frank Andrews if she would die in a car crash. Ironically, that is exactly how she met her death, behind the steering wheel of her Rover automobile in 1982.

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