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Friday, August 23, 2013

Princess Grace, Hometown Girl

HSH Princess Grace of Monaco became a famous and beloved figure all around the world first as a movie star and later as the princess consort of one of the oldest monarchies on earth. However, in her own hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania she is still known as the local girl who made it big. A reminder of that, and how Princess Grace never lost her connection with her native city, will be coming to Philadelphia. On Thursday at the Hotel Monaco in the 'City of Brotherly Love' officials announced an upcoming exhibit dedicated to Princess Grace called "Grace Kelly: Beyond the Icon" which will focus on her childhood, early film career and finally her rise to the world of royalty.

Christopher Le Vine, a nephew of Princess Grace, spoke at the event about how his beloved aunt never lost touch with her roots, her family and friends. He also spoke of her love for scrapple, a local Philly dish that is, let us say, a rather acquired taste. It consists of a loaf of pork scraps and cornmeal -hardly the sort of thing one would expect a Princess of Monaco or even a Hollywood movie star to be fond of. Yet, Princess Grace took a sample back to the principality with her so that the chefs at the Princely Palace could recreate the dish in her new home (though one has to wonder what highly skilled masters of French cuisine must have thought of such a thing).

The exhibit will open on October 28 at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doyelstown, a suburb not far from the Bucks County Playhouse where Princess Grace made her stage debut in 1949. Items that will be on display for the exhibit include clothes, clips of home movies, the Oscar the Princess won for her role in "The Country Girl" as well as love letters from HSH Prince Rainier III. HSH Sovereign Prince Albert II also recorded a special message for the crowd in Philadelphia that was played at the announcement, paying tribute to his late mother and noting how beloved she was by the Monegasque and how much her legacy lives on in Monaco today. She will never be forgotten.

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