Tag: Grace Kelly

Posted on

When Grace Met Rainier

The first official event of a year-long celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Wedding of Princess Grace and HSH Prince Rainier III was hosted at the Princess Grace Irish Library on April 2, 2026.

The talk was led by Wolfgang Frei, the nephew of Edward Quinn, the Irish photographer who photographed the very first meeting of the Prince and American actress in 1955.

Frei, curator of the Edward Quinn photographic archives, offered a vivid portrait of Quinn (1920–1997), whose lens defined the glamour of the Côte d’Azur during the “Golden Fifties.” Born in Ireland and later based in London before settling on the Riviera, Quinn became one of the most trusted photographers of an international elite that included artists, film stars, and royalty.

Central to Frei’s lecture was Quinn’s unique relationship with Princess Grace and Prince Rainier. Quinn’s discretion and professionalism earned him rare proximity to the royal couple, allowing him to document both official engagements and intimate, historic moments. Most notably, Frei highlighted Quinn’s photographs of the couple’s first meeting in 1955—an encounter arranged during the Cannes Film Festival while Kelly was promoting To Catch a Thief shortly after winning an Academy Award for The Country Girl.

These now-iconic images, taken at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco, captured the poised American actress and the reserved sovereign at the very beginning of a relationship that would captivate the world. As Frei emphasised, Quinn’s photographs were not merely documentary but instrumental in shaping the public narrative of what would become the “wedding of the century” on April 19, 1956.

The presentation also explored Quinn’s broader body of work, including his coverage of Monaco’s high society events such as the Bal de la Rose, founded by Princess Grace. Today, Frei and his wife Ursula continue to preserve and promote the Edward Quinn Archive, ensuring that these defining visual records of Riviera history remain accessible.

According to the Director of the Irish Library Paula Farquharson (above with Frei), this opening event “set the tone for a commemorative year celebrating not only a royal union, but also the photographer who immortalised its very first moment”.

Save the date: On Friday, April 17, MonacoUSA will host a special Networking Event on the eve of the princely couple’s civil wedding in 1956. The Association’s featured guests will be the Groupe Nice-Matin who will present their extraordinary “Hors Serie” magazine which brilliantly captures in 116 pages this historic event in both English and French version editions.

Article and photos courtesy of Annette Ross Anderson. Article first published April 3, 2026.

Posted on

Pink Ribbon Monaco

Many years ago, Natasha Frost-Savio took part in a Pink Ribbon awareness walk in LA. “This was way more than a pretty stroll in pink clothes,” she says. “It was a day of women’s empowerment, women supporting women and joyful sisterhood.”

Natasha decided then and there to bring “some of that positive vibe” back to her beloved Monaco. Since she set up Pink Ribbon Monaco back in 2011, the non-profit’s annual 5km Pink Ribbon Port-to-Palace walk (this year on February 12) has become one of the biggest events for the community with participation over the years from Prince Albert and government officials. Pink Ribbon Monaco importantly included English-language and actions, to involve the British and anglophone community.

As it strives to promote early detection and awareness, it is also the first association in the region to celebrate Pink October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month – and to illuminate buildings in the Principality in pink. In close collaboration with the Prince’s government, the National Council, the Ministry of Health and Social Services and in partnership with the Princess Grace Hospital Centre, Pink Ribbon Monaco has been promoting awareness, health and solidarity for more than a decade.

Natasha’s tireless campaigning effort was recognised on National Day last year when she was knighted the Order of Saint Charles by Prince Albert on November 17, 2022, for her services to the State.

Never one rest on her laurels, Anglo-American Natasha is organising Pink Ribbon Monaco’s first gala and charity auction on February 10 to raise funds for a scientific study of new screening methods for lobular breast cancer at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre. The “Dare to Bear” event at the Hotel Hermitage’s Salle Belle Epoque will include special guest American actor of TV’s ER fame Noah Wyle, who recently had a relative diagnosed with breast cancer, will also participate in the Pink Ribbon Walk on February 12.

“Playing on the double meaning of the English word bare and bear, Pink Ribbon Monaco hopes to de-dramatize breast cancer screening,” explains Natasha. “Dare To Bear – bare your breasts – is a pun encouraging women to get routine screenings. By replacing bare with bear, a familiar and beloved object becomes the rallying call of all women, encouraging them to arrange a screening appointment.”

The February 10 charity auction will include a variety of lots, ranging from five photo prints and rare Technicolour 35mm slides from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window of Grace Kelly and James Stewart to unique experiences, including VIP terrace access for the Sunday of the Monaco Grand Prix.

“The Hitchcock film elements are sections of dye transfer prints that Technicolor Hollywood produced for James Katz and Robert Harris in the 1990s,” describes Natasha, whose father was an American film producer with United Artists then VP at Universal before founding and heading the Classics Division (he worked with the Beatles, Bowie, Scorsese, Kubrick and Mohamed Ali).

“These original camera negatives of cinematographic history were inter-positively duplicated from the deteriorated original prints to create a ‘duplicated negative’, fully restoring Hitchcock’s original masterpieces.”

Certified technicolour 35mm slides of Grace Kelly will be up for auction.

Also up for auction: Two exclusive passes for the Hotel Hermitage’s Midi Terrace VIP Formula One all-inclusive package for Sunday race day, an FB AURA Patriot tourbillon watch, an XL Dare to Bear sculpture donated by Segraeti, a bespoke pink quartz and diamond ring by VITALE 1913, a Momma’s Blues custom-made Pink Ribbon jacket, a sitting with artist Toby Wright for a charcoal portrait and two donations by J&T Concierge Monaco – a limited edition Mont Blanc Grace Kelly pen and (TBC) two nights for two in a luxury hotel in London along with a donation from Aero for two one-way tickets on a semi-private jet.

“You can buy tickets for our Dare to Bear gala online until February 8th,” says Natasha, “but to purchase on the 9th and 10th, you’ll need to contact Pink Ribbon directly.”

Artwork by @graphicanissarda

All images courtesy of Natasha Frost-Savio.