A new exhibition at the Palais Princier in Monaco celebrates the 70th anniversary of the original wedding of the century
On the 19th April, 1956, Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly exchanged vows in a ceremony that captured the imagination of the world, with an estimated 30 million television viewers worldwide. Now, the Prince’s Palace of Monaco is inviting visitors to step back into one of the most iconic royal romances of the twentieth century.
A major new exhibition, Mariage du Siècle (The Wedding of the Century), has opened in the State Apartments of the Prince’s Palace, commemorating the extraordinary week of celebrations in April 1956 that transformed Monaco from a small Mediterranean principality into a global symbol of glamour, romance and royalty.
Currently underway and running until 25 September 2026, the exhibition brings together an exceptional collection of photographs, film footage, jewellery, gowns, gifts and previously unseen archival treasures. Together, they recreate the eight remarkable days that began with Grace Kelly’s arrival aboard the SS Constitution on 12 April 1956 and concluded with the newlyweds departing for their honeymoon on 19 April.
Video via Palais Princier de Monaco on YouTube
Visitors are guided through the Palace’s historic rooms, each dedicated to a different chapter of the celebrations. The exhibition traces the excitement surrounding Grace Kelly’s arrival in Monaco, introduces the principal figures and supporting cast of the wedding, revisits the civil ceremony held in the Throne Room and the religious service at Monaco Cathedral, and explores the festivities staged for the people of Monaco over three unforgettable evenings.
The exhibition also shines a light on the family members who helped shape the story. Among them are Grace Kelly’s father, John B. Kelly, the celebrated three-time Olympic rowing champion, and Princess Charlotte, Prince Rainier III’s mother, who relinquished her place in the line of succession in favour of her son in 1944.
Music played an equally important role in the celebrations. Nadia Boulanger, who served as Master of the Palace Chapel, directed the musical programme for the religious ceremony and drew exclusively from early sacred music. The exhibition also reveals an intriguing chapter involving Monegasque-born composer Léo Ferré, who wrote to Prince Rainier in early 1956 offering to compose a special mass for the wedding. Although the Prince welcomed the gesture, Boulanger’s programme was ultimately chosen.
Courtesy visitepalaisdemonaco on Instagram
Fashion enthusiasts will find plenty to admire. Helen Rose, the legendary costume designer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and one of Hollywood’s most influential creators, designed both Grace Kelly’s celebrated lace wedding gown and the elegant champagne-coloured silk taffeta suit she wore for the civil ceremony on 18 April. The exhibition also explores the disappointment of acclaimed designer Edith Head, who had hoped to create the bridal gown and even prepared sketches for consideration. Instead, she designed the outfit Grace Kelly wore as the royal couple departed for their honeymoon.
For the gala evening at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Grace Kelly dazzled in a spectacular creation by the House of Lanvin. Designed by Antonio Castillo, the gown featured more than 600,000 mother-of-pearl sequins and beads, requiring approximately 600 hours of painstaking hand embroidery.
Jewellery gifted to Monaco’s new Princess receives special attention throughout the exhibition. The National Council and Council of the Commune presented Grace Kelly with an extraordinary diamond rivière necklace containing more than 64 carats and a diamond bracelet created by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels on behalf of the Monegasque people. The Société des Bains de Mer added its own luxurious contribution: a Cartier ruby parure that could be worn as brooches, mounted on a necklace or transformed into a tiara.
Video via British Pathé on YouTube
The exhibition also highlights the remarkable and often surprising wedding gifts presented to the princely couple. Alongside a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud gifted by the people of Monaco were a sea scooter from famed oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and perhaps the most unusual presents of all, two beavers named Pierre and Pierrette, sent from Quebec’s Granby Zoo.
No account of the wedding would be complete without examining the media frenzy that surrounded it. The marriage of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly was one of the first truly global celebrity events of the television age. Nearly 1,800 journalists and photographers descended upon Monaco to cover the ceremonies, requiring the establishment of a dedicated press centre on the Rock. The celebrations were later immortalised in the colour documentary Le Mariage de Monaco, released in French cinemas just weeks after the wedding.
Curated by Thomas Fouilleron and Vincent Vatrican, with exhibition design by Marine Hayek and Antoine Loudot of Bureau Walter, The Wedding of the Century is more than a retrospective. It is a vivid journey back to the moment a Hollywood star became a princess and a small principality captured the imagination of the world.
Courtesy Palis Princier de Monaco
The Wedding of the Century exhibition is open daily in the State Apartments of the Prince’s Palace until 25 September 2026. Visitors can explore the exhibition from 10 am to 6 pm in June and September, and from 10 am to 7 pm throughout July and August.
Additional information and tickets are available here.
VENUE DETAILS
Grands Appartements d’État
(State Apartments of the Prince’s Palace)
Palais Princier de Monaco
Place du Palais princier
98015 Monaco
PHOTO CREDITS
- Lead image © RIVIERA BUZZ, all rights reserved
- All other images, posts and videos as credited
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