Grace Kelly. The name itself screams true royalty – and royalty she most certainly was. One of the most prominent and enduring names in Hollywood history and the epitome of glamour, the film and TV star was in a league of her own. While from the outside, her life certainly looked like the ultimate fairytale; a new documentary on the real and widely unknown realities of the life Grace Kelly lived is here to correct the narrative.
Titled, Grace Kelly: The Missing Millions; the documentary explores how an actress of her calibre and member of Monaco's Royal Family, was left with so little. The story begins right at the beginning; tracing Kelly's career from her teenage years in Philadelphia to her tragic death in Europe. Along the way, we gain insight into the many ways in which Kelly was uncompensated for her work, as well as the widely unknown dowry she paid to marry the man she loved.
Novelist and playwright Bonnie Greer; history professor Katie Williams; and wealth adviser Gemma Godfrey are some of the key contributors in the Grace Kelly documentary. Godfrey in particular, has studied Kelly's financial history – providing unique insight into the actresses privileged financial upbringing in Philadelphia; to where her fortune ultimately ended up.
"In this documentary, for the first time ever these types of documents have not only been accessed but brought together to build this picture of her financial position, which is absolutely fascinating," Godfrey shared in an interview.
Elaborating further on some of her more surprising discoveries, Godfrey said; "The thing that surprised me most ... it's the fact that she had to pay to be a princess."
"That was quite shocking because obviously the way that the story is usually told is that she built up this fantastic career in Hollywood, then of course she got whisked off her feet and then got access to huge amounts of wealth."
Although the documentary certainly drops some historical truth bombs about the Oscar-winner's life, one thing Godfrey, Greer and Williams were unable to get their hands on was Kelly's will – which, would help complete a significant piece of the puzzle.
The Grace Kelly: The Missing Millions documentary is not yet available to watch in Australia, but stay tuned for more details on where you'll be able to catch the film.
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