Royal Wedding Dresses: Princess Grace of Monaco

It was a gown out of a fairytale which has gone down in history. There are many famous royal wedding dresses but the one worn by Princess Grace of Monaco sixty years ago today for her religious marriage to Prince Rainier III is among the best known of them all. Grace's dress has inspired, amazed and fascinated for six decades. On the anniversary of the marriage of Rainier and Grace here is a look back at this wedding dress fit for a princess.

Grace of Monaco on her wedding day, April 19th 1956

It's a dress so famous that you know what it looks like before you've even seen an image of it. The wedding gown of Grace of Monaco is so well known that it has a cultural identity of its own. And when you do look at photographs, they are familiar and fascinating all at the same time. The perfect poise and elegance of this new princess is wrapped and surrounded by this beautiful dress.

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This was a gown for history made from history. It contains Brussels lace made over a century before that famous day when Grace said 'I do' to Rainier. That lace top with its high collar, tiny buttons and long sleeves is perhaps the most famous part of this legendary dress. It is demure as well as dazzling with its silk bodice underneath emphasising the delicate rose point lace above.

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And then there is the skirt with its petticoats - all three of them. It's made of more silk, yards and yards of it, starting at a tiny waist and spreading out into a full skirt that gives way to a train. It has volume, presence and a very, very royal air.

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There was famously no tiara, just a pretty Juliet cap sat on top of Grace's swept up hair and a discreet bouquet which she carried with a prayer book.

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The look was the brainchild of Helen Rose, head costume designed at MGM who gave this legendary dress to Grace as a wedding present. It took 30 seamstresses to make it - they crafted this gown for six weeks at the famous film studios before it was ready for this royal bride.

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The result is regal bridal perfection. It has inspired many other dresses - the similarities between the gown worn by the Duchess of Cambridge and Grace's have been noted many times. In fact, this look has been used for brides many times over in the six decades since Grace wore it.

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The fairytale princess looked every inch the part when she walked into her wedding on April 19th 1956. Now, sixty years later, this bride looks just as beautiful in images that stare back across time and are embedded in royal history.