Royal Weddings
The wedding of American actress Meghan Markle to Britain’s Prince Harry is not the first time an American actress has married into royalty, and there have been other American women who were not actresses who also married a prince, or even a king.
Here are the Cinderlla stories:
Grace Kelly
The American actress married Prince Rainier, ruler of the Principality of Monaco, in 1956. Their son, Prince Albert, is the current ruler.
Already an Academy Award winner for her role in The Country Girl, the two met when she attended the Cannes Film Festival and invited to attend a VIP photo session at the Royal Palace.
In an uncanny similarity to Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, Grace Kelly also died in an automobile accident that also critically injured her daughter, Princess Caroline.
Princess Grace was driving, and apparently suffered a stroke at the wheel and lost control of the car.
Like Princess Diana, Princess Grace became world-renowned for her humanitarian efforts and support of the arts.
The Princess Grace Foundation – USA is dedicated to elevating extraordinary artists in theater, dance, and film via game-changing awards in the form of grants, scholarships, and fellowships. The Foundation is a non-profit, publicly-supported charity, headquartered in New York City.
Rita Hayworth
The American actress and dancer married the Aga Khan, a son of Sultan Mahommed Shah, Aga Khan III, leader of the Nizārī Ismā’
Known as Prince Aly Khan, he was her third husband. Hayworth also had been married to another Hollywood legend, Orson Welles.
Hayworth, who was born in Brooklyn, was one of the top Hollywood stars of the 1940s and top stars, appearing in a total of 61 films over 37 years, including two dancing with Fred Astaire.
The press coined the term “The Love Goddess” to describe Hayworth after she had become the most glamorous screen idol of her time, for her sultry beauty, which helped make her a favorite pin-up of G.I.s in World War II.
She died of Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 68. News of her illness drew international attention to Alzheimer’s disease, which was little known at the time.
Her fame helped to increase federal funding for Alzheimer’s research, including through the Rita Hayworth Gala, a benefit for the Alzheimer’s Association, which is held annually in New York City, Chicago and Palm Beach.
The fund-raiser was founded by Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, in honor of her mother, and she participates as hostess.
According to Wikipedia, more than $72 million has been raised through such events.
Although not actresses, other American women married into royalty, too.
[…] and was also featured in epidodes of “I Love Lucy”. The ship also carried Grace Kelly from New York to Europe, where she would go from American movie star to Princesse de […]