The funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco took place at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate in Monaco-Ville on 18 September 1982. Princess Grace had succumbed to injuries resulting from a car crash on 14 September, at the age of 52. An estimated 26,000 people paid their respects as she laid in state at the Palatine Chapel at the Prince's Palace of Monaco before the ceremony, a requiem mass.

Funeral service

Princess Grace's body laid in state in the Ardent Chapel in the Grimaldi palace where she made her home for 26 years. She was dressed in a high-necked white lace dress and laid on a quilt of orchids. Afterwards, she was transported by funeral cortege led by her husband, Prince Rainer, and her children,

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

and Princess Caroline through the streets of Monaco-Ville from the palace to the cathedral. Her youngest daughter, Princess Stéphanie, was unable to attend, still recovering from injuries sustained in the car accident. The

homily A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ex ...

was delivered by

Charles Amarin Brand Charles-Amarin Brand (27 June 1920 – 31 March 2013) was a French prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Biography Brand was born in Mulhouse, France, and was ordained a priest on 11 July 1943 from the Archdiocese of Strasbourg. He was appointe ...

, the

Archbishop of Monaco The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monaco ( la, Archidioecesis Monoecensis) is an exempt Latin ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Monaco, directly subject to the Holy See, not part of any ecclesiastical prov ...

. Brand stated in his homily that people were "united in pain" and emphasised the "senselessness and inexplicable nature" of "the rupture of the destiny of this humanly exceptional, religiously exceptional person". Brand said the Princess's Roman Catholic faith "modeled, indeed sculpted, not only the public person, but the deep personality of her being" and that her accident "results in stupefaction, and provides no answers to the questions of life, suffering, separation and death". The gospel reading was "In my Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you" from John 14. The music that accompanied the mass included an excerpt from

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

's Symphony No. 4,

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Proba ...

's '' Adagio for Strings'' and four pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. Grace's coffin was draped in the Monégasque flag and lay in the cathedral's Chapel of the Princes during the ceremony. A second mass was offered after the ceremony for Monégasque citizens. The Interment of the coffin in the Grimaldi family vault in the apse of the cathedral was scheduled for the following week, as the timing of the funeral service overran. Prince Rainier was seated with Princess Caroline and Prince Albert at the ceremony. Grace's siblings; her brother John B. 'Kell' Kelly Jr., and her sisters Lizanne and Peggy, sat behind the Monégasque princely family. Four of Grace's friends who had served as bridesmaids during her wedding were in attendance, as was her former agent Jay Kanter and former co-star Cary Grant. The representatives of several reigning and non-reigning royal families and governments were also in attendance.

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989. She was the second wife of president Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in N ...

, the

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

, was a friend of Grace's and led the American delegation. She was seated with Danielle Mitterrand, wife of the President of France

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

, and

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

, wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, on behalf of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

. Diana had previously met Princess Grace at a music recital at

Goldsmith's Hall Goldsmiths' Hall is a Grade I listed building at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street in the City of London. It has served as an assay office and the headquarters of London's goldsmith guild, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, one o ...

in the City of London. The rest of the American delegation consisted of the United States Secretary of the Navy John F. Lehman Jr., and

Dick Thornburgh Richard Lewis Thornburgh (July 16, 1932 – December 31, 2020) was an American lawyer, author, and Republican politician who served as the 41st governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the United States attorney general fro ...

, the

Governor of Pennsylvania A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Evan G. Galbraith Evan "Van" Griffith Galbraith (July 2, 1928 – January 21, 2008) was the United States Ambassador to France from 1981 to 1985 under Ronald Reagan and the Secretary of Defense Representative to Europe and NATO under Donald Rumsfeld from 2002 to 2 ...

, the United States Ambassador to France, the Pennsylvanian

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

Thomas M. Foglietta and Jacklyn Anne Cahill, the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

Officer in charge of French and Monacan Affairs. Other notable attendees included singer

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

, Barbara Sinatra, the wife of the singer

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, and Jackie Stewart, the racing driver.

Attendees

Family

House of Grimaldi The House of Grimaldi ( , also , , ) is the current reigning house of the Principality of Monaco. The house was founded in 1160 by Grimaldo Canella in Genoa and became the ruling house of Monaco when Francesco Grimaldi captured Monaco in 1297 ...

* The Prince of Monaco, ''Princess Grace's widower'' ** Princess Caroline of Monaco, ''Princess Grace's daughter'' ** The Hereditary Prince of Monaco, ''Princess Grace's son''

Kelly family

* Margaret Conlin, ''Princess Grace's sister'' * John B. Kelly Jr., ''Princess Grace's brother'' * Elizabeth Anne Levine, ''Princess Grace's sister''

Foreign royalty

Members of reigning royal families

The King In the British English-speaking world, The King refers to: * Charles III (born 1948), King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms since 2022 As a nickname * Michael Jackson (1958–2009), American singer and pop icon, nicknamed "T ...

and

Queen of the Belgians The wives of Belgian monarchs have all been titled Queen and styled Majesty, with the exception of Leopold III of Belgium's second wife Mary Lilian Baels, who was titled Princess of Belgium and Princess de Rethy, Princess of Réthy. All Belgian mo ...

* The Prince and Princess of Liège * Princess Benedikte of Denmark * Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein * The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg * Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands * The Count of Barcelona * The Duke of Halland *

The Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (Welsh: ''Tywysoges Cymru'') is a courtesy title used since the 14th century by the wife of the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. The current title-holder is Catherine (née Middleton). The title was fir ...

Members of non-reigning royal families

* The Aga Khan and

Begum Aga Khan Inaara Aga Khan, formerly Begum Inaara Aga Khan (born Gabriele Renate Homey; formerly Thyssen; 1 April 1963), also previously known as Princess Inaara Aga Khan, was the second wife of the Aga Khan IV, the 49th Imam of the Nizari branch of the Shi ...

* Queen Anne-Marie of Greece * King Fuad II of Egypt * Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran * The Duke of Aosta * Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia

Non-royal dignitaries

* Patrick Hillery, President of Ireland * Danielle Mitterrand, wife of French President

* Claude Pompidou, wife of French President Georges Pompidou * Claude Cheysson, Minister of Foreign Affairs * Jack Lang, Minister of Culture * Archbishop Jacques-Paul Martin, Prefect Emeritus of the Papal Household *

Other notable attendees

* Cary Grant * Jimmy Stewart * Jackie Stewart

References

{{Reflist 1982 in Monaco Funerals by person Grace Kelly Monaco-Ville