Prince Albert of Monaco was just 24 years old when his mother, Grace Kelly, died.
The event had a significant event on the royal, a future king, and his behaviour in public life.
Soon, Albert became known as the “Playboy Prince”, often seen with women and partying around the world.
He would go on to become the Crown Prince of Monaco in 2005 on the death of his father, Prince Rainier III.
In the years after, Albert would slowly but surely open up to the world and even talk about his unlikely childhood under the watch of a Hollywood star and royalty.
In 2020, the BBC were given total access to Monaco and its royal palaces, producing the documentary series, Inside Monaco: Playground of the Rich, from what they captured.
Albert invited the crew into the Prince’s Palace of Monaco to see how he lived and worked day-to-day, as well as offering a sneak peek at the family’s history and hold over the little rock on the coast.
In one candid scene, the documentary’s director, Michael Waldman, asked the prince whether his Hollywood mother Princess Grace “was strict”.
Pausing, Albert replied: “I think she was fair, but I think she was more tolerant than our father was. We did behave like we knew he was watching.
“He had ways of raising his voice which was impressive for a six, seven, eight, nine, 10-year-old — even a 21-year-old.”
While hinting that some parts of his childhood were hard, Albert did reflect on happier times.
Earlier on in the documentary, he became nostalgic when talking about what he used to get up to as a child whose playground was a royal palace.
On one instance, he said, he tried to slide down the palace’s outside bannisters.
“There were several attempts at sliding down,” he said. “But those marble elements got in the way of that.
“But I do remember also kicking a football inside, in our private apartment, and I broke a vase. Fortunately, it wasn’t one of my mom’s favourites.”
He also noted his admiration for just how much of an impact his mother has had on the world, noting: “It’s just incredible that so many years after her passing she still very much has a vivid presence in a lot of people’s minds and hearts.”
Grace and Rainier had married on April 19, 1956 — a fairytale scenario in which the Hollywood princess became a real-life princess.
Less than 30 years later, however, tragedy struck. On September 14, 1982, she and her youngest daughter Stéphanie, were driving home from the family’s country home in the mountainous Roc Agel when Grace had a stroke behind the wheel.
She lost control of the car and it plunged into a ravine, overturning several times before stopping in a garden.
It was initially reported that, despite broken ribs, a leg, and a collarbone, Grace was in stable condition.
Her condition was worse than first considered, however, and the next day Grace sadly passed away at the age of 52.
