Interesting facts about the 1982 Princess Grace tragedy:

"Despite many offers, Princess Grace has never returned to the movies." "Why should she? She has moved from an artificial stage to a real one." - Gary Cooper

I have always been fascinated with Princess Grace, the former American movie star Grace Kelly of Philadelphia, PA. As she was in life, her unfortunate death was no less dramatic.

I have read articles and viewed documentaries about Princess Grace. It seemed to me, though, that the information released concerning the accident was lacking detail. I stumbled across an article that provides a drastically more in-depth account of what happenned directly after the accident occurred. I am posting that information, here.

MONTE CARLO, Monaco - Princess Grace of Monaco and her 17 year old daughter Princess Stephanie were injured when their British made vintage Rover 3500 automobile plunged 45 feet off a winding mountain road, flipping several times and coming to a stop in a flower garden belonging to Sesto Lequio where the engine motor soon caught fire. The accident happenned between the town of La Turbie and the main road of the Cote D'Azur region.

First at the scene was the 62 year old Lequio, a flower nursery owner. A nearly unconscious Stephanie asked the man to "please notify my father, my father." Lequio did not recognize the Princess, and then she told him who her father was. He pulled Stephanie from the wreck and proceeded to put out the motor fire. Lequio said Princess Grace "was trapped in the car and had blood across her head and face." He then helped Stephanie to his house where he called police. Help arrived 10 minutes later and were able to remove Princess Grace through the automobile's back window.

Princess Grace sufferred a fractured right thighbone, a broken rib, and a shatterred collarbone. It is also beleived that she sufferred a minor stroke which could account for losing control of the car. She never regained consciousness and died at the hospital. She was buried in the Grimaldi family tomb aged 53.

Princess Stephanie was later found to have sufferred a serious cervical fracture. She wore a neck brace for a time, and although recovered physically, she is forever traumatized by the event that took her mother's life.

The palace's official statement was that "the car breaks were faulty."

Reference: St. Petersburg Times,  United Press International, Pg. 2A, Sept 14, 1982.