In the summer of 2026, Monaco will turn its gaze to one of the most consequential moments in its modern history: the 1956 wedding of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly. Marking the 70th anniversary of the union, the exhibition Le Mariage du Siècle will be presented at the Palais Princier de Monaco from June 8 to October 15, 2026.
The exhibition returns to the extraordinary week of festivities held between April 12 and 19, 1956 - an event organized just three months after the couple’s engagement was announced in Philadelphia. Through photographs, animated images, objects, garments, accessories, gifts, and personal documents, the display seeks to reconstruct both the spectacle and the substance of a union that resonated far beyond the Principality.
Visitors will follow the narrative arc from Grace Kelly’s arrival in Monaco on April 12 to the couple’s departure for their honeymoon on April 19. The curatorial approach emphasizes not only the ceremonial grandeur but also the cultural significance of the event, which fused European monarchical tradition with an American sense of modern promotion. The wedding achieved unprecedented global reach for its time, aided by live television coverage and a color Cinemascope film - elements that contributed to its enduring image as the “wedding of the century.”
The exhibition positions the 1956 marriage as a turning point in Monaco’s international identity, illustrating how a single event helped redefine the Principality’s global presence in the mid-20th century.
Photo credit: Palais princier de Monaco / Institut Audiovisuel de Monaco