For all intents and purposes, the modern day royal family of Monaco was sort of born thanks to the Cannes Film Festival. Back in April 1955, an American actress named Grace Kelly—who had just won the Academy Award for Best Actress after starring in The Country Girl—led the U.S. delegation to the famed film festival. While there, she was invited to take part in a photocall with Prince Rainier of Monaco at the Palace of Monaco, and, after a series of delays, the two finally met on May 6, 1955. Less than a year later, on April 19, 1956, they were married, and Grace Kelly transformed into Princess Grace of Monaco. The rest, as they say, is history.
