Princess Grace 1929-1982 [antikvár]

Foreword Whenever I begin work on a biography I search for the key. The key that will unlock the character of the person I am writing about... so necessary if one is to understand the motivation of his or her life. There is no point in asking the person concerned. They have no way of knowing. No extra perceptory equipment to be able to stand apart and recognise such a deliquescent characteristic. With the actress Vivien Leigh I found the key in her own words- searing, ruthless, honest-'Scorpions burn themselves out and eat themselves up and they are careless about themselves-like me.' When I wrote. Margaret Rutherford's autobiography for her this beloved woman had already slipped into her own autumnal world of shadows. One day as she sat in the garden in lonesome, depressive silence she suddenly leaned forward in her wheelchair and spoke: 'Do you believe in fairies? When did you last see a miracle?' I smiled gratefully. I had the key. With Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco it was different. The canvas was broader, blurred by international barriers and indefinable royal obstructions. Once upon a time she was an ordinary little American girl with knobbly knees and a shy whimsical smile. Now she is a royal princess- a world beauty and personality. How and why did this metamorphosis take place? For a year I searched. Day after day listening to her family.