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Автор Рэнди Тараборелли
OnceUpon a Time
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Also by J. Randy Taraborrelli
OnceUpon a Time
Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier
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J. R a n d y Ta r a b o r r e l l i
Copyright © 2003 by Rose Books, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Warner Books, Inc. ,
1271 Avenue of the Americas,
New York, NY 10020
An AOL Time Warner Company
First eBook Edition: April 2003
ISBN: 0-7595-9819-3
Book design by Giorgetta Bell McRee
For my mother, Rose Marie Taraborrelli
A Word from the Author
If you could talk to the person you were twenty years ago, what would you say? Would you advise your younger self to forge a new and different path? Or do you think that the person you’ve become, the place in which you find yourself today, is exactly as you had planned?
When I began writing this book, I set out to tell the story of two people from disparate backgrounds brought together by a strange twist of fate to then share a life that was, I thought, as close to a true fairy tale as anyone could imagine: A famous actress, Grace Kelly of Philadelphia, gives up a successful career for the man of her dreams, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, to live royally at his side, as his Princess. Obviously, I was aware that the story would have a tragic ending because of Grace’s untimely death. However, as I dug deeper, I found the tale to be far more complex than what first meets the eye. I discovered that it is also about choices, conse-quences, regrets, and, ultimately, acceptance.
Grace Kelly, at the top of her profession, was a woman ahead of her time, a person accustomed to blazing her own path, making im-portant decisions about her life, refusing to become stuck in any circumstance—whether romantic or career-related. When this par-ticular Cinderella was presented a glass slipper by her Prince Charming, she did what many women would do: She stepped into it, eagerly . . . and into his world.
It was a perfect fit, or so they both thought. However, once the Princess got to the Palace, she was in for a big surprise. The illusion of perfection that surrounded her life in Monaco hid certain harsh realities: her imperfect marriage, her imperfect husband, and, eventually, her imperfect children.For reasons explained in this book, Grace found herself trapped,
unable to make a hasty exit as she had always done in the past when dissatisfied with a choice. Rather, she was caught in a strange place thousands of miles away from friends and family, and far from her career. The world she once knew and loved was gone forever, a casualty of her failed attempt to meld fantasy and reality.
Captive in a fairy tale of her own making, Grace felt she had ru-ined her life. It was only with the help of Rainier that she would then make some important and tough choices. She would learn that love is more than just a passion. It is an obligation. It is a com-mitment. While her world would still not be perfect—whose is?— she and her husband would bravely face future challenges, make the best of them, and have twenty-six years of marriage to show for their efforts, for better or worse.
