Giving up stardom for love and royalty

Decades ago, Hollywood star Grace Kelly was flying high in the movie firmament, with acclaimed films like “Rear Window,” “To Catch a Thief,” “High Society,” “Dial M for Murder,” “High Noon”—and “The Country Girl,” for which she won an Oscar.

Then, she stunned everybody in and out of the movie world by giving up her acting career, to marry a real-life prince, Rainier III of Monaco.

Since Monaco was just a postage-stamp principality, some people pooh-poohed Grace’s life-altering decision—but, many others were thrilled and enthralled by it, because it transformed Kelly from a movie princess into a real one, with all of the attendant perks and privileges of royalty.

In the years to come, Grace and Rainier’s progeny, Caroline, Stephanie and Albert, became celebrities in their own right, but the main focus in the public’s abiding interest and attention was still on Grace, because she was living other women’s dream!

But, was the “exchange” worth it? Once in a while, there were ripples and rumors of dissatisfaction and perhaps even regret—and word got around that Grace was considering making a comeback to acting.

But, the rumor died on the vine and nothing came of the supposed comeback film. It was “overtaken by events”— Grace’s tragic death in a car accident.

These thoughts come to mind, because another screen star, Meghan Markle, is set to marry into royalty this May, and her “authentic” prince, Harry of England, belongs to a family that rules over much more than “just” a principality.

Meghan may not be as dreamily lovely as Grace Kelly, but she’s creating her own ripples and even waves of interest and significance, because she’s of “mixed race” provenance and pedigree.

Describing her ancestry, Markle shares, “My father is Caucasian and my mother is African-American. I have come to embrace this, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident, mixed-race woman.”

Clearly, Prince Harry’s decision to propose marriage to her, and her decision to accept it, have opened UK royalty to a new, bracing and more “embracing” dimension, and were not made lightly.

It may be “controversial” to some, but it’s further proof that love prevails and triumphs in the end—and everyone ultimately benefits.

Another possible ripple and wrinkle in the regal fabric is the fact that Meghan has been married before, to actor-producer Trevor Engelson, in 2004. (They divorced in 2013).

Harry himself has opted to not make it a deal-breaker, but some members of the peanut gallery may think and feel otherwise.

On Meghan’s part, as it was in Grace’s, a major consideration was the decision to give up her own promising acting career for her new husband.

Her stellar ascent may not be as high-flying as Grace’s was, but she’s clearly talented, versatile and was headed for bigger and brighter achievements—until love “intervened,” and rendered all other considerations and controversies—moot and academic!