SerpApi.Org
Charlene was beside her husband, Prince Albert, for Monaco’s Red Cross Ball in custom Elie Saab.
The Gist
- Princess Charlene appeared in a shimmering gold Elie Saab gown at the Monaco Red Cross Ball.
- The event, popularized by Princess Grace, is one of the highlights of Monaco’s summer social season.
- Charlene, married to Grace’s son Prince Albert, evoked the late actress, oozing old Hollywood glamour.
At the annual Monaco Red Cross Ball, Princess Charlene of Monaco served up old Hollywood glamour—not unlike her late mother-in-law, Princess Grace, who before marrying into the Monegasque royal family was movie star Grace Kelly.
The Monaco Red Cross Ball was Princess Grace’s “pet project,” People reported, and her son Prince Albert—who is married to Charlene—said his mother made the yearly event the “highlight of the summer.” Up to the present day, Albert and Charlene open the gala each year by sharing a dance.
For this year’s occasion on July 18, Charlene wore a one-shoulder, champagne gold Elie Saab metallic column gown, paired with a matching clutch from the same designer. Charlene’s custom gown draped elegantly to the ground and featured an asymmetric neckline and a wrapped halter; the bespoke creation also featured a train at its back. Per WWD, the princess completed her look with Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen earrings in 18-karat gold, morganite, green tourmaline, and diamonds.
Charlene—who married Albert in 2011 and with whom she shares twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella—never met Grace, who died as a result of a 1982 car accident. After Grace’s death, Albert took over the reins of the Monaco Red Cross, which included overseeing the gala. He called the event “unique,” telling People, “There’s great history there.”
Of his mother Grace, he told the outlet in 2022 at the 40th anniversary of her death, “Many times during a day, a week, not only do I find myself thinking of her, but numbers of people still recall her to me. They remember her and that’s a great tribute to her and who she was—to what an exceptional human being she was.”
“Forty years on, she still captures people’s imagination,” he continued. “She managed to capture the imagination and attention of several younger generations, and not many have done that. It’s an incredible gift that she had.”
Grace took over as president of the Monaco Red Cross in 1958, two years after marrying Albert’s father, Prince Rainier. She subsequently “turned the event into one of Europe’s most glamorous events,” according to Town & Country.
For Charlene, this year marked a milestone—20 years since her first appearance at the ball in 2006, where she was seated next to legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld, a longtime friend of the Grimaldis, the royal family of Monaco.
“My first Red Cross Ball was a baptism by fire,” Charlene, an Olympic swimmer, told Vanity Fair. “I was used to living in a swimsuit and knew nothing about fashion. On the day of the ball, I’d been playing volleyball all day at the beach and didn’t think about getting ready until late afternoon. I borrowed a green dress from a friend, did my own hair, and painted my nails red. I looked like a Christmas tree.”
This year’s gala—the 77th iteration of the event—was held at the Salle des Étoiles in Monaco. Charlene’s signature short hair was worn in a style “that further evoked Princess Grace,” Tatler reported, adding that Charlene “looked like she could have played a starring role in To Catch a Thief, the 1955 film that cemented the American actress’s status as one of the industry’s all-time style icons.”
Two decades away from her first Red Cross Ball, Charlene has come a long way. Per Vanity Fair, following her 2006 appearance where she “didn’t have a suitable dress for the occasion,” the royal “is now a fashion icon.”
Read the original article on InStyle
