The Night I Met the Prince
Some moments don’t seem significant at the time, but they quietly shape what comes after.
My first visit to the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco was out of curiosity. I was on an extended trip in the French Riviera, immersing myself in Princess Grace’s life and history. Founded by Prince Rainier III to honor her Irish heritage, the Library houses her vast collection of Irish literature and Irish-American sheet music, along with portraits of her by Irish artists such as Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy. Her presence is felt everywhere.
Princess Grace’s roots in Ireland were deeply important to her. In 1961, she and Prince Rainier returned to her ancestral land in County Mayo on what became the first official state visit by a head of state since Ireland’s founding.
I later discovered that my own family emigrated to America from County Mayo, just a few miles from where her family originated, which made the connection feel unexpectedly personal…
On my first visit to the Library, I met its wonderful director, Paula Farquharson, who noticed me holding one of my Grace Kelly notecards and asked about my artwork. Since then, Paula has been an advocate, generous with her time, introducing my work to Princess Grace’s son, H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco, and to the Library’s trustees (one of whom was personally friends with Princess Grace).
The Library hosts an annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration, an evening of Irish music, literature and cultural exchange that draws members of the Irish government and Monaco’s Irish community, as well as the Prince himself. This year, an exhibition of artwork inspired by Princess Grace was included in the evening. Library trustee Mark Armstrong, formerly a senior director at Sotheby’s Monaco, displayed 40 paintings of Monaco landscapes. Stefne Van Zyl, the palace portrait artist behind a recent release of official Monaco stamps featuring Princess Grace, also unveiled a new pastel portrait.
Paula emailed me to ask if I would present my work as well. She had received confirmation from the palace to display and present my illustrations to the Prince at the event!
“I’m delighted for you,” Paula wrote. “And also for us, as your illustrations will add a beautiful, nostalgic touch and make the connection with the young, creative Grace Kelly. We are honored to have your illustrations on display for the event, and they will continue to be on permanent display thereafter.”
A surge of excitement and disbelief came over me. Needless to say, my husband Rich and I marked our calendars for March in Monaco.
I was extremely anxious in the days and weeks leading up to the event. My illustrations for Bond & Grace’s upcoming Pride and Prejudice Art Novel (more on that later!) were due the day before our flight. However, travel was seamless and soon I was back in the French Riviera. We stayed at Hôtel du Couvent in Nice, 30 minutes from Monaco. When the time finally came to get ready, my husband turned on Rear Window to help ease my nerves. I put on my Grace Kelly-inspired dress, and we made our way to the event.
By the time we arrived, the rooms were full and the evening underway. It was lovely to see Paula again. Mark greeted me enthusiastically and led me to my illustration of Princess Grace, as it was the first time I’d seen it framed and hung. Stefne and I chatted about illustrating Princess Grace. Everyone was so warm and welcoming that it felt, unexpectedly, like coming home.
At one point, I overheard someone say, “The Prince has just left the Palace. He’ll be here in seven minutes.” There is something about a countdown like this that sharpens your awareness. The details come into focus. You begin to notice where you are standing, what you are holding, what is about to happen.
Guests were ushered into the next room. Stefne and I remained alongside Marian Harkin, Irish Minister of State, and Niall Burgess, Ambassador of Ireland to France and to Monaco, to greet the Prince in the salon. When the Prince arrived, the energy in the room shifted. Cameras flashed and my heart raced. The introductions were gracious and unhurried. When it was my turn, I presented him with my illustration of his mother, Princess Grace. It felt like a dream.
It was a simple exchange. Brief, but not rushed.
The Prince looked at the drawing and paused. “Wow. I know where this is from,” he said.
“Yes, To Catch a Thief,” I replied.
He smiled and thanked me. We stood together for a moment as a photograph was taken, the illustration between us, framed earlier that week in Monaco.
It is difficult to fully register a moment like that while you are in it. It settled into greater meaning later, with a bit of distance.
After our photographs, the Prince and others made their way into the next room, where Irish music was to be played, and I was left momentarily alone in the salon to place my framed piece of art back on the Library wall, where it now hangs permanently. I admit I had to catch my breath a bit.
There was something quietly surreal about that. Not just the meeting itself, but the sense that my artwork had found its place. That it belonged there, among Monaco’s history and Princess Grace’s objects. Géraldine, who has worked at the Library for 25 years, said to me, “Your artwork is part of the Library’s history now.”
It is a rare and special thing, to see something you made enter into a larger story.
