As reported by Insider, Grace Kelly actually had to pay in order to marry Prince Rainier. The cost of her dowry was $2 million, which would be $20 million today. In order to pay her dowry to the House of Grimaldi (which is the royal family of Monaco), Kelly had to use all the money she had earned from her acting jobs and the inheritance left to her by her wealthy family.
"What is so poignant about Grace Kelly's story is that she had to pay to become a princess," wealth adviser Gemma Godrey told Insider. "Most people think of it as a fairy tale, going from Hollywood and suddenly being whisked off to a lot of wealth."
According to Godfrey, during her five-year acting career, Kelly's earnings and bonuses would have added up to $1.5 million, which is the equivalent of $15 million today — but the money is missing from her will because it was used for her dowry.
So how much money did Grace Kelly have at the time of her death? Per Insider, she had $10,000 to her name (the equivalent of $27,000 today), as well as a cottage in Ireland that had previously belonged to her grandfather (via Boston Irish).
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