Charlotte Casiraghi, Granddaughter of Princess Grace of Monaco, Wows in Bridal White at Cannes

American actress Grace Kelly attended Cannes in 1955, met Prince Rainier of Monaco while there, and married him less than a year later—so it's easy to see why the film festival holds meaning for Charlotte.

Charlotte Casiraghi
(Image credit: Getty Images)

For all intents and purposes, the modern day royal family of Monaco was sort of born thanks to the Cannes Film Festival. Back in April 1955, an American actress named Grace Kelly—who had just won the Academy Award for Best Actress after starring in The Country Girl—led the U.S. delegation to the famed film festival. While there, she was invited to take part in a photocall with Prince Rainier of Monaco at the Palace of Monaco, and, after a series of delays, the two finally met on May 6, 1955. Less than a year later, on April 19, 1956, they were married, and Grace Kelly transformed into Princess Grace of Monaco. The rest, as they say, is history.

Grace Kelly

Grace at Cannes in 1955, soon after winning the Best Actress Oscar.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Grace Kelly

It was on this trip that Grace met Prince Rainier of Monaco, and changed the royal family of Monaco forever.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

So it makes sense that Charlotte Casiraghi—Grace and Rainier’s granddaughter, and the daughter of their eldest child, Princess Caroline—would be such a fan of Cannes; she attends year after year. This year, she attended the Marcello Mioi red carpet yesterday in bridal white Chanel, a look from the house’s spring/summer 2020 couture collection. Charlotte’s gown this year had a mermaid silhouette, a square neckline, and a thigh-split up the front; “her textured gown also featured buttons down one side for an asymmetrical look and was styled with a pair of contrasting black patent heels,” Hello reports.

Charlotte was Chanel from head to toe, from her earrings to her Chanel Mini Flap Bag in Satin, Strass, and Silver-Tone Metal, “which featured silver sparkles and added a considerable touch of glamor to the look,” Hello writes. 

Charlotte Casiraghi

Chanel is a favorite of Charlotte's, and she wore the brand to Cannes yesterday.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Charlotte Casiraghi

This look is from its spring/summer 2020 couture collection.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Charlotte’s look was on trend with Cannes biggest red carpet trend this year—bridal white. Meryl Streep in Dior, Anya Taylor-Joy in Jacquemus, and Hunter Schafer in Prada have signed on, as have Uma Thurman and Emma Stone. Charlotte, in typical Charlotte fashion, kept her fashion straightforward and uncomplicated, yet eternally chic.

Charlotte Casiraghi

Charlotte also accessorized in Chanel, from her earrings to her bag.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Charlotte is eleventh in line to the throne of Monaco and has made headlines recently after splitting from her husband of five years, French film producer Dimitri Rassam, two months ago. According to Tatler, Charlotte has “seemingly moved on with writer Nicolas Mathieu, a father-of-one and the winner of the Goncourt Prize,” the outlet reports. The two were recently pictured in Paris Match strolling through the city, enjoying the spring-like weather and sitting on the terrace of a local cafe for coffee together.

“Charlotte is among one of the most glamorous royals in Monaco, growing up attending prestigious events like the Rose Ball,” Tatler reports (she attended this year’s, as well, a party thrown by Christian Louboutin). Though there doesn’t seem a need to rush wearing bridal white off the Cannes red carpet and down the aisle again anytime soon, of her new romance, she and her beau “never leave each other, nor do they hide to be happy,” per Tatler. According to Paris Match, when it comes to the new couple, “the magic worked between them.”

Charlotte Casiraghi

Charlotte is eleventh in line to the throne of Monaco and is the daughter of Princess Caroline, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace's eldest child.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Charlotte Casiraghi

She has made headlines this year after divorcing her husband of five years.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Back to Grace for a moment—the princess is so ubiquitous at Cannes that another royal, Princess Diana, paid homage to her in her own ice blue look at the film festival in 1987.

Princess Diana at Cannes in 1987

Diana's gown paid tribute to both Grace and the South of France.

(Image credit: Getty Images)
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.