American Princesses: 20th Century

[Music] American princesses part one many little girls dream of one day becoming a princess but since we don't have a royal family here in the United States that dream can never come true for us American girls right in fact more than three times as many American women have married foreign royals as have been appointed to the US Supreme Court so there's always a chance ladies here are the stories of the 11 American women who have married foreign princes and become American princesses Rita Hayworth was born a margarita Carmen Cansino in 1918 in Brooklyn New York her mother was an Irish American and her father was a Spanish immigrant both were dancers Rita was enrolled in dance class as soon as she could walk and was pushed by her father to appear in professional theater productions from a young age her father sexually abused her and her mother tried to protect her but was unsuccessful when she was 9 Rita's father moved the family to Hollywood where he opened a dancing school and taught James Cagney and Jean Harlow at 12 Rita and her father formed an act called the dancing Cansino's Rita was too young to work in the US so they performed in Tijuana Mexico her father continued to abuse her dressing her in sexy costumes and forcing her to drop out of high school Rita came alive on stage with an electric magnetism but off stage she was painfully shy and withdrawn at 16 she was noticed by the head of Fox films and given a contract to begin dancing and acting in small film roles at 18 she was eager to get away from her father she married her manager Edward Jetson 40 trading one controlling taskmaster for another Edward changed her name to Rita Hayworth her mother's maiden name had her died her Raven locks read and undergo painful electrolysis to move her hairline an inch all of which had the effect of making her appear whiter and of propelling her to stardom she danced with Fred Astaire into blockbuster movies and became at the most popular pinup of World War 2 she began a romance with co-star Victor Mature and filed for divorce from Edward who kept all of her money while Victor was away of fighting in the war director Orson Welles began to doggedly pursue Rita the tabloids dubbed them beauty and the brain they were married in 1943 in a quick civil ceremony with the release of cover girl Rita cemented her place as a Hollywood star and she gave birth to her first child Rebecca whom she adored but Orson's busy schedule kept him away from Rita and the baby and most of the time and Rita was devastated to learn of his many infidelities they separated after just two years of marriage in 1946 Rita took on her most iconic role in Gilda where she played a smouldering femme fatale Rita began to assert herself more and formed her own production company which allowed her more power over her career she took a vacation in Europe where at a nightclub she met and became enthralled with Prince Ali Khan son of Sultan Muhammad Shah Agra con rether than ruling over a geographic region Sultan Muhammad was the spiritual leader of the world Shia ismaeli Muslims about 15 million adherents worldwide and a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad Rita and Ali both finalized divorces and she left Hollywood at the peak of her career to share his glamorous life in the South of France they were married in civil and religious ceremonies and had a glamorous reception at château de la razón near Khan on the French Riviera the couple welcomed a daughter princess Yasmine Agha Khan but Rita's down-to-earth shyness and Ali's constant glittering social engagements made for a misfit marriage Rita took her daughter's back to America and in accordance with the laws of the time had to establish in the state of Nevada in order to secure a divorce during the custody battle over princess Yasmine Ali offered Rita a million dollars if she would raise their daughter Muslim but she refused Rita reluctantly returned to acting to support her daughters and starred in a string of successful films lonely Rita married singer Dick Haymes who quickly showed his true colors as a manipulator and abuser he insisted that Rita accompany him on tour and leave her two daughters with his mother who unbeknownst to Rita often left the young girls alone social services charged Rita with neglect and both of her children's fathers appeared in court to testify on her behalf as a dedicated and loving mother the charges were dropped and Rita left Hames now in her late 30s she evolved in her career from sex bomb to a more serious actress she married for the fifth time to producer at James Hill but he it was consumed with his company and the many roles he had planned for his wife Rita once again felt used and James turned abusive they divorced after three years in her mid 40s Rita began to show signs of memory loss and dramatic mood swings she accepted a role on Broadway but during rehearsals she struggled to remember her lines and had to give up the part in her pain and frustration she turned to alcohol which exacerbated her condition through the 70s and 80s she and her family struggled with her debilitating and erratic behavior which was finally diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease she died in 1987 at the age of 68 a tragic end to a tragic but remarkable life Grace Kelly was born in Philadelphia into a wealthy and influential Irish Catholic family her father John Kelly was an Olympic gold medal rower losing candidate for mayor of Philadelphia and a close friend of Joseph Kennedy father of the future president after high school grace attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City though her father disapproved calling acting a slim cut above street walking soon she began to get work on Broadway and her talent and skill for live performance saw her cast in over 60 live TV programs she gained the admiration of many men including Ali Khan estranged husband of Rita Hayworth eventually Hollywood took notice and grace was cast in High Noon opposite Gary Cooper and Mogambo for which she was nominated for an Academy Award she had a habit of becoming romantically involved with her much-older often married co-stars and directors including Gary Cooper William Holden and Bing Crosby she caught the eye of director Alfred Hitchcock and starred in three of his most famous films dial M for murder rear window and to catch a thief she stole the show in all three films as an icy and intelligent blond bombshell and set fashion trends with her many and gorgeous outfits she won a Best Actress Academy Award for the country girl in 1955 that year grace headed up the American delegation to the Kahn Film Festival in the French Riviera where she was invited to a photo shoot with Prince Renier the third of Monaco at his palace Rene's family the Grimaldi's had ruled the tiny principality for 700 years Monaco is an incredibly wealthy nation thanks to its casinos Grand Prix and popularity as a tourist destination Renier was under pressure to marry if he failed to produce an heir then Monaco would lose its independence and revert back to France the royal family and the Micra nation were also in a financial trouble after their biggest bank collapsed it was hoped that by marrying a glamorous Hollywood star the prince could grab international attention and draw the tourists back gray seemed like the perfect candidate though she barely knew him she was swept up in the romance and agreed to marry the prince she was required to undergo a fertility test and her father agreed to pay a two million dollar dowry Grace and her family set sail across the Atlantic and arrived in Monaco to much fanfare there the couple were Wed in an elaborate star-studded ceremony thirty million people watched the Royal Wedding which was produced by MGM as a documentary grace wore a now iconic gown created by Hollywood costume designer Helen Rose while on her month-long yacht honeymoon Grace quickly realized that she and her new husband had little in common he was stiff formal and often morose in 1957 grace gave birth to their first child Princess Caroline who was followed by a brother Prince albear the following year by producing an heir and a spare grace secured her position in the hearts of the people of Monaco it didn't hurt that her international fame boosted the economy grace rejoiced in raising her children but the pressures of royal obligation were estranged Hitchcock offered her a starring role in his next film Marni and grace was thrilled at the prospect of returning to her passion acting but the people of Monaco objected and she was devastated but forced to decline the role in 1965 she gave birth to her third child Princess stéphanie as the children grew up Grace and Renee had drifted apart and the news of his infidelities became widespread though he had likely begun being unfaithful within months of their wedding grace threw herself into charity work and was particularly passionate about promoting a theatre and childhood welfare her children also began to rebel in their teens and twenties Princess Caroline had a disastrous and brief marriage to an infamous Playboy in 1981 grace met Diana Spencer whose engagement to Prince Charles had just been announced diana said that she sensed great unhappiness beneath the veneer ironically the two women felt a great kinship with each other in 1982 went on holiday with her family Princess Grace had an argument with her youngest daughter Grace had pulled strings to get Stephanie into the fashion school in Paris but Stephanie wanted to drop out and become a racecar driver the mother and daughter got into the car and continued arguing as grace navigated at the dangerously steep mountain roads grace suffered a stroke and lost control of the car taking it over the edge of the cliff Stephanie stumbled out of the wreckage but grace was rushed to the hospital unconscious where she died the next day she was only 52 the world was shocked and her husband and children were heartbroken she lives on through her iconic film roles and her charity work which is continued by her children including albear who became Prince of Monaco following Renee's death in 2005 caroline lee bouvier was the daughter of a new york stock broker and a socialite if her name sounds familiar that's because her older sister was first lady Jackie Kennedy jackie was studious and ambitious while Caroline known as Li was mischievous and fun they called each other jacks and peaks and had a close if complicated relationship Li struggled in the shadow of her accomplished older sister and while Jackie became famous as one of the most stylish women of her era friends knew that Lee had a keener eye for fashion and design at 20 li married her teenage sweetheart Michael Canfield who worked for the American ambassador in London the couple had a glittering social life but weren't very happy together after five years Lee began an affair with polish aristocrat stanislav elbrick Raji with we had her first marriage annulled and stannous wofe his second in order to marry each other Stannis wafts family had been impoverished and forced out of Poland by the Nazi invasion in 1939 he moved to London and trading on his charms wit and title was able to amass a fortune in real estate the couple had two children Anthony and Christina Lee went into early labor with Christina and was too ill to travel to Washington for her brother-in-law Jack Kennedy's inauguration as president the pressures of being first lady it caused Jackie to lean heavily on her sister Lee often traveled with Jack and Jackie and the family spent three Christmases in Palm Beach together Lee smuggled French designer fashions to Jackie like her iconic Chanel suits because Jack preferred that she wear American labels Lee's marriage to her prince charming was disintegrating and she began an affair with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis the president disliked Onassis and tried to coax his sister-in-law away he took Lee with him on a European political tour while Jackie was at home unwell during a pregnancy when Jackie's new son Patrick was born prematurely and died Lee rushed to comfort her sister Jackie then accompanied Lee and Onassis on a yacht cruise to distract herself from her grief at the end of the trip Onassis gave Jackie a ruby and diamond necklace that far-out shown the bracelets he gave Lee despite her jealousy when a few months later President John Kennedy was assassinated Lee rushed to her sister's side again Lee moved with her children to New York City to be nearer Jackie and her children she wrote fashion and culture articles for the Ladies Home Journal and struck up a friendship with Breakfast at Tiffany's author Truman Capote he was convinced that Lee would make a brilliant actress and orchestrated her stage debut starring in a Philadelphia Story in front of a sold-out crowd Lee froze and flopped as did her burgeoning acting career the following year Jackie married Lee's former lover aristotle onassis and lee was furious rebounding Lee took another lover photographer Peter Beard who brought her into Andy Warhol's inner circle Lee finally ended her estranged marriage with prince stanislav and threw herself into the liberated 70's she accompanied the Rolling Stones on their 1972 American tour she also made a documentary called Grey Gardens about her aunt and cousin big Edie and little E she found her relatives living in squalor with 60 cats in their dilapidated mansion in Hamptons the unique film is now a cult classic but cut from the final were hours of footage of Lee cleaning the house and helping her cousins get back on their feet Prince Stanislav died of a heart attack at a party in 1976 at the age of 62 by this time he was nearly bankrupt and left nothing for his children and his ex-wife Lee had to sell her apartment and downsize considerably meanwhile aristotle onassis died and left jacky a hundred and fifty million dollars in 1988 Lee remarried to Footloose and Steel Magnolias director herbert ross in 1994 jackie was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer and died a few months later with Lee and her children by her side in 1999 Jackie's son John died in a plane crash and a few months later Lisa and Anthony died of cancer at just four tea leaves marriage was yet another casualty of the tragedies and Lee and Ross divorced in 2001 Lee died in 2019 at the age of 85 in part two we'll meet the eight modern American princesses whose intriguing stories are still being written if you enjoyed this video please like subscribe comment your thoughts and check out my other royal history videos if you really want to help please consider supporting me on patreon a link is in the description thank you for watching

Channel: History Tea Time with Lindsay Holiday

Views: 288,251

Rating: 4.9260502 out of 5

Keywords: history, documentary, royal family, nobility, royalty, sex, bbc, the crown, british history, scandal, royal wedding, feminist, women, europe, princess, duchess, bride, rita hayworth, hollywood, grace kelly, monaco, Diane von Fürstenberg, aly aga khan, disney princess, america, united states, independence day, 4th of july, jackie kennedy, jfk, president john f. kennedy, Lee Radziwill, grey gardens, onassis, queen, movie star, actress, Crown Princess of Greece, Meghan Markle, olivia wilde

Id: xqlprjsiFvE

Length: 17min 45sec (1065 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 30 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/Qutus123]

Meghan Markle is not a Princess