Critical scorn has been poured on a three-part BBC documentary about the principality of Monaco (Monaco – Playground of the Rich, now available on iPlayer). It’s been widely described as a tedious portrait of silly rich people talking drivel. Monaco – once also known as Monte-Carlo – has always attracted a certain amount of disparagement. Somerset Maugham, who lived nearby on the French Riviera, famously said it was “a sunny place for shady people”. But it does have some virtues and benefits, of which the late Princess Grace was its principal adornment. And a book I recently read revealed that Grace came to reign in Monaco through an indirect connection with (or intercession of ?) Lourdes. In 1955, when Prince Rainier was looking for a bride, his chaplain and advisor Fr Francis Tucker suggested the actress Grace Kelly might be “the one”. Rainier organised a viewing of her movies and “was smitten” – but still wasn’t sure whether to ask for an introduction. So, according to Colm Keane and Una O’Hagan in their book The Village of Bernadette, Rainier and “Father Tuck” drove off to Lourdes to pray for guidance. The Lourdes trip clinched the deal. Rainier, who believed that his prayer had worked, proposed to Grace and after a year’s courtship they married. When Father Tuck subsequently described to Grace the grotto’s role in her courtship, she replied, “Why, Father, you will never believe this, but my confirmation name is Bernadette!” Princess Grace not only adorned Monaco, she revived its fortunes. Paris had been threatening to absorb the principality – De Gaulle thought Monaco pointless – but Grace enhanced its status and the French backed off. While the programme did feature a fair share of air-headed plutocrats, I thought Prince Albert came across as sensible and dutiful – and I’m always fascinated by the way bilingual people switch easily between their mother tongues, as he does with English and French. The Grimaldis have also championed marine life and oceanography, and they’ve supported the circus and its people, too. The most famous clown of all time was called Grimaldi, and like many funny men he was prone to depression. Meanwhile the Grimaldi dynasty has survived since 1297. Quite something!