Prince’s Palace of Monaco shares intimate photos of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III in tribute to their late photographer
The Prince's Palace wished to pay tribute to Georges Lukomski by sharing a few of the photographer's pictures © G. Lukomski – Palace Archives
His funeral was held on Tuesday at Monaco Cathedral, in the presence of Prince Albert II. For nearly 25 years, he documented the private life of the Princely Family.
Georges Lukomski passed away at the age of 93. The man who served as the first permanent photographer of the Prince’s Palace was accompanied on his final journey at Monaco Cathedral, in the presence of Prince Albert II. In a tribute befitting the bond forged over decades with the Grimaldi family, the Prince’s Palace shared a selection of his most memorable photographs on social media. His extensive photographic archive, preserved by the Palace’s own collections, stands as an intimate and irreplaceable record of the Principality’s history.
A quarter of a century in the service of the Palace
From 1957 until the early 1980s, Georges Lukomski enjoyed privileged access to the private life of the Princely Family. Trained by Howell Conant (1916–1999) — the American photographer Grace Kelly had brought over from the United States to cover her 1956 wedding to Prince Rainier III — Lukomski established himself as a discreet and faithful witness to everyday life on the Rock.
Prince’s Palace shares archive photos in tribute to Princess Grace
An irreplaceable body of work
His eye captured ceremonial occasions and intimate family scenes alike: Rainier III at the wheel of a Fiat Gamine Vignale in the palace’s honour courtyard; a Christmas morning with the children unwrapping their gifts; the Sovereign in the Palace’s squash court; or the visit of French President Charles de Gaulle in 1960. He was the single largest contributor to the exhibition Le Prince chez lui (The Prince at Home), presented in the Palace’s State Apartments in 2023. His photographs were also celebrated during the centenary of Prince Rainier III’s birth, most notably in the exhibition Le Prince et ses animaux (The Prince and His Animals) at the Terrasses de Fontvieille, which featured previously unseen archival images of the Sovereign in his private zoological garden. More recently, his work featured in the Grace #1 exhibition in 2025. His vast photographic legacy, held by the Palace Archives, endures as an intimate and irreplaceable testament to the history of the Principality. The Prince’s Palace has extended its most sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
Photos: Georges Lukomski – Prince’s Palace Archives