Grace Kelly's Granddaughter Is Causing Huge Stir With Her Runway Appearance
Before Grace Kelly became royalty in Monaco, she had a magnificent career in Hollywood. Kelly starred in numerous films, including "Mogambo" and 1953's "The Country Girl" — the latter of which she was awarded an Oscar for Best Actress. Though Kelly left her blossoming career to marry Prince Rainier III when she was in her mid-twenties, she left behind a legacy of beauty and inspiration that lives on in her granddaughter, Charlotte Casiraghi.
Casiraghi certainly inherited her grandmother's looks and sense of regality. She has also become one of the most talked-about socialites from Monaco in recent years. Casiraghi was named an ambassador for Paris fashion house Chanel in December 2020, according to People, and said that it was a role that meant a lot to her. "It's almost as if I was born with Chanel," she said in the announcement video. "I think of photos of my mom, when she was pregnant with me. Wonderful photos by Karl Lagerfeld, with her wearing Chanel."
Now, two years into her role as an ambassador, Casiraghi has made her grand entrance on the runway and it has caused a huge stir among fashion fans.
Charlotte Casiraghi took her horse-riding talent to the runway
On January 25, Chanel staged its Spring/Summer 2022 haute couture show at Grand Palais Éphémère, and featured guests like Anna Wintour, Pharrell Williams, and Margot Robbie, according to Hello! Magazine. But their star power was eclipsed by Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and granddaughter of Grace Kelly, who made her introduction on the runway via a horse.
At the start of the show, Casiraghi trotted her way onto the stage, wearing a black tweed jacket with silver embellishments, and riding pants and boots, per Page Six. Casiraghi's entrance may have seemed out of the ordinary for a model, but she's actually a trained equestrian and has a love for horses. "[Horses have] had an important role in my life," Casiraghi told Harper's Bazaar in 2013. "They gave me the energy to move forward, the ability to fight, giving me a rare confidence and invaluable strength."
While Casiraghi made headlines for her grand entrance, some fashion fans were unimpressed with the brand's decision to use live animals for the runway show. "So tacky and unnecessary to use animals in parades," one user wrote on their Instagram post, whereas another asked, "How unnecessary is it to have a horse walk a catwalk? Just for the attendees entertainment?" Chanel has not yet commented on their use of animals for the show.