Nicole kidman's princess grace and naomi watts' princess diana big scr...

Grace Kelly was known as America's Princess, a glamorous movie star and the ultimate Hitchcock blonde who fled the Hollywood spotlight at the height of her fame to wed European royalty,

Prince Rainier of Monaco. Diana Spencer was declared the People's Princess, a shy British beauty who came from aristocratic stock and fulfilled the fairy-tale fantasies of a nation by

marrying Prince Charles. AARP MEMBERS! SAVE ON YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES, BOOKS AND MUSIC. Long after their tragic deaths, both women have a special place in the hearts of many — as evidenced by

a pair of biopics expected in theaters within months of each other. Naomi Watts stars in _Diana _(opening in the U.S. on Nov. 1), while Nicole Kidman takes the lead in _Grace of Monaco

_(moved out of the holiday lineup to open in early spring). The fact that the two Australian actresses playing Princess Diana and Princess Grace are best friends in real life is just one of

several bonds that tie these legendary women together. CHILDREN OF PRIVILEGE Grace Kelly was born Nov. 12, 1929, to a wealthy family and hung out with the high society crowd. Diana Spencer

was born July 1, 1961, already bearing a royal lineage as a member of one of Britain's oldest families. PARENTAL ISSUES Grace was the daughter of Jack Kelly, an Olympic gold medalist in

rowing, a business mogul and a politician, who favored her older sister and brother while disapproving of her acting ambitions. Diana was the fourth child of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp.

Her parents had hoped for a male heir — an infant brother, John, had died a year before — and her arrival was said to have put a strain on the marriage. EARLY YEARS January 1956: Grace

Kelly and Prince Rainier announce their engagement from her parents' home in Philadelphia. February 1981: Diana Spencer and Prince Charles announce their engagement from his

parents' home (aka: Buckingham Palace) in London. AFP/Getty Images and Keystone/Getty Images Grace found her calling onstage at age 12 and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts

in New York. Her father caused her to split with first beau, a Navy man, and Kelly engaged in a string of romances with older suitors — including affairs with nearly all her big-screen

leading men, starting with Gary Cooper in _High Noon_ and ending with Bing Crosby in _High Society_. Diana was considered a mediocre student who loved the arts, exhibited community spirit

and enjoyed working with children. After attending a Swiss finishing school, she worked as a nursery assistant, a helper at a preschool, a nanny for an American family living in London and a

kindergarten teacher. ROYAL WOOING After 11 films, including a 1954 Oscar-winning turn as Bing Crosby's dowdy spouse in _The Country Wife_, Kelly met the 31-year-old Prince Rainier III

of Monaco while doing a photo shoot at his palace in 1955. They began exchanging letters and Rainier, who was under pressure to produce an heir, went to America in December of that year to

meet her family. He proposed three days later. Prince Charles had been seeing Diana's older sister, Lady Sarah, but began to focus on Diana after they both were guests at a country

getaway in 1980. That led to a sailing weekend on a yacht and an invitation to Balmoral, the royal family's Scottish residence, to meet Charles' family. After a courtship in

London, the prince, 34, proposed on Feb. 6, 1981 — although the engagement was kept secret for several weeks.