Im ellee pai hong. And im kerry sayers. And im your host, bill kurtis. Its royals and royalty, through the decades. Commoners have been fascinated by their rulers for centuries kings. Queens. Monarchs. In todays world of increasing democracy, there are not many current examples of a royal court with political responsibility. But the royals who still hold titles and position of esteem are revered and, when there is an absence of traditional pomp and circumstance a new type of nobility has risen, capitivating our attention. Today, on through the decades, were taking the hour to look at some of those we are thrilled by both classic royalty and our popular queens and kings too. From Prince Charles and lady di to the king of basketball, Michael Jordan and the legend we knew as prince. But first, we begin with a woman who made our fairy tales reality. Before grace kelly was the princess of monaco, she was hollywood royalty. She charmed audiences and critics across the globe and still she gave up the spotlight for love when she married prince ranier of monaco and grace kelly became a princess forever more. Just six years in hollywood turned the name grace kelly into magic. She became a screen idol and a symbol of elegance and charm. Grace kellys acting career may have been brief but it was prolific. She starred in 11 films in six years. One of the first big breaks in hollywood came in 1951, when she was cast in mogambo with clark gable and ava gardner. Kelly soon teamed up with the man who would become her friend and mentor, alfred hitchcock. She starred in three of his films dial m for murder and to catch a thief in 1955. Kelly, hitchcock said, was the epitome of the femme fatale she had beauty, style and sexual elegance. I guess im not the girl i thought i was. Theres nothing wrong with you lisa youve got this town in the palm of your hand. Her rear window costar Jimmy Stewart was equally smitten, saying shes too perfect, too talented, too beautiful, too sophisicated, too everything but i want. In 1955, kelly won her first and only Academy Award for best actress in the country girl, beating out judy garland, who was also in the running that year. The thrill of this moment keeps me from saying what i really feel. I can only say thank you with all my heart to all who made this possible for me, thank you. With her oscar, kelly had become one of the highest paid and most respected actresses in hollywood and she was about to give it all up. That same year, while at the Cannes Film Festival in france, she met prince rainier the third of monaco, who made it no secret that he was seeking a bride. Kelly herself, now age 26, had been in a string of disappointing relationships with some of hollywoods leading men. Grace had been going through a series of affairs. Um. Generally with married men William Holden , clark gable. There were a series of them. Ray miland, gary cooper. They were married men and it was very difficult for her to put this together with her catholic ideas. The courtship of the beautiful hollywood movie star and the european prince was glamorized in the press as a fairytale. Within a year, a wedding date was set. The marvelous thing about grace kelly was that she came along at time when not only monaco but the world needed a fairytale. A picture queen who will become a princess greets her new subjects and is greeted by them in turn as she goes ashore to a tumultuous welcome. After her wedding, this delightful actress will be known as her serene highness, princess of monaco. Now the great day itself. The joyous day of the religious wedding. On april 19, 1956, grace kelly married prince rainier the third in a ceremony billed as the wedding of the century. Now by Civil Authority and by the church, prince rainier and his film star bride have been pronounced man and wife. The wedding procession moves slowly from the cathedral. This of course was the moment for which the monegasques have been waiting and joyful cheering greeted prince and princess. Thousands lined the streets of monaco, while more than 30 million watched on television. Assuming the role and duties of a princess and moving to monaco meant kelly would have to give up hollywood and her acting career. Something she was willing to do. Over the years, the couple had three Children Princess caroline, Prince Albert and princess stephanie. As princess grace, kelly focused on raising her children and she built a new career in philanthropy. But for her fans, it was her hollywood career that far overshadowed any other even 26 years after her last film. Do you miss being in the movies . Do you miss that life . I loved my life in the movies. I love my career. I love my life now. Is there any chance you might return to making films . Its very difficult. Im asked the question over and over again and im very flattered to be asked this after 25 years. Its very unlikely. Acting is a fulltime job and i just dont have the time to devote to it. Six months after this interview, grace kelly would meet an untimely end at the age of 52. The final chapter is written in grace kellys storybook life. Regretably it ends in tragedy. Princess grace of monaco died this afternoon from injuries she suffered in a car accident yesterday. She was 52. Doctors blame a cerebral hemorrhage. Princess grace suffered broken leg, ribs and collarbone when the car she was driving spun out of control on a twisting Mountain Road above the french riviera. Her 17 year old daughter, princess stephanie was also injured. Stephanie is reported to be recovering now from a slight concussion and resting in the hospital. Her funeral would garner an audience of nearly 100 Million Viewers around the world. Grace was a gracious wonderful woman who was a princess from the moment she was born. We still cannot believe it. Grace was classic beauty, didnt matter what angle. She was beautiful. Nancy reagan arrived in nice tonight, mrs. Reagan was driven to the palace in monaco where she will spend the night with the family of prince ranier and the kelly family of philadelphia. Her family was left to cope with the sudden and tragic loss. More than three decades after her death, grace kelly remains an icon in our Popular Culture remembered and admired for her beauty, her style, her elegance and her fairytale. As we continue our look back on royals and royalty through the decades, we look back at arguably the greatest basketball player of all time who ruled the court. A Billionaire Hotel heiress and the sensational trial that made her famous. The life and legacy of a russian chess kingpin who attracted worldwide attention. Well also take you back to the very beginning of the american camelot. Then, we turn back the lens of time on the enigmatic musician who redefined sexy. And we remember the master of magic whose name endures today as one of the all time greatest to ever grace the stage harry houdini. Stick around. Its all still to come right here on through the decades. To come right here on through the decades. This king would redefine the game he played. His followers loved him. His opponents feared him. His fellow players revered him. Great players came before him, and many will follow, but there is only one Michael Jordan. Singing like mike. If i could be like mike. Millions have tried. Millions have failed. It was a stratosphere with room for just one. Michael jordan. The greatest basketball player. The greatest athlete in the world today. That, from a diehard New York Knicks fan. With the possible exception of president clinton, Michael Jordan is the worlds best known american. Whether you called him michael, mike, air jordan, his airness or mj, his name transcended the game. I started when i was 12 years old and ever since then, ive been playing. Its been a long, long time but ive enjoyed it. I do enjoy my time in the air for the little time that im there. While in the zone, his tongue would be out, his competitive drive unmatched id like to introduce now the best know Gold Medalist basketball player and athlete in the world, Michael Jordan. The resume, 1982 ncaa champion with the North Carolina tar heels. Two time olympic Gold Medalist. Six time nba champion of the chicago bulls. That alone would ensure his place in springfield. You know chicago treats Michael Jordan like a civic treasure. Well. And that he is. Oh sure. But number 23 wasnt just a great basketball player whod retire and come back three separate times. During his first retirement he even took a swing at baseball. He was and continues to be a brand that just wont quit helping companies and products like nike, gatorade and hanes to name a few, become champions in their own right. Theyre hanes. Lets just leave it at that. Michael even took to the hardwood for hollywood in the not so surprisingly successful film, space jam. They just might save the world space jam. In 1995, movie critic gene siskel asked michael about his acting method how do you act with an animated character . Do you just say thats someone real . I mean what do you do . Is there a trick . Did someone tell ya, you know. Well, you play games with your mind. In terms of, you know, someones there or you envision someones there. Its like someone shooting freethrows or shooting jumpshots and puts one hand in your face. I mean, ive done it but not to this extreme so i think thats something im going to eance or improve on as i continue to do it. Hed open a number of restaurants, even playing tour guide at his now defunct Michael Jordans restaurant in chicago. First of all, let me say welcome to Michael Jordans restaurant and im gonna show you a nice little tour. As you can see, weve got everybody here. Lets go to the bar first all right . Come on ill show you one of my jerseys. You ready . Lets go into the retail store. I think we should go up the back way. Lets sneak up the back way because this is something private. I dont want people to see this. Its a great time for it to be opening. The playoffs are just starting. I think this is going to be a fun place for me to hang out with my family, my friends. You guys are always welcome, except for the media. You guys dont know how to relax. But this is going to be a great place just to come in and have a good time. After retiring from basketball for good in 2001, michael eventually became owner of the Charlotte Hornets and continues to be a superstar especially when it comes to paychecks. The former chicago bull is reportedly worth over a billion dollars. If they were to make the movie of your life who would you want to play you . Tough question. They gotta have to have some basketball skills. Denzel. I like denzel. I think hes versatile enough that he could pull it off. Your move, denzel. Still ahead, were taking you back to when the cutthroat Hotel Magnate known as the queen of mean was put on trial. Plus, well look back on the day our nation played host to the most glamorous royal couple in the world. Great britians Prince Charles and Princess Diana cap a three day washington visit today. Theyve had a nonstop schedule since their arrival. Theyre undoubtedly the bigge celebrities in town. This is through the decades. Celebrities in town. This is through the decades. Leona helmsley. The Billionaire Hotel heiress oversaw an empire who would stand trial in august of 1989 for mail fraud and tax invasion. The woman who will forever be known as the queen of mean. Leona helmsley is queen of the helmsley and harley hotel chain. Her husband harry owns the Empire State Building and is one of the richest men in america. They went to court today for something less than a royal reception. The helmsleys face a myriad of charges that quite simply contend they cheated on their taxes. Helmsley proclaimed herself the queen. A Hotel Magnate known as much for her flamboyant style as her cut throat personality. For all the phrases used to describe her most started with a single word rich and she insisted she had done nothing illegal. Ive done nothing wrong. Weve paid our taxes. We will pay our taxes. We always have. Were good citizens. Were gonna remain it and im not going to jail. Ive done nothing wrong. There is no crime. But the feds saw it differently. Approximately four Million Dollars in helmsley company monies were used to refurbish their home. No little remodeling job. The helmsley estate in connecticut has been recently enhanced by the addition of a ballroom and an indoor swimming pool. The government charges the helmsleys wrote off the additions as a business expense. One of the hottest shows in new york today is playing not on broadway but in federal court in downtown manhattan. It stars Hotel Magnate, Leona Helmsley as an alleged tax invader and extrortionist. One of the participants has already described they trial as new yorks summer extravaganza. Helmsley is already one of the biggest names in new york real estate. A symbol of wealth and power stamped on some of the citys biggest buildings. Helmsleys eightyone year old husband harry was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial. The defense says the helmsleys never intended to break any laws. They were victims of unscupulous underlings and had large but legitimate business expenses. Part of the Defense Strategy is to defuse the regal public image that leona has cultivated as the royal hostess of a chain of 23 hotels and the private reputation, in the words of one critic, as the lady macbeth of the lodging industry. In court, her own lawyer said she may be abusive and rude but shes not charged, he warned the jury, with being a tough bleep. You dont put people in jail for being unpopular. The risk according to some experts is that the jury might do exactly that. Its a terrible handicap to go to trial with an unpopular person because its a human enterprise. People will acquit people they like and they will convict people they dont like. And the trial, so far, hasnt tarnished leonas reputation as the woman new york loves to hate. Witnesses have described her as a bad tempered scrooge with a heart of lead. we dont pay taxes, a housekeeper quoted her. The Little People pay taxes. the truth is that we did pay 344 Million Dollars during the time in question. The trials about greed. Its about unbridled lust for power and greed and again, the way that theyve decide to treat people in their accumulation of that power. Thats what it is. What purpose would i have in having more money . My husband is more than generous to me, always has been. I have no heirs. He has no heirs. To commit a crime, you must have a motive. I have no motive. I am innocent. I have done nothing, nothing, nothing wrong and nothing illegal. And yet, in march of 1992, Leona Helmsley was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to four years in prison. Well, she was quite dissapointed. She regards this as a double Death Penalty case. That is, shes being sentenced to a premature death and her husband is being sentenced to an immediate death for a crime which she believes she is innocent of and which we believe she is innocent of. The queen of mean served 21 months in prison. Next, we turn from a story of Hotel Royalty to one about a family who redefined American Royalty for decades. Were remembering the wedding of a couple who embodied the image of camelot as they would go on to live at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. In september, 1953 they were married at st. Marys church in newport, rhode island. Six hundred guests attended the wedding which was consecreated by archbishop cushing of boston and blessed by the pope. By archbishop cushing of boston and blessed by the pope. Youve worked hard. Busted tail. And impressed the boss. Maybe its time to be your own . Transform your career with strayer universitys mba program today. Lets get it. The queen is often considered the most valuable piece in chess because of her wide range of moves. But the king is the piece you need to capture the win. The man who many consider to be the king of chess, Gary Kasparov became the youngest world chess champion at the age of 22 after defeating Anatoly Karpovin a rematch of the world chess championship in november, 1985. They traded moves in moscow from september 1984 to february,1985. The reigning World Champion, Anatoly Karpov and the challenger, Garry Kasparov for the title. Karpov was one game away from victory but kasparov fought back. The excruciating match lasted for months taking its toll on both players. And then a controversial decision forcing the match to be called off. Today International ChessFederation President , florencio campimanis, announced the match was over with no decision. The players would start from scratch next september. But wait a minute, in came the champion. Up on points but hurting badly to say he was ready to fight on. As we russians say, the rumors about my death were a bit exaggerated. For the first time in five months, i have certain chances. Lets say by 25 or 30 percent and now theyre trying to deprive me of those chances. And then kasparov left, saying afterwards that it all seemed like a well rehearsed show to him, supporting rumors that the match was ended to protect the champion and end an ordeal even the chess world had tired of. The rematch in moscow began in september, 1985 with karpov and kasparov once again battling