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Nicole Kidman's 'Grace of Monaco' leaves palace officials royally irked

"Grace of Monaco," the biopic starring Nicole Kidman about the actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly, has come under fire from Monaco Palace, which slammed the film as a "farce."In a statement released Friday, palace officials said the film "cannot under any circumstances be classified as a biopic." The film is slated to screen at the Cannes International Film Festival May 14.Kelly, a Philadelphia-b
Nicole Kidman's 'Grace of Monaco'
The Weinstein Company
\"Grace of Monaco,\" starring Nicole Kidman, is under fire from royals and film execs.
\"Grace of Monaco,\" starring Nicole Kidman, is under fire from royals and film execs.Today

"Grace of Monaco," the biopic starring Nicole Kidman about the actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly, has come under fire from Monaco Palace, which slammed the film as a "farce."

In a statement released Friday, palace officials said the film "cannot under any circumstances be classified as a biopic." The film is slated to screen at the Cannes International Film Festival May 14.

Kelly, a Philadelphia-born Academy Award-winning actress, joined the royal ranks in 1956, when she married Prince Rainier III of the Principality of Monaco. Kelly left her film career and went on to have three children with Rainier. She died in 1982 from injuries sustained in a car crash. The couple's son, Prince Albert II, is the reigning monarch of the principality. 

Monaco's royals have been opposed to the biopic from the get-go. "The trailer appears to be a farce and confirms the totally fictional nature of this film," the statement asserted. "It reinforces the certainty, left after reading the script, that this production, a page of the Principality's history, is based on erroneous and dubious historical references. The director and producers refused to take into consideration the many observations made by the Palace because these called into question the entire script and the characters of the film. 

"The Princely Family does not in any way wish to be associated with this film which reflects no reality and regrets that Its history has been misappropriated for purely commercial purposes," the statement concluded.

Royal opposition isn't the only controversy the film has engendered. For months, U.S. distributor The Weinstein Co. has been battling with director Olivier Dahan over the film's final cut. The movie missed its original release date in Nov. 2013, as well as a later release date in March. 

On Monday, Variety reported that Weinstein Co. is considering dropping its rights to the film, as it reportedly remains unhappy with the latest version.