| The Russian Princess knew Garbo
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The first time I met her, she was on the Onassis' boat, in Monte Carlo in the mid 1950s.. There was a great party. But the day after my husband and me left for a trip with some friends and I saw her very short time, but it was amazing 'cause I had been loving her since I was I little girl.
Then I saw her again in Greece, I don't remember the year. I was on the 'Creole', the boat of Stavros Niarchos who was taking us in a little island that he had recenly bought and wanted us to visit. When we arrived in front of the island, we saw another yacht there.
It was the Onassis' Christina. There were some people with him, and among these people were Garbo with a companion, named George Schlee.He was russian and he said he was a relative of mine. I did not think so and I did not like him very much.
Garbo didn't want to talk about movies! |
It was on that occasion that I had the possibility to know her well. She was shy, reserved, almost complexed. Then, when she drank, she melted, she changed. I remember that my husband and prince Aldobrandini courted her and asked her: "Why could you quit movies? Why such crime?" And she replied: "Who? Me in the movies? I don't remember being in the movies". She did not want to talk about that.
Garbo said she is too old to show herself in a bathing suit! |
Well, we were in front of this island and It was a very windy day, we could not take a bath. So we spent a few days visting each other from one yacht to another. Then finally weather changed. There was a beautiful bay and we decided to go on shore and to bath. We all went on a little motored boat, dressed in bath clothes.
Garbo was wearing a blue sweater like sailor and long trousers. I asked her: "Don't you wanna bath?" And she replied: "I am too old to show myself in bathing suit in front of you". We were all surprised 'cause we could see she was in good shape. Beautiful thin body, large shoulders, beautiful legs. We all dived into the sea and reached the shore and from there we saw Garbo that dressed in a bath suit dived in the water from the boat.
She was so beautiful... |
On the way back, on the little motored boat, there were high waves, we were all wet, we looked miserable, we looked liked monsters. And I remember how Garbo looked like. She wore again her sweater, she had her hair completely wet and adherent to her head and she was splendid, an age-less beauty. She was in her 50's.
I did not have a camera, but I shall never forget that imagine of her. Another time we went in the valley of the butterflies, at Rodi. A valley where you can find thousands and thousands of coloured butterflies. There is a sort of forest and the sun passed through the branches. Garbo walked in that fluttering as in trance. She was so beautiful. From that moment to end we became friends.
Garbo and Valentina had a love story? |
When she came in Rome she always came to visit me in my atelier in via vittorio veneto. I can't tell you the stories to avoid paparazzi. In 1963 she made a very nice thing: she came to one of my fashion parades in New York. All the press talked about it: 'Garbo goes to Galitzine', titled the magazines and newspapers.
She used not to show herself in public. She had marvellous eyes and a very seductive voice but I don't think she had a very strong sexuality. I don't think she had a great love-story with Schlee. Maybe she had something of this kind with Schlee's wife, Valentina. They sayed so.
Thanks to Gianni
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