Prince Albert Says His Mother Princess Grace Held Firm and ‘Insisted’ on Eating Turkey for Thanksgiving in Monaco

Grace, originally from Philadelphia, wanted to keep some American traditions even after moving an ocean away to marry Prince Rainier

You can take the American-born princess out of the United States, but you can’t make her stop eating turkey on Thanksgiving!

Prince Albert of Monaco shared that his mother Princess Grace — formerly known as actress Grace Kelly before marrying Prince Rainier and moving overseas from the U.S. — “insisted” on eating Turkey at the palace in Monaco for Thanksgiving, an American holiday. Grace, who was originally from Philadelphia, was adamant about maintaining the tradition even an ocean away from the United States.

“We either had a Thanksgiving lunch here at the palace or we would join the American Club over there on the Riviera or the Monaco/USA Association,” Albert said. “They had Thanksgiving luncheons either at the Hotel de Paris or in another location, and so we would participate in that.”

Related: Prince Albert Says Mom Princess Grace 'Insisted' on Turkey at the Palace for Thanksgiving in Monaco

He added of turkey — the traditional staple of Thanksgiving — that it “wasn’t common on European tables. We had turkey in the ‘60s and ‘70s because these organizations which had links with the U.S., of course. But it was virtually unknown in France, and there was very little of it.”

“But Mom insisted, and if we didn’t have turkey at the palace for Thanksgiving, we would have it at Christmastime,” the prince continued.

Now that he has a family of his own — wife Princess Charlene and 9-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabrialla — Albert has introduced Thanksgiving to his twins, but admits that observing the holiday is “on and off” because “other commitments get in the way, sometimes travel schedules, and so we don’t celebrate every year.”

Related: Prince Albert Powers Next Generation of Stars in Mother Princess Grace's Name: She Knew the 'Struggle' (Exclusive)

During the childhoods of Prince Albert and his sisters Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie, Princess Grace made a point that they’d appreciate their American heritage. This meant month-long visits to the Kelly home on Henry Avenue in Philadelphia and summers at the family’s Jersey Shore compound. Speaking to PEOPLE about his mother in October in New York City — the city where Grace began her acting career in 1950 at age 20 — Albert said that, though Grace was from Philadelphia, she loved N.Y.C.’s energy.

“She loved the atmosphere,” Albert, 66, told PEOPLE last month of his mother, who died in 1982 following a car accident at just 52 years old. “Of course, it probably has changed a lot since when she was a young actress, trying to land different roles in theater, film and television. She loved, for instance, walking in the park, which [I] did yesterday with my relatives.”

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“She would point out different points of interest when we were there with her,” he continued. “The theaters up Broadway and different iconic landmarks. She just loved to reconnect, once in a while, with New York and the incredible artistic and cultural scene. It's always been a feature of that great city.”