A new book is revealing why JFK Jr. failed to reach out to Princess Diana’s sons, Prince William and Harry, following her tragic death on August 31, 1997.
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In the book, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kenndy by Elizabeth Beller, it was revealed that Carolyn had asked her husband to call the Princess’ sons to offer his condolences. It was reported that Princess Diana had hoped her sons would “emulate” Jr.’s modesty “in the face of media obsession.”
However, JFK Jr. was reluctant to make that call. “He didn’t know them and thought that their situations greatly differed,” Beller wrote, per People. “He had met [Princess Diana] once or twice. And the fact that she had died while being chased down by paparazzi, he was aware of the fact that [he and Carolyn’s] lives were becoming overwrought with attention and he was upset.”
Beller also shared in her book that Carolyn’s suggestion was “lovely,” and while JFK Jr. was both a lovely and gracious person, he thought the moment would be too difficult for him. Especially when he would have to call someone who also lost a parent in a “very public and dramatic way.”
Nearly two years after Princess Diana’s death, JFK Jr., Carolyn, and Carolyn’s sister Lauren perished in a plane crash off of Martha’s Vineyard. JFK Jr. was 38 and Carolyn was 33 at the time of their deaths. They didn’t have any children.
JFK Jr. Secretly Met Princess Diana Two Years Before Her Death
During a 2017 interview with People, JFK Jr.’s former assistant, RoseMarie Terenzio, revealed the late son of John F. Kennedy had secretly met Princess Diana.
Jr. had hoped to convince the royal to pose for the cover of his magazine, George. The publication’s creative director, Matt Berman, who made the sketches, shared with People, “We had to draw all these covers up, and he took the drawing over to the Carlyle Hotel to meet her.”
Terenzio then spoke about JFK Jr.’s meeting with the Princess. “I remember him saying, ‘There’s no way someone is not going to leak it. There’s going to be paparazzi everywhere,’” she recalled. “Someone suggested he go in disguise and I said, ‘That’s ridiculous. You’re not doing that!’”
Terenzio said Kennedy agreed with her remark. They then discussed which of the two hotel entrances would attract the least attention. “I had remembered that the last time I had been to the Carlyle for an event, there had been no photographers at the front entrance. So I told John, Don’t go in the side entrance, because if anyone does leak it beforehand, people will expect you to go in the side. So walk in the front door.’”
As Terenzio predicted, Kennedy was able to walk in the front door of the hotel without any attention. “All the press was on the side door!” she declared.
JFK Jr.’s meeting with the Princess took place at her suite. Although he told her he wanted to do a “respectful piece” about her, she declined his offer.
Terenzio went on to add, “He was very careful what he said. The one funny thing he said was, ‘She’s got a great pair of legs.’”