John F. Kennedy Jr. was ready to pursue politics, determined to save his marriage before plane crash, says pal
Historian Steven M. Gillon recalls his friendship with John F. Kennedy Jr. on the 20th anniversary of his fatal plane crash.
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was haunted by Princess Diana’s death a few years before her own death.
On Aug. 31, 1997, the Princess of Wales died from injuries she sustained in a car crash. She was 36.
That summer, a group of paparazzi camped outside the Hotel Ritz in Paris in hopes of getting shots of Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed. They pursued their car to the Pont de l’Alma tunnel, where their driver, who attempted to outrun the photographers, lost control of the vehicle.
All three perished. Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, suffered severe facial trauma.
Princess Diana, the glamorous mother of Prince William and Prince Harry, died in 1997. She was 36. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Like Diana, the wife of John F. Kennedy Jr. grappled with relentless photographers eager to scrutinize her every move. Elizabeth Beller, author of a new biography, "Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy," told Fox News Digital Diana’s tragic death affected the Calvin Klein publicist during her final years.
Princess Diana was being pursued by paparazzi on motorcycles before her death. (Vincent Amalvy/AFP via Getty Images)
"She realized right away that Diana was being chased by paparazzi, and that was something Carolyn was struggling with herself every single day," said Beller. "Diana’s death left a profound mark on her. She was already terrified, but Diana’s death terrified her even more. I believe it led her to seclude herself at home."
A "rattled" Bessette-Kennedy urged her husband to call Diana’s sons — Prince William and Prince Harry — to give his condolences.
The lawyer and magazine publisher was all too familiar with losing a parent so suddenly. His father, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963. Kennedy Jr. turned 3 years old at his father’s funeral.
Members of the Kennedy family at the funeral of assassinated president John F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C. From left: Sen. Edward Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, 6, Jackie Kennedy (1929-1994), Attorney General Robert Kennedy and John Kennedy Jr., 3, (1960-1999). (Keystone/Getty Images)
"She suggested John offer his condolences to William and Harry," said Beller. "Diana’s death affected John too. He didn’t know them, but it wasn’t an outlandish thing to do. The Kennedys had been around the royal family. There was a monument to JFK in London. There are photos of Little John holding Prince Philip’s hand. The families were very much intertwined, even if John didn’t know William and Harry personally."
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with Jackie Kennedy and her children John Jr. (1960-1999) and Caroline during the inauguration of Britain's Kennedy memorial at Runnymede, circa 1965. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Despite his wife’s urgency, Kennedy Jr. never called the grieving princes.
"It sounded like something John would have been quick to do, but I think he, too, was so rattled by Diana’s death and realizing it was because of the paparazzi," Beller explained. "He also realized how much it frightened Carolyn. It was too much for him in his life. And seeing someone deal with their parent being mourned in a public way was, I think, overwhelming for him and everything he had been through.
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Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy urged her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr., to call Prince William and Prince Harry following the death of their mother, Princess Diana. (Stephane Cardinale/Sygma via Getty Images)
"It was unusual for him, but he stepped back," Beller continued. "Some George [magazine] staffers mentioned they had discussions that they needed to run something about Diana’s death. John missed the first meeting about it. He was upset, understandably so."
This file photo from Aug. 31, 1997, shows the wreckage of Princess Diana's car in the Alma Tunnel of Paris. Britain's Princess Diana, her friend Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul were all killed in the crash. (Pierre Boussel/AFP via Getty Images)
Beller said Bessette-Kennedy reportedly wondered if she would suffer a similar fate. At the time, the couple was being hounded by photographers outside their Tribeca home in New York City.
According to Beller’s book, Bessette-Kennedy kept commenting "those poor boys" to her husband, referring to William and Harry. However, Kennedy Jr. insisted that "their situations greatly differed."
Prince William (left) and Prince Harry, the sons of Diana, Princess of Wales, bow their heads as their mother's coffin is taken out of Westminster Abbey in September 1997 following her funeral service. (Adam Butler/AFP via Getty Images)
"I was able to lead a normal life from about the age of 5," he said, as quoted in Beller’s book.
Elizabeth Beller's biography, "Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy," is now in bookstores. (Gallery Books)
Beller said it’s likely Kennedy Jr. may have regretted not reaching out to the princes.
"They struggled with the news," Beller said of the couple. "It was a difficult summer."
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John Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, struggled with fierce media scrutiny after their 1996 wedding. (Lawrence Schwartzwald/Sygma via Getty Images)
Beller said, at the time, the press depicted Bessette-Kennedy as "a harpy" who was "manipulative and controlling." But those who knew and loved her insisted she was anything but.
"She was described as a caretaker," said Beller. "She tried to always be a helper to the people in her life. She would go out of her way to make someone comfortable. … There was this misconception because paparazzi would catch [the couple] outside abruptly and go wild if they saw them arguing. Unfortunately, their argument in Washington Square Park was etched in stone. … But that’s not who she was.
John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn walk with their dog Jan. 1, 1997, in New York City. (Evan Agostini/Liaison/Getty Images)
"We all know couples fight," said Beller. "Maybe both have tempers. But I think if couples don’t fight, you’re not living in the same house. I think the public assumed that every moment between them was toxic because of a fight they saw on video. That’s just not the case. They had many, many, many more times together where they laughed and enjoyed one another. They helped each other grow."
Paparazzi were quick to capture John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy arguing in public. (Evan Agostini/Liaison Agency)
But a happily ever after wasn’t meant to be. On July 16, 1999, the couple was killed when a plane, piloted by Kennedy Jr., crashed into the waters off of Martha’s Vineyard. Her sister Lauren Bessette, who was with them, also died.
Beller said, before the tragedy, Kennedy Jr. "really did try to protect" his terrified wife from the paparazzi, who refused to leave her alone.
A Coast Guard helicopter hovering over the ocean during the search for John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren. (Steve Liss/Getty Images)
"He asked them to back off. It interfered with everything," said Beller. "They did not leave her alone. They camped out every single day. It became another thing they had to contend with between the press and all the outside forces in their lives. … God knows people are struggling with many larger things in this world, but I think when you’re doing it in a fishbowl and everyone’s watching you, it just adds this extra pressure. And she brought her vulnerabilities to it. The media scrutiny just exacerbated any tension.
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Elizabeth Beller told Fox News Digital John F. Kennedy Jr. tried to protect Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy from the intense media scrutiny they endured. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
"Celebrities often break because of the intense media scrutiny," Beller reflected. "I hope that, this time, the media can be kinder and gentler. We’re at a very interesting juncture right now with the media, AI and the internet, which can sort of get to this toxic herd mentality. But we’re also at a juncture where we have a chance to do better. … It’s the only way to move forward."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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