Arranging a covert meeting between Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1995 was no easy feat, given how scrutinized they were as people.
While Diana was in New York City for a brief visit, her team managed to pull this together while keeping most of the specifics under the radar.
The initial organizer of the encounter was John F. Kennedy Jr., who hoped to use Diana, who was newly divorced, as a cover model for his magazine. However, a new biography of the political scion reveals that her reasons for agreeing to the meet-up might not have been as formal as initially believed.
Since it seemed like it may turn into gossip, Diana wanted to keep it under wraps. He was the most eligible bachelor in the world, and she had recently ended or was about to end her marriage. Even though she wasn’t interested, she met him out of pure curiosity. Maybe Sarah Ferguson had some kind of attraction to him, and Diana was just trying to one-up her.
According to Rosemarie, Kennedy’s former executive assistant and head of staff at George, Diana was supposed to stay at the Carlyle Hotel. On a weekday afternoon, she had scheduled a meeting with the princess to discuss the possible cover.
She recalled that many people were worried. Would it be more convenient for him to come in through the main entrance? Could he think of donning a mask? Considering they were the two most renowned persons in the world, speculations of him having an affair with her may be spreading.
At last, he strode past the paparazzi who had gathered outside to await Diana’s arrival, skillfully slipping through the front entrance.
In a dimly lighted corridor near the hotel’s Bemelmans Bar, Jephson met Kennedy and led him to the penthouse.
As far as Jephson could tell, Kennedy couldn’t tear his eyes away from the beautiful woman sitting across from him.
Reflecting on that fateful meeting at the Carlyle, George’s creative director Matt Berman (who sketched out possible covers that would feature the Princess) considered the twist of fate. In the years to come, none of them would be around.
Who would have thought that would happen?