John F. Kennedy Jr confronted Carolyn Bessette with a nasty poison pen letter calling her a user during the early days of their courtship.
Author Elizabeth Beller’s new book Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy details the ugly scene during a 1992 date in Tribeca.
“The letter stated that Carolyn was a user, a party animal, seeking fame and fortune, that Carolyn “dated boys in town.”
“John casually tossed him the piece of paper, got up and walked out the door,” Beller wrote in an excerpt printed by the Wall Street Journall.
The author of the letter has not been identified, but Beller said it was a confidant of JFK Jr whose brutal assessment of his girlfriend was taken seriously.
John F. Kennedy Jr.’s relationship with wife Carolyn Bessette got off to a rocky start, according to new book
JFK Jr. took her to dinner at Tribeca institution Teddy’s (pictured) to confront her about a letter he had received.
The couple met when JFK Jr. had a date at the Calvin Klein flagship store in Manhattan where Bessette worked.
“Carolyn looked in surprise at John as he left and then at the mail on the white linen tablecloth.”
“She had recently told a friend that one of the main things she liked about John was that ‘he’s intentionally down-to-earth,’ so this felt out of place.” She read the letter, folded it, and put it in her purse. She then got up and left.
Carolyn and JFK Jr., the second child of US President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, began dating in the early 1990s and quickly became one of the most talked about couples in the world.
The couple met when JFK Jr. had a date at the Calvin Klein flagship store in Manhattan where Bessette worked.
Calvin, his wife Kelly Klein, and Calvin’s assistant MJ Bettenhausen agreed that Bessette should join them for JFK Jr.’s tryout.
“John invited her to join his group at a gala dinner,” Bettenhausen told Beller.
When she arrived, JFK Jr. was sitting at the table with another woman. After the gala, he invited her to an after-party which she declined, saying, “I can’t.” I’m meeting people.
The biography shows Bessette in a different light, as headlines previously described her as “icy.”
Beller highlights Bessette’s “compassion” when she shares that she urged JFK Jr. to call Prince William and Prince Harry after their mother’s death in 1997; However, the lawyer refused to pick up the phone due to Diana’s extremely public death.
The public already had an immense fascination with the Kennedys, but Bessette’s bold fashion choices and her ability to turn even the simplest looks into an elegant ensemble only drew people in even more.
Her shocking and untimely death at the age of 33 in a small plane crash in July 1999 alongside JFK Jr and his sister Lauren has only served to enhance Bessette’s mystique.
Friends say the couple was having serious marital problems and predict the marriage likely would have ended if not for the accident that claimed their lives.
In October, Bessette was dubbed a ‘ghost influencer’, and major fashion brands once again promoted her simple but elegant ’90s looks.
The New York Times noted that many of Bessette’s style staples, such as pencil skirts, slip dresses, loafers and coats, have recently appeared on the runways at New York Fashion Week, while calling her “the ghost influencer of the season.” ‘
She famously dressed in a white button-down blouse tucked into a figure-hugging, floor-length black skirt during one of the last appearances she made before her death.
And now, several brands, including Peter Do, Dior and Fendi, have shown similar looks in their latest collections.
Additionally, clothing company Sporty & Rich recreated some of its and JFK Jr.’s best-known paparazzi photos as part of a campaign last month.
“She was minimalist with character, she wasn’t sterile or boring,” Wes Gordon, creative director of Carolina Herrera, said of Carolyn’s sense of style.