RoseMarie Terenzio, who previously worked as JFK Jr.’s executive assistant and the chief of staff at George, confirmed the magazine publisher and Diana “stayed in touch” after the New York City meeting.
While it is not known whether they ever met again, Terenzio said JFK Jr. continued to ask Diana for an interview with George. Meanwhile, the beloved royal princess responded in a letter from Kensington Palace dated February 3, 1997.
According to the multimedia communications executive, Diana thanked JFK Jr. for his correspondence but once again declined the opportunity.
“‘I hope’ – and she underlined ‘hope’ – ‘the media are leaving both you and Carolyn (Bessette) alone. I know how difficult it is, but believe it or not, the worst paparazzi are here in Europe!'” Terenzio shared the end of Diana’s letter.
When Diana was killed in a fatal car crash in Paris, France, on August 31, 1997, Bessette urged her husband to call Prince William and Prince Harry.
“That dissonance in grief was something John understood – and when Carolyn heard the news of Diana’s death, she urged him to call William and Harry to offer his condolences,” Hallemann wrote in her newly released book. “John was one of the few people who could truly empathize with what Diana’s sons were going through – having to put on a brave face while publicly mourning.”
“Not only because of his experience at his father’s funeral, and just a few years later at that of his uncle Bobby, but also because he was still fresh in his grief over his own mother. But after thinking about it, he decided against calling the princes, given that they were not particularly close.”
Diana’s car crash and her connection with the couple were also featured in FX’s Love Story.
On July 16, 1999, almost two years after Diana’s death, JFK Jr. and Carolyn – alongside the fashion publicist’s older sister, Lauren – were killed when their plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean.