Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy Jr. met in secret just once – and sources say he never got over her turning him down.
In December 1995, John slipped through the back entrance of New York’s Carlyle Hotel for a private meeting with Diana, hoping to convince her to appear on the cover of his new magazine, George. It was a carefully arranged encounter – and sources say it wasn’t easy to pull off.
“John called in a tonne of favours to get that meeting,” an insider told Woman’s Day. “It only happened because she was just as curious about him as he was her.”
Diana’s private secretary Patrick Jephson, who was present for the meeting, described the atmosphere to People magazine as “a little bit cloak and dagger.”
Patrick escorted John to Diana’s suite, where the pair sat down over coffee, and things quickly became more personal than a business meeting. Despite John’s own considerable fame – he had been named People‘s Sexiest Man Alive in 1988 – he was not immune to Diana’s pull.
“I spent eight years seeing people who might consider themselves important and famous become like jellies when presented to the princess,” Patrick recalled.
John was no exception. Sources say he found Diana sharper and more commanding than he had expected.
“It’s true they flirted up a storm in that meeting,” the insider said. “But there’s no doubt he found her a little intimidating and not at all as coy as her reputation would suggest.”
Patrick backed that up. “She was quick-witted and fun to be with. It was a little bit flirtatious, as she would have been with any man. But because he was who he was, that gave it a slight extra sparkle.”
She knocked back the cover anyway – Patrick had advised her the appearance would give the new magazine a seal of approval it hadn’t yet earned. She suggested she might consider it for the 50th or 100th issue instead.
They parted warmly, but behind the scenes, John was crushed.
“He was completely in awe of her and absolutely devastated she turned him down,” the insider confirmed.
Sources say it was no coincidence that just weeks after Diana said no, John proposed to Carolyn Bessette – and Diana began dating heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.
Carolyn had been watching the whole situation nervously. She had spent years holding her own against some of New York’s most formidable women – and she knew exactly what Diana was capable of.
“As disappointed as he was, Carolyn was the opposite and relieved to see Diana on her merry way,” the source said. “Diana had split from Charles three years earlier and she was the most sought-after bachelorette in the world. Carolyn fought off Manhattan’s most eligible socialites to win John’s loyalty – but if anyone was capable of stealing him away, it was Princess Diana.”
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