Jackie Kennedy made a brutal, two-word comment after meeting Queen Elizabeth II for the first time, a royal author has claimed. The former First Lady of the US, otherwise known as Jackie O following her husband John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and subsequent marriage to Aristotle Onassis in 1968, first met the late Queen in 1961 when the American couple visited Britain.
First Meeting at Buckingham Palace
Elizabeth and Prince Philip hosted a state banquet in their guests' honour at Buckingham Palace. Journalist and author Caroline Hallemann, who wrote her new book The Kennedys and the Windsors, said the former First Lady was initially looking forward to meeting the late Queen. She wrote, as per People magazine: “Jackie was very excited to go to Buckingham Palace and thrilled to meet the Queen.” However, she was slightly disappointed that the palace wasn't grander.
The Brutal Comment
According to royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith, it wasn’t just the palace walls that Jackie wasn’t impressed with. The author claimed the former First Lady called Elizabeth’s hairstyle “too flat.” This two-word comment revealed Jackie’s initial critical assessment of the Queen’s appearance.
Developing a Bond
The two women later developed a close bond and mutual respect for their passions. According to the outlet, when Jackie returned to Buckingham Palace the next year, the atmosphere was “noticeably warmer.” Ms Hallemann wrote: “They had a great lunch, in part because they talked at length about horses. That is where they were able to really connect. That was a true passion for both of these women.” She added: “Many people have said when they were with horses, when they were riding — that was when they felt the most themselves.”
Subsequent Meetings
The late Queen and the former First Lady met on three separate occasions: the Buckingham Palace state banquet in 1961, a private lunch at the same place the year after, and during the inaugurations of the JFK memorial at Runnymede.
