Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

by Elizabeth Beller

“What struck me most about Carolyn,” remembered Jane Youdelman, “was that she was always full of hope. It’s an undervalued characteristic. But she moved through the world brimming with a countenance that exuded ‘What fun thing will I get to do or see today?’ It made everything around her that much more enchanting. And it wasn’t just because she was a child. It was a trait she held on to for a very long time.”

Carolyn possessed an inimitably original, wildly engrossing brand of magnetism that held those around her spellbound. It’s an energy that affects every facet of one’s being. Mentally, emotionally, and intellectually, it’s as if she brought just a little more with her to the planet. The “just a little more” had certainly been evident to her peers as a child, teenager, and university student. Now it was apparent to everyone on Seventh Avenue.

Contrary to so many young women’s desire for fame and fortune—even back before the world had its ingenue influencers—Carolyn did not yearn for the spotlight.

“Once Carolyn came into the spotlight, she never made a mistake. Her own sense of style was innate. As Anna Wintour said, ‘You either have it or you don’t.’ ”

She had an innate talent at homing in on the heart of someone’s troubles and uplifting them. I saw this firsthand when my husband was dying. She always seemed to know what to do and say, while others in my husband’s family could be awkward. Where many people showed sympathy, Carolyn had empathy. There is a big difference between feeling sorry and having compassion which allows for the other person’s feelings.”

“If you were Carolyn’s friend, you were made,” he continued. “She cared deeply for her close friends and demonstrated it with heartwarming support for all of them, and she got it back in return. I think Carolyn knew she was that person to those people, so as biting as some of the media attention she received might have been, deep down, I’d like to believe she was content, even though the simple act of walking to a waiting car had become a chore for her.”

He remembered that she would call her friends on the phone and, after a prolonged conversation, apologize for talking only about herself when, in fact, it was all about them.