The royal family and Kennedy dynasty have been intimately connected for decades.

Princess Diana wrote an eerie letter to JFK Jr. about the paparazzi months before her tragic death

The royal family and Kennedy dynasty have been intimately connected for decades.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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May 13, 2026 5:40 p.m. ET

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Diana, Princess Of Wales; John F. Kennedy Jr.; Carolyn Bessette. Credit:

Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty; Brownie Harris/Corbis via Getty; Ron Galella Collection via Getty

- Princess Diana wrote JFK Jr. a telling note about their similarities in February 1997, months before she died in a car crash.

- The political scion asked her to appear on the cover of *George *magazine several times, which she politely declined.

- *The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made *hits bookstores on June 2.

Princess Diana had a lot in common with John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.

In *The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made* by Caroline Hallemann, a February 1997 note sent from Princess Diana to JFK Jr. reveals she worried about the tabloid treatment of the young couple, per an excerpt published in *Vanity Fair**.*

“I hope the media are leaving both you and Carolyn alone. I know how difficult it is, but believe it or not, the worst paparazzi are here in Europe!” the royal wrote in 1997, Hallemann's book claims, with the word "hope" underlined.

Princess Diana and JFK Jr. first met to discuss her appearing on the cover of *George m*agazine* *in 1995 at the Carlyle Hotel in New York. While she politely declined, JFK Jr. pitched her for an interview on several occasions thereafter. Her letter showed that, while she wasn't closing the door on the opportunity, the timing wasn't right.

Princess Diana in Hong Kong in 1989.

Kent Gavin/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty

Princess Diana, along with JFK Jr. and Bessette, faced tabloid scrutiny in the 1990s and were chased by the paparazzi constantly. Before and after her divorce from then-Prince Charles, she was an object of fascination among the media. The Kennedys, meanwhile, faced tabloid scrutiny during their courtship and marriage.

The royal died in August 1997 due to injuries sustained by a car crash in Paris following a high-speed chase when her car was pursued by paparazzi. Her car's driver and her partner, Dodi Fayed, died instantly. Diana's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the only survivor, though he was seriously injured.

Princess Diana was pronounced dead hours later at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. She was 36.

How did Carolyn Bessette react to Princess Diana's death in real life? Here's what 'Love Story' doesn't show

JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette were 'disconnected' before fatal plane crash: 'His heart was breaking'

Less than two years later, JFK Jr. and Carolyn died in July 1999 in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The couple, along with Carolyn's sister Lauren, were flying from New Jersey to Massachusetts that evening. The plan was to drop off Lauren in Martha's Vineyard before the couple headed to Cape Cod for Rory Kennedy's wedding.

Their bodies were recovered days later from the ocean floor. It was determined that they died upon impact.

Bessette and JFK Jr. in New York in 1998.

Ron Galella Collection via Getty

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Diana's private secretary Patrick Jephson believed "she saw in him a fellow victim, if you can put it that way, of life in the public eye and difficulty of knowing who to trust," according to Hallemann's book.

"And I think that that did create a connection between them. I wouldn’t call it a bond, but an affinity, a recognition of each other’s unusual hardships and difficulties.”

'The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made' by Caroline Hallemann.

*The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made** *comes out on June 2. It is available for preorder wherever books are sold

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