Twenty-five years ago, America mourned its little prince. On July 16, 1999, John Kennedy Junior, son of JFK, and his wife Carolyn Bessette were killed in a plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard, on the east coast of the United States.
In his book Carolyn and John (Albin Michel), the novelist Stéphanie des Horts reconstructed the couple’s final hours and the succession of details that would lead the couple to tragedy. “There is no such thing as chance,” she assures. “It’s called a fatal sequence. It’s called a destiny. That’s why I mention the curse (of the Kennedys)”.
Already, Carolyn “arrives late” at the airfield before takeoff, which will lead to flying at night. Then, “the weather is terrible.” The Kennedy heir knows this, but he does not follow any of the advice given to him. “John was told: ‘don’t take off, don’t take off’. Everyone tells him. Another pilot tells him not to take off. The instructor tells him not to take off. The control tower tells him not to take off.”
“A trick of death”
But John is stubborn, believes himself to be invincible. “It’s a death trick,” explains Stéphanie des Horts. Especially since his relationship is struggling. He and Carolyn live separately. He wants to impress his wife in the hope of winning her back, explains the novelist.
“He’s into this thing: ‘I want to impress the woman of my life,'” she says. “‘I want to show her that I’m holding my new toy well,’ because it’s a new plane that he’s never flown alone. And so, there you go, he takes off. And then he chooses the wrong route,” she adds. “A thousand things,” which will ultimately lead to the tragic accident of July 16, 1999.
The guest from Confidential:
Stéphanie des Horts, journalist, novelist and author of Carolyn and John (Albin Michel).
Read also :
Carolyn and John by Stéphanie des Horts (Albin Michel).
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