“The happiest man alive”: Never-before-seen footage of JFK Jr’s secret wedding
<p>Viewers will be able to get a glimpse into the secret wedding of John F Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette later this year thanks to a new special.</p>
<p>The special, which was first announced in 2018, will share footage shot by Kennedy’s friend during his wedding to Bessette in 1996 on Cumberland Island in Georgia.</p>
<p>“On an island off of Georgia we came together on this 18th century plantation. In this dirty, dilapidated, shuttered church next to a pig sty,” a friend says in the preview.</p>
<p>“No air conditioning, very little power on the island. It was the best place for them to host a secret ceremony.”</p>
<p>That same friend then says afterwards: “Nobody would have expected that three years later we’d be at another church for another reason.”</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr">More trailer footage...JFK Jr & Carolyn Bessette: A Camelot Wedding <a href="https://t.co/Nl08voKU7f">pic.twitter.com/Nl08voKU7f</a></p>
— Mrs. M ☀️ (@MrsMogul) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrsMogul/status/1128341652773396480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">14 May 2019</a></blockquote>
<p>The former first son fell victim to what many call the “Kennedy curse” and faced a tragic death. Speaking to <a rel="noopener" href="https://people.com/" target="_blank"><em>People</em></a> magazine in 2018, John Jr’s former assistant RoseMarie Terenzino said that the former bachelor was kept on his toes as Carolyn didn’t immediately agree to tie the knot.</p>
<p>“He went into this thing about how everything’s better with a partner, not just fishing but life,” she said.</p>
<p>But despite his determination, Carolyn found the fame that came with being John Jr's partner to be daunting.</p>
<p>“She held off the proposal for about three weeks. I think it made him all the more intent on marrying her,” said Terenzino.</p>
<p>They eventually married one another in a private ceremony, but the happiness was short-lived as three years later, the pair were killed in a plane crash as they travelled to the same island where John Jr first popped the question.</p>
<p>The tragedy occurred on July 16, 1999 as the couple and John Jr’s sister-in-law Lauren were en route to the wedding of his cousin Rory, with John Jr flying the plane.</p>
<p>They never made it.</p>
<p>It was later revealed that extreme weather conditions caused the plane to crash, claiming all three lives.</p>
<p>Their lives were cut short, during a period where the couple were still very much in love.</p>
<p>“To say their relationship was on the rocks is just inaccurate,” said Carole Radziwill, the former wife of John Jr’s cousin Anthony Radziwill.</p>
<p>“They loved each other – Carolyn was quite the loveable person.</p>
<p>“She was clever, she was naughty and she had the balance of being able to be really serious and deep yet funny.”</p>
<p>She went on to say: “I still miss her after all these years.”</p>
