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Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Erin Menke. Listener discretion advised. A small private aircraft tears down a Runway. Visibility is low, which makes flying difficulties. The plane's passengers were advised against traveling under such conditions, but these warnings were dismissed. You see, there's a Kennedy on board and it's generally a bad idea to try and tell a Kennedy what to do. The plane carrying the Kennedy and their romantic partner takes off into the uncertain sky. Little do they know that this is the last flight they'll ever take. Think you know who this episode is about? Think again. Before John F. Kennedy Jr. And Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's tragic last flight, there was another Kennedy who lost her life in a surprisingly similar way. I'm Dana Schwartz and this is Noble Blood. The so called Kennedy curse is a favorite conversation topic and with good reason. The Kennedys are the closest thing 20th century America had to royalty, and their legacy continues on today for better and worse. The dual assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and his little brother Robert would have been more than enough. But the Kennedy family tree is heavy of tragedies big and small. Take JFK's eldest son, sister Rosemary, who sustained brain damage during birth that resulted in the family lobotomizing her and eventually hiding her away from the public eye. Or JFK's eldest brother, Joe Kennedy Jr. The namesake full of promise, who was killed in action during World War II. But there's another sister who made quite a splash in her day, whose life was defined and ultimately ended by her relationship with two different British noblemen. Kathleen Agnes Kennedy, often called Kick, was born on February 20, 1920, the fourth of Jo and Rose Kennedy's nine children. She was born into a rocky relationship. Rose had actually left Joe while she was pregnant with Kickstarter. Finally fed up with her husband's chronic infidelity, Joe Kennedy was larger than life, with an insatiable appetite for power, money, and women. Rose, a devout Catholic and former first daughter of Boston, wouldn't stand for it. But she went back to her husband before Kick's birth and channeled her energy into raising the perfect brood to carry on the Kennedy name. Nine children eventually filled the Kennedy household, and Kick took on the role of eldest daughter. Today, Rosemary's condition would have been handled differently, but 100 years ago, it was just more natural for the family to hand off big sister duties to the next girl in line. Money was never a concern. Joe Kennedy built a staggering fortune through a variety of shrewd and sometimes shady business deals, including a stint in Hollywood that earned him millions of dollars and an extremely public mistress, screen legend Gloria Swanson. Throughout the Kennedy children's young lives, Joe's fortune kept growing, as did his appetite for power. Against this backdrop of wealth and dysfunction, Kick flourished. No one called her Kathleen. She was always Kick, a tiny dynamo who refused to be left behind by her brothers. She wasn't the beauty of the family, but she had an irresistible spirit and a natural charm that drew people to her. The mythos of the family name was baked into the Kennedy children from birth. They were Kennedys first, individuals second. Joe demanded his children look polished and American. Rose governed the household like a general commanding the troops. That meant weekly weigh ins, with the results meticulously logged. Meal plans were scrutinized, activities scheduled, all in the name of creating perfect children befitting the Kennedy brand. Affection was scarce. Rose's hands were more likely to deliver punishment than comfort. But Jo's love was never in question. Jo had a soft spot for Kick that everyone could see. He loved her fearlessness, her drive, her refusal to back down. No doubt because those qualities reminded him of himself. Like most royals, Kick's childhood, as structured and emotionally disconnected as it was, was also full of privilege. With magical summers on Cape Cod and the finest education money could buy. But then, in 1938, everything changed. Franklin Roosevelt named Joe Kennedy the ambassador to Britain, a job Joe had aggressively lobbied for. The family sailed for London that March, greeted by hordes of photographers hungry for pictures of America's most photogenic political family. One magazine joked that Britain had received 11ambassadors for the price of one. The British media couldn't get enough of the Kennedys and their clean scrubbed American charm. But Kick quickly became their particular obsession. Fresh from her 18th birthday, she had arrived to participate in the London season, when wealthy families paraded their daughters before eligible bachelors in hopes of securing a match. Think Bridgerton. But the Kennedys hadn't bought in all the way. Jo and Rose wanted to let Kick get some aristocratic Polish, then bring her home to marry an appropriate American Catholic boy. Peter Grace, heir to a shipping fortune, was already circling with intentions to propose. But Kik was never one to do what was expected of her. Part of Kik's appeal lay in her contradictions. Years of running around with her big brothers and their college friends made her confident and socially fearless and comfortable with risque humor. Yet convent schools had shaped her faith into something deep and genuine. She never missed mass and rigorously prayed for her friends and loved ones. Kick broke every unspoken rule of British debutante culture. She cracked jokes, told stories and laughed at herself. Behavior that was practically revolutionary among the buttoned up aristocracy. One of her new friends would later say that Kicq possessed a rare gift. She made everyone around her feel more alive. Her coming out was predictably extravagant, leading the society magazine queen to name her America's most important debutante. It seemed as though every man who met Kik fell in love with her. But one nobleman managed to break through the adoring crowd. William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, or Billy, as everyone called him, was every bit the formal Brit to Kick's brash American. As heir to a dukedom, he was considered such a catch that people had floated his name as a match for the future Queen Elizabeth ii. He fell hard for Kick, who initially dismissed him as just another stuffy aristocrat. But Billy surprised her. Yes, he was thoughtful and serious. He was set to inherit a serious title and took that responsibility gravely. But he also had a gentle, self effacing humor that delighted kick. Then September 1939 arrived, and with it the Nazi invasion of Poland. Joe Kennedy, worried for his family's safety, ordered the family to head back to America. And Kick and Billy started to seem like a case of what might have been. Back in America, Kick volunteered for the Red Cross and got a job at the Washington Times Herald. But her heart remained in England. Of all the Kennedy children, Kick was the most passionate Anglophile and couldn't wait for the day she could finally get back. Finally, in 1943, she made her way back across the pond and found that Billy Hardington hadn't forgotten her. They picked up where they left off and made up for lost time. Their friends didn't understand the pairing. Even Jack and Joe Jr. Were baffled by their sister's choice. Kick, having watched her father's endless affairs and her mother's silent suffering, said she valued Billy's kindness and restraint. And Billy was completely entranced by Kick's vitality, by her humor, her passionate interest in politics and ideas. Around her, Billy seemed to shed his natural reserve and become more himself. But there was one problem, and it was a big one. Billy came from one of the most stridently anti Catholic families in England and it didn't get more Catholic than the Kennedys. Kick remained a devout Catholic and agonized over what this union would mean for her family. Billy's parents eventually succumbed to Kick's charms and advocated in support of their son's proposal. But Kik remained conflicted until Billy's attempt at a political career. Billy ran for a parliament seat and Kik was there every step of the way. Politics were in her blood and her time around her brother Jack during her US return had piqued her interest. She was invigorated by that experience and looked for forward to more of those similar experiences at Billy's side. Kik decided to follow her heart and she accepted Billy's proposal despite loud objections from her parents, especially Kik's mother, Rose. Kik married Billy Hardington on May 6, 1944, in a civil ceremony attended by his family. She wrote to her family to let them know it was happening. But when the day came, only Joe Jr. Was in attendance. On Kick's ring, Billy had inscribed I love you more than anything in the world. Clearly, the outspoken American had had a positive effect on the buttoned up Brit. They set off for their honeymoon knowing that Billy would soon be shipped back out to the front. But they didn't care. They were flush with the glow of knowing they had the rest of their lives ahead of them. Of course, the rest of their lives turned out to be much shorter than either of them could have imagined. Kick Kennedy was a newlywed, counting down the days until her husband would return home. She didn't know, of course, that she'd already seen Billy for the last time. And she didn't know that even that wouldn't be the only tragedy that would befall her family that year. On August 12, just three months after Kik and Billy's wedding, Kik's brother, Joseph Kennedy Jr. Was killed when his plane exploded during a classified bombing mission. Kick was at the Cavendish Estates with her in laws when the news arrived. Billy's parents were quietly relieved she was with them rather than alone when she received word that her beloved older brother was killed in action. Desperate to be with family, Kick flew back to Massachusetts a few days later, as the last Kennedy to have seen Jo alive. And with her newlywed glow dimmed but not extinguished, Kick brought her grieving family some measure of comfort. That comfort was to be short lived. Less than a month later, Kik's husband was gone as well. Billy was killed in action September 10, 1944, taken down by a German sniper on the Belgian front. The Marchioness and Marquess of Hartington had spent fewer than five weeks together as husband and wife. Since there had been no time for Billy and Kick to produce an heir, Billy's younger brother Andrew became the next in line for the dukedom. Kick received a modest inheritance and retained the title of Lady Hartington. Friends later remarked how cruel it seemed that Kic had lost him so close to the war's end, just when she'd let herself believe he'd survive. But Kick was first and foremost a Kennedy, which meant that emotions were something to be outran. And what better way than by throwing yourself into work? She returned to the Red Cross, arranging hospitality for American servicemen and assisting wounded soldiers. Kic bought a small townhouse near Parliament and began to establish herself as a political hostess, entertaining great minds like Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw. Kick was a social creature, and her grief hadn't diminished her charms. She may have been in mourning, but the men of London were more than ready to have her back on the market. She had more suitors than ever. The trouble was, none of them measured up to Billy. Kick spent the next year and a half immersed in her work, tracking Jack's political career back in the States and letting the eager bachelors of London try their best at sweeping her off her feet. Then she met her next great love, one that would prove even more controversial than a Protestant nobleman. Peter, 8th Earl Fitzwilliam, was a dashing war hero with a fancy pedigree. He was also a notorious savage scoundrel, an inveterate gambler and womanizer. He was also married with a young child, but that didn't Stop him from falling head over heels for Kick Kennedy, as had so many men before him. They met in June of 1946 at a charity ball she helped organize. They danced that night and never stopped. Their affair began, and London society recoiled in horror. Nobody could understand the relationship. Kick was a devout Catholic whose social circle was intellectual and politically engaged. Peter was a hard, partying playboy who never met a bet he didn't take. They made absolutely no sense together. Friends speculated that since nobody could replace Billy, Kick had found someone much more like her father. They also whispered that Peter must have been exceptional in bed. It was the only way to explain Kick's inordinate attraction to someone so utterly different from gentle, principled Billy. From the start, their romance caused a sensation. Though they tried staying discreet, word spread quickly. The following summer, Kick finally confided in Jack. During his visit, he had always been her closest sibling, so it made sense that he'd be the first to know she could trust him with the secret. But she was terrified of her parents finding out. After the drama with Billy, she couldn't imagine what her parents, especially her mother, would say now. After months of agony, the truth finally came out in early 1948 at a family reunion. As predicted, Kick's mother, Rose, was apoplectic. Another Protestant, this one with a child who was planning to divorce his alcoholic wife. Rose threatened total disownment. Kik would lose her family, her allowance, everything. Rose threatened to leave Jo if he didn't support her position. Rose even followed Kik back to England, berating her adult daughter in front of her own staff. Rose was certain that by marrying Peter, Kick would be ruining her life. But the Kennedy stubbornness was no match even for Rose. Kick's only hope was appealing to her father. After all, she had always been Jo's favorite. They were too alike for him not to to take her side in this matter. She called him and begged him to meet her and Peter while he was in Paris on business. To her delight and relief, he agreed. Joe, Kick and Peter would have lunch at the Ritz hotel. On Saturday, May 15, Kick and Peter planned a quick French getaway that would end with the happy couple getting the older man's blessing. On May 13, 1948, Peter chartered a private plane to Nice. Planning a brief refueling stop in Paris, Peter impulsively called some racing friends to meet for a quick lunch in the city. A thunderstorm was incoming, and the pilot was eager to take off as quickly as possible. But Peter's penchant for a good time meant that the quick Lunch stretched to almost three hours. The pilot was reluctant to take off, stating that they hit the storm at exactly the wrong moment. But Lord Fitzwilliam wasn't used to taking no for an answer. Through a charm offensive and a probable bribe, the plane took off, the happy couple eager to start this new chapter of their lives. Kick wore her signature pearls and carried her rosary beads. As she was packing, she had asked her housekeeper to wish her luck on her journey. Should I cross my fingers? The housekeeper asked. Yes, replied Kick, both hands. It wasn't enough. With poor visibility and loss of radio contact, the small plane flew directly into the center of the storm and went down in a field in the south of France. There were no survivors. Days earlier, Kick had spoken with a friend about Billy, about the joy she had felt being married to him. Being in love with Peter was wonderful, but it hadn't erased the joyful memories of her time with Billy. It was clear that a piece of her heart would always remain with him. And she fervently believed one day she'd be reunited with, quote, our beloved Billy. No one could have predicted how soon that day would actually come. Joe Kennedy was in Paris when he got a call from the Boston Globe letting him know that his daughter had been killed in a plane crash. Since he was the only family member in the country, he was tasked with traveling to the crash site to identify his daughter's body. When they handed him Kick's personal belongings, Joe discovered that among her items was a birth control device. It was an undeniable symbol of exactly what kind of life his daughter had been living. She had been traveling alone with a married man. For an old school Catholic as well as a father, it must have been a heavy thing to reckon with. The news media couldn't find out about this. The scandal would impact too many lives. Kick's family, Peter's family and Billy's family joined forces and immediately began Operation Damage Control. At Peter's estate, servants rushed to erase all traces of Kick's presence. Before Peter's wife, Abby arrived from London, letters from Peter and Kick were burned in massive bonfires. Andrew Cavendish, Kick's former brother in law, worked the phones, making sure that the official story was consistent. Kick and Peter were merely friends who had happened to run into each other at the Ritz and that Peter had graciously offered her a seat on his chartered plane. Nothing more. The misinformation campaign worked. Headlines announced, chance Invite Sends Kennedy Girl to Her death. Billy's parents, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, made an extraordinary offer to the Kennedys, they'd bury Kick in the family plot at Chatsworth, the family estate. They knew about Peter, but they had adored Kick, their daughter in law, and didn't resent her for seeking love after their son was gone. Even more remarkably, the staunchly anti Catholic family offered to give Kick a Roman Catholic funeral. Joe was the only Kennedy who had attended the funeral on May 20th. Jack JFK had planned to come, but turned back at the last minute, too devastated to attend. The Duke and Duchess stood as chief mourners alongside Jo and the younger Cavendishes. The Duchess personally selected the words for Kick's gravestone. Joy. She gave. Joy she has found. Rose refused to attend her daughter's funeral, instead checking herself into a hospital. Not a single Kennedy ever publicly acknowledged the affair. In her memoir years later, Rose would write that Kick died, quote, flying in a private plane with a few friends to Paris, where her father was waiting to meet her. The sanitized version approved by all three families. Putting on a good front until the very end. Kick Kennedy lived for only 28 years, but she packed more into them than most people manage in an entire lifetime. She dazzled London society, defied her powerful family twice for love, and carved out an independent life as a political hostess and widow, all while maintaining her faith and her essential warmth. Her legacy was inevitably overshadowed by her more famous brothers, their political careers and their own tragic deaths. Her younger brother Bobby grew up worshiping Kick. His first child was born in 1951, a daughter he named Kathleen Hardington Kennedy, but no one was ever allowed to call her Kick. Kick was a woman who made her own way in a man's world during an era when that simply wasn't done. If she had been a man, there's no telling what she might have accomplished. Instead, she's something of a friend. Footnote in Kennedy, the sister who died young in a plane crash with a married man. And in a twist that Kick herself might have appreciated, Bobby's son Robert Jr. Named one of his daughters Kick. In 2024, this modern day Kick Kennedy made a splash in the tabloids when she was linked, possibly erroneously, to Ben Affleck. Proving that times may change, but the Kick Kennedy name is still always good for a headline, that's the Tragic life of Kick Kennedy. But keep listening. After a brief sponsor break to hear a bit about another scandalous mistress.