The Kennedy Marchioness

off into the uncertain sky. Little do they know that this is the last flight they'll lover take. Think you know who this episode is about. Think again. Before John F. Kennedy Junior and Carolyn beset Kennedy's tragic last flight, there was another Kennedy who lost her life in a surprisingly similar way. I'm Danish 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 twentieth 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 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 Junior, 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 twentieth, nineteen twenty, the fourth of Joe and Rose Kennedy's nine children.

She was born into a rocky relationship. Rose had actually left Joe while she was pregnant with Kick, 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 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 one hundred 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 Kennedy's first individual's second. Joe demanded his children look polished and American. Rose governed the household like a

general commanding the troops. That meant weekly whighand with the result, 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 Joe's love was never in question. Joe 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 nineteen thirty eight, 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 eleven ambassadors for the price of one. The British media couldn't get enough of the Kennedys and their lean, scrubbed American charm, but Kick quickly became their particular obsession. Fresh from her eighteenth 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. Joe 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 Kick was never one to do what was expected of her. Part of Kick'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 he 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 Kick 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 quote America's most important debutante. It seemed as though every man who met Kick 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 Kicks, 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. 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 nineteen thirty nine 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 angliphile and couldn't wait for the day she could finally get back. Finally, in nineteen forty three, 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 Junior 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 entramped 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 supports of their son's proposal, but Kick remained conflicted until Billy's attempt at a political career. Billy ran for a Parliament seat, and Kick was there

every step of the way. Politics were in her blood, and her time around her brother Jack during her us return had peaked her interest. She was invigorated by that experience and looked forward to more of those similar experiences. At Billy's side, Kick decided to follow her heart, and she accepted Billy's proposal, despite loud objections from her parents, especially Kick's mother Rose, Kick married Billy Hardington on May sixth, nineteen forty four, 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 Junior 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 flesh 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 twelfth, just three months after Kick and Billy's wedding, Kick's brother, Joseph Kennedy Junior, was killed when his plane exploded during a classified bombing mission. Kick was at the Cavendish estate 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 Joe alive, and with her newly wet glow dimmed but not extinguished, Kik 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 tenth, nineteen forty four, 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 air, Billy's younger brother, Andrew became the next in line for the dukedom. Kick received a modest inheritance and retained the title of Lady Hardington. Friends later Roman marked how cruel it seemed that Kick 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. Kick 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 eighth Earl Fitzwilliam was a dashing war hero with a fancy pedigree. He was also a notorious 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 nineteen forty six at a charity ball she

helped organize. They danced that night and never stopped. Their affair began, and London society coiled 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 nineteen forty eight 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. Kick would lose her family, her allowance, everything. Rose threatened to leave Joe if he didn't support her position. Rose even followed Kick back to England, berating her adult daughter in front of her own staff. Rose was certain that by marrying Peter Kick would be rooms winning 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 Joe's favorite. They were too alike for him not 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 fifteenth. Kick and Peter planned a quick French getaway that would end with the happy couple getting the older man's blessing.

On May thirteenth, nineteen forty eight, Peter chartered a private plane to Nie, 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 pensant 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 foreign answer. Through a charm, offensive and 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 Billie's family joined forces and immediately began operation damage control. At Peter's estate, servants rushed to erase all traces of Kick's presence. For Peter's wife, Bobby 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 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 twentieth. Jack JFK had planned to come, but turned back at the last minute to devastate. To attend, the Duke and Duchess stood as chief mourners, alongside Joe 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 twenty eight 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 nineteen fifty one, 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 footnote in Kennedy history, the sister who died young in a plane crash with a married man and in a twist that herself might have appreciated, Bobby's son, Robert Junior, named one of his daughters Kick. In twenty twenty four, 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. Here's the final irony. Kick died as a mistress to a married man, but she and all of her siblings owed their very existence to a different mistress entirely. Rose Kennedy's father, John Honey Fitzger, was the former mayor of Boston who fiercely opposed his

daughter Rose's marriage to Joe Kennedy. It got so bad that he was willing to derail her college plans to keep her away from the young man. A daddy's girl herself, Rose would have most likely heeded her father's wishes, But December nineteen thirteen, right in the middle of Honey's reelection campaign for mayor of Boston, he received a blackmail letter. Its message was clear, withdraw from the race for mayor or.

The sender would expose his affair with a cigarette girl named Toodles, who was the same age as his daughter, Honey. Fitzgerald claimed he had barely done more than kiss Toodles on a dance floor, but it was enough. The scandal would bring shame crashing down on his carefully constructed image of family values. He withdrew from the mayoral race, citing quote health reasons, and Rose's idealized image of her father

was forever shattered. Not only had he acted immortally, but he'd been forced to slink away with his tail between his legs. Rose lost all respect for her father and hitched her fate to a man who was by no means perfectly behaved, but who never backed down from a fight.

So Rose married Joe Kennedy, after all, the man her father had deemed unworthy, And from that union came a pack of dynamic children who would shape American politics and culture for generations, including a president and attorney general, a senator, and one rebellious, short lived daughter who chose a life of love and excitement over family approval. Noble Blood is a production of iHeart Radio and Grim and Mild from

Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy Hit and Julia Milaney. The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il Kaali and executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.