The Tamesis
Note: This article contains spoilers for episode five Love Story: John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Caroline Bassett.
Some say Caroline Bassett was nervous when she first visited the Kennedy family compound. In addition to the normal pressures of meeting her then-boyfriend’s famous family, she joined a rare breed: guests of the Kennedy family, granted access to their summer sanctuary and the ultimate symbol of Camelot.
“Her friend MJ Bettenhausen said she was anxious and tried to dress and behave the way she thought the Kennedys should, or at least how guests of the Kennedy family should,” author Elizabeth Beller wrote in Once Upon a Time: The Fascinating Life of Caroline Bassett Kennedy.
in episode five love storyIn the film, viewers see Bessette visit the Hyannis Port home for the first time, where she experiences the Kennedy ways: political trivia at the dinner table, breakfast sign-ups and strict rules of etiquette (such as how to properly address John’s aunt Ethel Kennedy). Based on the book by J. Randy Taraborrelli Kennedy heir, Excerpted from people, These details are based on facts.
In June 1953, John F. Kennedy strolled on the lawn of his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, after announcing their engagement to Jacqueline Bouvier.Photo: Getty Images
Members of the Kennedy family chat during a gathering at the Kennedy compound in 1980.Photo: Bateman/Getty Images
In this episode, Bessette meets some of the Kennedy cousins, just as Bessette-Kennedy did at various real-life family events. Among those present at the dinner were: Joseph P. Kennedy II, the eldest son of Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy; his brothers, Michael LeMoyne Kennedy and Bobby (aka RFK Jr., now Surgeon General); and Carla Kennedy, daughter of Senator Ted Kennedy.
So what’s the story behind this compound? Read on to learn about the history of the Cape Cod Refuge, where generations of the Kennedy family came together to spend time together, celebrate, and find comfort in times of grief.
