Dead at 85, Lee Radziwill Left Her Whole Fortune to Just One Person

the younger sister of former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onasis has died there have been countless books written about jacqulyn Kennedy Onasis now a new book covers a little known chapter in her life Jackie's Feud with her own sister Lee rzy willll the free-spirited ex-princess who like her older sister Jacqueline Kennedy was wealthy ambitious and of high social standing recently passed at the age of 85 Lee lived a life constantly being squared against Jacqueline who was President John F Kennedy's wife and one of the most recognized ladies in the world however Lee was by herself an independent woman who was also a fashion star and Global socialite who appeared on lists of the most well-dressed ladies for many years her interests in art music dancing and poetry were well known but she was mostly viewed as Jacqueline's sister despite her exploits so let's take a look at Lee's life who all her wealth goes to now that she's passed and all her accomplishments which were hidden behind her sister's Shadow Early Childhood Caroline Lee bouier was born in 1933 at Doctor's Hospital in Manhattan New York City her parents were Jack bouier III a stock broker and Janet Norton Lee a socialite A peculiar fact about her was that from birth she was always simply referred to by her middle name Lee rather than her first name and it just seemed to stick she was raised along with her elder sister Jacqueline who would eventually grow to marry future President John F Kennedy Lee spent most of her childhood on Park Avenue and when the family needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple they spent quiet summers in the quiet Hamptons growing up Lee moved through quite several secondary schools but her education didn't suffer when it was time to go to college since they were all top-notch schools she attended Miss Porter School in Farmington Connecticut the pomac school in Washington D.C and the chapen school in New York City she eventually enrolled for her undergraduate degree at the prestigious Sarah Lawrence College before deciding to study art in Italy for her sophomore year Lee's father was well known on Wall Street and was often referred to as Blackjack he was a habitual Drinker and womanizer and this would eventually cause cracks that would see the family splitting up when she was still young that didn't mean they fell off from being New York royalty though as they still held quite some influence and notable Connections in High Society even individually the sister stayed with their mom who eventually got remarried to Hugh aen Claus who graciously welcomed them into his Virginia Castle while their father decidedly remained single Hugh had been married before her mother with Jacqueline being his third and final marriage although they lived apart the Sisters still kept in touch with Jack but ever since they were kids Lee always felt their father paid more attention to Jacqueline and to an extent she envied her she was Often overshadowed by her sister who was over four years her senior Jacqueline was beloved by their father and a model student whom teachers praised as academically more gifted due to their mother's second marriage the girls had two other half siblings and three stepsiblings from Hugh's previous marriages after college and living in High Society for some time Lee went on to make her social debut on page 71 of the debutant section of Life Magazine's December 25th 1950 issue with an amazing full- page portrait in the magazine however Lee's professional aspiration suffered a bit due to her personal life as you're about to find out Lee's multiple marriages when it came to choosing the right man to settle with Lee took the three strike rule to heart her first marriage took place at the tender age of 21 on the 18th of April 1953 when she got married to a publishing executive named Michael Temple Canfield her biological father had the honor of walking her down the aisle to take her wedding vows for what would be for some time the fairy tale she always dreamed of Michael was everything Lee wanted at the time attractive intelligent privileged connected and most importantly a way out of her mother's clutches after getting hitched the couple relocated to a lovely home in Chester Square London there they enjoyed a honeymoon phase like no other with her being pampered with all the love he could give and for a while it was truly a fairy tale sadly despite being the head of Harper and brothers with an extremely literate upbringing and an excellent portfolio as an editor Michael was a severe Drinker he was too fragile for his vices and one day he slumped inside his room unconscious and Lee was unable to enter through the front door when he came to this served as a sort of wakeup call for him to make an effort to save himself and perhaps his marriage he tried quitting but it never seemed to last long amid her failing marriage Lee met and fell in love with a Polish Lithuanian Prince named Stannis law albrech radil at this time Jacqueline had met and gotten married to John F Kennedy for Lee to marry Prince Stannis law the kennedies had to interfere and pull some strings they petitioned the pope and the Vatican to have Lee's marriage to Michael dissolved and were successful thus Lee got married for a second time to a real Prince on the 19th of March 1959 this was quite ironic as it was rumored that Prince George the Duke of Kent might have been Michael Canfield's biological father Father which if true would have made him a real Prince also moving on Prince Stannis LA and Lee bore two children during their marriage named Anthony and Christina the family lived in a home close to Buckingham Palace proving that royalty does indeed attract royalty their marriage would later come to fall apart and the Rumor Mill was a buzz with various theories Regarding why the Common Thread between several sources was that the marriage ended with Prince Stannis LA's numerous extramarital Affairs and Lee's growing connection with Greek shipping millionaire Aristotle Onasis who would eventually become her brother-in-law she was allegedly also involved in a liaison with photographer Peter beard and together all these factors resulted in their eventual divorce in 1974 in a later interview Lee reminisced about their time together saying there were other loves and infatuations but never The Joy or understanding of life and living that I experienced with stas being married to stas was certainly the happiest part of my life so he must have been the love of my life in what was a final gamble on love Lee left the worlds of aristocrats and royalty instead opting to Wed director Herbert Ross in 1988 Herbert was a successful and influential director of his time with big hits like steel Magnolia's Play It Again Sam and the Goodbye Girl the celebration of their Union was held in her Fifth Avenue apartment and it included a private luncheon at Jackie Kennedy's New York residence following the ceremony the marriage however did not last forever either as they eventually got divorced in 2001 Lee confessed that Herbert was different from anybody else she'd been involved with she also revealed that although the film World initially sounded exciting it wasn't and she detested Hollywood and the narrow-minded Ness of the business the one person who stood by Lee the longest was of course her sister Jacqueline so it's time we delved into what their relationship was like relationship with Jacqueline part one good times Lee was very close to her sister for a long time even though she grew up always falling short in comparison as adults their bond was particularly strong before and during Jacqueline's tenure as first lady they shared many things including holidays and family gatherings went to State functions together visited the White House hosted the kennedies at their London townhouse and most famously went on a month-long vacation to Italy India and Pakistan in 1962 the Kennedy strengthened their family bonds by naming their firstborn Caroline which was Lee's first name as she had been known by her middle name throughout her life also president Kennedy himself had blessed Lee's daughter Anna Christina radil whom she had with Prince Stannis law sadly following the tragic and Infamous 1963 assassination of the president everything began to shift Lee immediately rushed from her home in London to Washington DC after hearing about the incident to offer her sister much needed empathy and moral support at the time while the country watched she was a visible Rock for Jacqueline as she carried her husband's coffin to the capital to lie in state then to the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle for the funeral finally as Air Force One dipped a wing in tribute during the burial at Arlington National Cemetery even Lee couldn't maintain her composure and she broke down in tears it was later revealed she secretly admired jain's bravery and often pinned notes on her pillow to show her how much she loved her additionally she assisted Jacqueline in surviving the final Dreadful day before she and her children left the White Mansion and relocated to the Georgetown Mansion of Diplomat W ail Harman Jacqueline was also assisted by Lee in her resettlement in New York in an apartment just a few blocks up Fifth Avenue from an apartment that Lee had just purchased unfortunately this pair of sisters that became the perfect picture of sisterly love and support would eventually be ripped about by matters of the heart relationship with her sister part two Feud and controversies Lee and Aristotle Onasis the infamous ladies man had been romantically associated in the tabloids for quite some time but it was never fully confirmed despite the obvious chemistry the two seemed to share Aristotle was a Greek shipping billionaire and had been friends with the Radu Wills for a long time which is hardly shocking in the small world of high society they had entertained him at dinner parties in London and sailed with him on the Christina his yacht the problem between the sisters started when Lee got in touch with Jacqueline in August 1963 to convey an invitation from Aristotle to rest on his boat following the premature birth of Patrick Jacqueline's thirdd child who had passed away the day after he was born accepting the invitation and going on an extended Cruise in the aian sea with the red Wills a devastated Jacqueline wanted privacy while she grieved Diana Dees in her sister's Shadow an intimate biography of Lee Radell 1995 extensively recounts the repeated retelling of the impact Jacquelin had on Aristotle during their Voyage according to what Lee shared with her close friends her intentions in bringing her sister along on the Christina had been purely altruistic but Jackie had apparently manipulated Aristotle during the that cruise in line with the news reports from that time the book went on to say Jacqueline's expropriation of Aristotle drove a deep wedge between the two women which when coupled with a parallel development between Jacqueline and Robert Kennedy in the aftermath of the assassination was the beginning of a profound change in their relationship and one that would last also according to various sources at the time Robert Kennedy offer Jacqueline profound emotional support during a period of months following the assassination however this led to rumors that their relationship was more intimate due to the frequent sightings of the two engaged in deep conversation although no more substantial evidence was ever presented it was somewhat of a topic of discussion and controversy for some time later in June 1968 after Lee learned that Bobby Kennedy had been killed back in London she was so distraught that she lost her mind and slammed into another car her sister was even more distraught believing that America had devolved into an unchecked blood bath where anyone with the last name Kennedy was not safe Jacqueline had to leave as it was the only logical course of action to her what was however curious was that Aristotle Onasis was the one who provided her with the means to do so afterwards the two became romantically involved with a prenuptual agreement in place that pledged Jacqueline millions of dollars then 5 years following the president's assassination their marriage took place in a sensational event that could easily Grace the pages of tabloid magazines this took place on Aristotle's Private Island Scorpios with Lee being in attendance for the wedding when interviewed by various media sources later Lee laughed off the rumors that she had an affair with Aristotle and stated categorically that she had no regrets none at all regarding the allegedly strained relationship between her and her sister following Jaclyn's marriage to Aristotle but it was obvious to even the untrained eye that a deep Rift had formed between them one that neither openly acknowledged or wanted to fill however according to Le's private thoughts Aristotle had supposedly been hers to keep until Jacqueline came along and claimed him for herself as she had always done since they were young this wouldn't be the only thing Lee would find disturbing as it would seem even her daughter's love could be stolen by her sister Lee's daughter Christina grew up very self-conscious about her weight the Adolescent feelings about her image were negatively exacerbated by her having a beautiful slender mother things devolved to a point where Christina could hardly stand being around Lee anymore and although Lee adored her two children children she wasn't a particularly involved Hands-On mother therefore she missed the signs of the Hidden struggles of her daughter and Christina felt more comfortable around her aunt and adored her so Christina decided she had enough of staying with her mother deciding to relocate to live with Jacqueline a few blocks north she packed her things without so much as a word and this only made Lee even more mad with jealousy and deepened the wedge between the sisters as this was going on in the background Lee came to be acquaintances of some artistic friends that would revive her career aspirations in the arts career part one foray into acting in the 1960s right when the sisters had just begun to grow apart Lee found new artistic acquaintances such as Rudolph nureev and Margo Fontaine Renzo mardino Cecil Beaton Truman capot an architect and decor Ator Renzo mardino Lee soon became one of Truman capot swans a name for the group of esteemed female friends of his Lee and Truman shared a unique bond No matter how successful he was as a writer Truman believed that as a gay man he could always be rejected when he entered the salons of the powerful and elegant his feelings were in sync with Lee's feelings of always being in her older sister's Shadow so they felt oddly comfortable in their apparent second best position with each other apparently Lee turned to Truman in tears after Jackie's 1968 wedding to Aristotle unable to comprehend how her sister could do something so cruel to her Truman decided to support Lee in following a path of her own through acting in a bid to bring her into the Limelight and out of her sister's everpresent Shadow she launched her acting career in 1967 while receiving instructions from the Royal Academy of dramatic art and London Academy of Music and dramatic art instructors as her teachers Truman suggested that she break out in Philip Barry's comedic the Philadelphia story as the hedonistic free-spirited socialite Tracy Lord as Jaclyn Kennedy's princess sister she was given quite a lot of attention by both the media and the public there was a media frenzy at the premiere but the resulting feedback was just horrible as critics experienced and expressed their deep disregard for her acting skills going as far as saying a new star is not born in the Chicago Tribune other reviewers thought her performance was stilted and unprofessional but despite the jarring criticisms Lee continued acting Truman begged producer David suskin to cast his Protege in a TV play the decision was then taken to adapt the 1944 Auto preminger Classic Laura starring Jee Tierney who had previously made Lee famous in a similar role the script was co-written by Truman and it premiered in January 1968 on ABC across the country unfortunately there was no Grand reversal in the critic's opinion of Lee as far as New York Times television critic Jack Gould was concerned she was simply a pretty face that no one expected any Sublime acting ability of seeing no hope of ever achieving stardom in the world of acting Lee went back to London the friendship between Lee and Truman quickly faced difficulties in this period they had an argument because she would not testify in a Lial case filed by Gore Vidal against Truman in the case Truman claimed that Vidal had been kicked out of the Kennedy White House due to intoxication Mr Vidal contrarily claimed that after he antagonized Attorney General Robert Kennedy his friends just took him to his hotel without any testimony from Lee Truman lost the case and was forced to apologize and appease Mr Vidal this wasn't the final blow to their friendship as it was Truman's nature as a tattletale that finally ended their relationship Truman revealed all that Lee had confided in him about the complicated relationship between the sisters and her innermost thoughts Truman had a host of female celebrity friends and he made it his business to be in their business collecting all the material he could for perhaps what he thought would have been his magnum opus in his writing career while he didn't publish the book it didn't stop him from releasing a few pages from it containing quite a lot of guarded Secrets this Act made him a social outcast with no one willing to associate with him but the damage had been done to Lee career part two success as an interior decorator while Lee pursued an obsession with acting she was missing out on her otherwise subtle yet evident Talent design and fashion Lee briefly tried her hand at interior design by collaborating with Italian stage designer Lauren and mongiardino in designing the Magnificent turville Grange estate which she shared with her second husband the interior decorations were so aesthetically pleasing that famous photographers like hor p h and Cecil Beaton were utterly enamored with them often photographing the houses drawing inspiration from from the refined style she had developed in her work with mongiardino Lee finally decided to try her hand at designing an interesting project of hers was designing the Interiors of a home for people who would only be staying there for a few days a year at most she did so well with these that she went on to establish her own interior design firm in 1976 a feature spread in architectural digest was among the positive publicity she garnered for her work and this brought her a handful of corporate and affluent private clientele in 1996 Lee was inducted into the prestigious Vanity Fair International bestdressed Hall of Fame a testament to her remarkable fashion sense her impeccable taste and fashion of course went all the way to her homes she had an apartment at 49 Avenue Montaine in Paris and a house at 160 East 72nd Street in Manhattan L Decor magazine took no notice of Lee's lovely homes and showcased them in their April 2009 issue giving readers a taste of her refined taste in interior design Lee spoke with Sophia Copa the director about her life in February 2013 in her cover story for the New York Times style magazine she discussed her life and the need for privacy in today's culture again in 2013 Lee's fashion and style dominance was further acclaimed when she was recognized by the guard as one of the 50 most stylish people aged 50 and up Jacqueline's demise and will after marrying Aristotle and drifting from her sister due to the underlying issues rumors circulated through the grape Vines of troubles in the marriages the marriage failed and she moved and decided to spend a lot of time in New York where her kids went to school when Aristotle sadly passed away in 1975 Jacqueline received an inheritance that was roughly believed believed to be between $20 million and $26 million even though the majority of his actual wealth passed to his daughter upon his death just as her sister had done Jacqueline decided to pursue a long held passion of hers she went on to join an editorial holding the positions of associate and Senior editor at double day before moving on to consult with Viking press she also had a keen interest in history and kept up her passion for historic presid preservation and the Arts as well her significant contribution to the 1970s Rescue of New York City's Grand Central Terminal also deserves special mention in other personal life her name was romantically associated with other men particularly Belgian born Diamond dealer Maurice tempelman who was her continuous companion for the last 12 years of her life she ultimately passed away in her New York City flat not long after receiving a non- hodge lymphoma diagnosis in 1994 she was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery next to John F Kennedy and their two children who had died before her after she was laid to rest and her will was to be read it would turn out she had a move yet unplayed in the game of Feud both sisters had come to find themselves engrossed in Jacqueline made Provisions for her children spokesperson her executive and even Charity she also granted each of Le children Anthony and Tina each $500,000 while leaving not even a single scent to Lee she stated in her will that she had done all she could for Lee while she was alive and so there was no need to do anymore on her passing as elegant as the words were phrased one can't help but imagine how badly things deteriorated such that death could not mend their broken relationship Lee Radu will death and will Lee remained deeply committed to the fashion industry throughout her life maintaining a close friendship with Georgio Armani who cited her as one of his greatest sources of inspiration it wasn't easy for Lee to maintain her lavish lifestyle as unlike her sister she wasn't left with a high sum of wealth to set her up for life she had to sell her Paris flat and other properties just to get by It is believed that she was financially supported by a trust fund that her mother had set up Lee was 85 years old when when she passed in her New York residence in February 2019 and she did so peacefully due to natural causes many famous people from the Arts and fashion Industries attended her burial which was held on the February 25th in New York City's St Thomas Moore a variety of celebrity attendees and attendance such as daa Blair Mark Jacobs Caroline Kennedy Carol ryll Andre Leon tally Sophia Copa karolina Herrera Peter beard and Mark Jacobs they paid tribute to her enduring impact on the worlds of fashion and culture by praising her for her Charming personality and hilarious Antics after her death Lee's estate was estimated to be worth more than $50 million despite rumors that she had money problems while she was alive after signing her last will in September 2018 Lee designated her daughter Anna Christina Tina radil as the only beneficiary of her vast Fortune curiously a provision in Lee's will directed that her daughter be given half of the money from the sale of her estate Lee chose two male acquaintances who were not previously known to be part of her Inner Circle to be her executors instead of her daughter which was a surprising move now that they were in charge of her inheritance the selected executiv stood to earn huge commissions which would put them in very advantageous Financial positions this unexpected dispersal of Lee's multi-million dollar inheritance which had remained hidden until her will was made public surprised a lot of people having lived her entire life in the shadow of the first lady the renowned socialites last move guaranteed that her daughter whom she left behind would receive all the attention Lee's Legacy despite dealing with jealousy professional failures and troubled relationships throughout her life Lee radil ultimately achieved enormous Success Through her impeccable sense of style Georgio Armani often looked to her as a source of inspiration and they worked closely together for decades he complemented her tasteful approach to expressing herself through understatement rather than ostentation the unique textural style of interior design that Lee developed and popularized was marked by multiple layers of praise and cemented her status as a gifted artist museums Now display her extraordinary aesthetic Vision in the houses she formerly lived in although she later sold her Paris peder in her senior years her distinctive flare is still vividly remembered by everybody who stayed there Lee also was a Trailblazer in other ways such as the over-the-top sunglasses she wore while smiling seductively and her classic pillbox hats that were reminiscent of Jacqueline Kennedy's her elegant outfits continue to cap at fans even after she has passed away a testament to how enduring her style is for many unfamiliar with Rad's wealth the magnitude of her bequest upon her death in February 2019 came as a shock like the Chic Bay knit turbin she frequently sported she apparently kept her money matters Under Wraps after all bills costs and fees were paid Lee's daughter Christina gets to inherit the rest of her mother's estate if she manages to to acquire the majority of it when this is done she may choose to purchase properties in remembrance of her mother's love for Real Estate she may also choose to focus her investments in New York City where she has lived her whole life on the other hand she may consider buying property abroad and close the chapter of the family's history Christina can now take trips as lavish as the ones her mother Lee used to thanks to her windfall ultimately until her death at the age of 5 Lee radil remained somewhat of a mystery captivating audiences with her blend of aristocratic Allure and worldly intelligence she may have intended for the truth behind the carefully constructed image she upheld for more than eight decades to remain a mystery forever what do you think of this princess that was often hidden in her sister's Shadow despite having such a prolific life let us know in the comments below and thanks for watching to enjoy more exting videos click play on the video up on your screen

Channel: Prime Discovery

Views: 568,891

Keywords: Dead at 85, Lee Radziwill, Left Her Whole Fortune, to Just One Person, Lee Radziwill death, lee Radziwill fortune, whole fortune, one person, sister of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, mysterious life, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, show, ultimate expedition, ultimate, discovery

Id: hOjvu-wcGl0

Length: 29min 32sec (1772 seconds)

Published: Fri May 03 2024