The Two-Word Criticism Jackie Kennedy Made About Queen Elizabeth Before They Found Common Ground (Exclusive)
The Two-Word Criticism Jackie Kennedy Made About Queen Elizabeth Before They Found Common Ground (Exclusive)
Meredith Kile, Simon PerryThu, June 11, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC
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Jackie Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth at a dinner at Buckingham Palace in June 1961Credit: Getty -
Queen Elizabeth and Jackie Kennedy's friendship didn't take off immediately
Jackie visited Buckingham Palace with John F. Kennedy in 1961 and found herself underwhelmed by both royal life and the Queen's sense of style
However, the two women were later able to bond over shared interests and common struggles
At the time of their first meeting, Queen Elizabeth and Jackie Kennedy were far from kindred spirits.
The first lady visited Buckingham Palace with her husband, President John F. Kennedy, in June 1961, as part of an overseas trip to spend time with her sister, Lee Radziwill, who lived in London with her new husband and baby girl.
"Jackie was very excited to go to Buckingham Palace and thrilled to meet the Queen," Caroline Hallemann, author of the new book The Kennedys and the Windsors, explains to PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "But she was just slightly disappointed that the palace wasn't grander."
The Queen herself also failed to make much of an impression on Jackie. According to royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith, Jackie privately summed up Elizabeth's hairstyle in two words: "too flat."
For two women who would later develop a mutual respect, the early impressions were hardly ideal. Yet any awkwardness appears to have been short-lived. When Jackie returned to Buckingham Palace the following year after a trip to India and Pakistan, the atmosphere was noticeably warmer.
Prince Philip, Jackie Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth and President John F. Kennedy attend dinner at Buckingham Palace on June 15, 1961Credit: Photoquest/Getty
"They had a great lunch, in part because they talked at length about horses," Hallemann notes, "That is where they were able to really connect. That was a true passion for both of these women."
"Many people have said when they were with horses, when they were riding — that was when they felt the most themselves," the author said of the pair of iconic public figures. "That second conversation at Buckingham Palace would have been when they really connected on that topic and found common ground."
PEOPLE Magazine, June 22, 2026.
While Jackie may have quipped to her pseudo-step-brother, the author Gore Vidal, that the Queen was "only human once" during their 1961 dinner, an anecdote shared by the monarch was a meaningful one for the first lady, who would endure an unprecedented amount of media attention over the next few years of her life.
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"When the first lady described her struggles in the spotlight on their recent state visit to Canada, and the pressures of being in the spotlight 24 hours a day, the Queen looked rather conspiratorial and said, 'One gets crafty after a while and learns how to save oneself,' " Hallemann recalls.
For all their differences, there were many parallels between the two women — and the two families, as Hallemenn explores in her new book.
Credit: G.P. Putnam's Sons
"They were two women with young children in the public eye who had great proximity to power and soft diplomacy, but not true political power behind," Hallemann says.
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Caroline, Jackie and Jack Kennedy are welcomed by Queen Elizabeth at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy Memorial at Runnymeade on May 14, 1965Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty
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"We think about Jackie in that moment in the 1960s, when she was so glamorous and stylish. She had such an appreciation for the arts and she spoke multiple languages and was so worldly and seen as a real asset to the Kennedy administration," Halllemann says. "She was a style icon."
"It was interesting because at that moment [of the 1961 dinner], Jackie had not been first lady for very long, whereas the Queen had already been serving in her role for quite a long time, and she knew her role was lifelong," Halleman reflects. "Jackie kind of stepped on the stage — so glamorous and vivacious— and blew people away. She held her role for such a short amount of time and made such an impact."
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