Pod Insights Noble Blood The Kennedy Marchioness About this episode One of the most glamorous members of the Kennedy clan, Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy dazzled and scandalized British society. But her story would ultimately end in tragedy.
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1:35 Dana Schwartz? Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Listener discretion advised. A small private aircraft tears down a runway. Visibility is low, which makes flying difficult. 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.
2:18 Dana Schwartz? Think you know who this episode is about? Think again. Before John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bissett 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.
2:59 Dana Schwartz? 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 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
3:42 Dana Schwartz? 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 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.
4:27 Dana Schwartz? 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.
4:38 Dana Schwartz? 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.
5:17 Dana Schwartz? 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
6:00 Dana Schwartz? 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 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.
6:47 Dana Schwartz? 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 11 ambassadors for the price of one.
7:31 Dana Schwartz? 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. Joe and Rose wanted to let Kick get some aristocratic polish, then bring her home to marry an appropriate American Catholic boy.
8:10 Dana Schwartz? 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 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.
8:53 Dana Schwartz? 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 “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.
9:35 Dana Schwartz? 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.
10:16 Dana Schwartz? 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
10:59 Dana Schwartz? wait for the day she could finally get back. Finally, in 1943, she made her way back across the pond and found that Billy Hartington hadn’t forgotten her. They picked up where they left off and made up for a lost time.
11:16 Dana Schwartz? 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.
11:59 Dana Schwartz? 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 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 piqued her interest. She was invigorated by that experience and looked forward to more of those similar experiences at Billy's side.
12:44 Dana Schwartz? 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 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.
13:27 Dana Schwartz? 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.
13:48 Dana Schwartz? Kick Kennedy was 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 12th, just three months after Kick and Billy's wedding, Kick's brother, Joseph Kennedy Jr., 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
14:30 Dana Schwartz? 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 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, Kick's husband was gone as well. Billy was killed in action September 10th, 1944, taken down by a German sniper on the Belgian front.
15:10 Dana Schwartz? The Marcheness 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 Hardington. Friends later remarked 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.
15:53 Dana Schwartz? 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.
16:36 Dana Schwartz? 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,
17:19 Dana Schwartz? 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.
18:04 Dana Schwartz? 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,
18:49 Dana Schwartz? 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. 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,
19:34 Dana Schwartz? 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 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 15. Kick and Peter planned a quick French getaway that would end with the happy couple getting the older man's blessing.
20:17 Dana Schwartz? 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.
20:58 Dana Schwartz? 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.
21:41 Dana Schwartz? 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.
22:14 Dana Schwartz? 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.
22:57 Dana Schwartz? 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, Abbie, 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,
23:40 Dana Schwartz? 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.
24:24 Dana Schwartz? Jo was the only Kennedy who had attended the funeral on May 20. 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.
25:04 Dana Schwartz? 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.
25:48 Dana Schwartz? 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 footnote in Kennedy history. The sister who died young in a plane crash with a married man.
26:33 Dana Schwartz? 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.
27:02 Dana Schwartz? That's the tragic life of Kick Kennedy. But keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear a bit about another scandalous mistress.
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31:30 Dana Schwartz? You know all those pieces in your closet that you find yourself reaching for over and over again? You know, the sweater that works with every outfit you try on and the jeans that you know will always fit you just right? Or the bag you carry everywhere? Those are the exact pieces that earn a place in your wardrobe. And that's exactly what Quince does so well. Quince makes elevated everyday essentials. Using premium materials like Mongolian cashmere, organic cotton, and premium stretch denim. The designs are timeless, thoughtfully crafted, made to be worn again and again. And as the weather gets colder, Quince has everything you need to round out your wardrobe,
32:10 Dana Schwartz? from warm, responsibly sourced down jackets and cozy cashmere scarves and gloves to beautiful 14 karat jewelry that adds the perfect finishing touch. And Ha Ha Ha might make an excellent, uh, holiday present. Quince also doesn't just do clothes. My work bag, my like leather bag that I bring every day with me to work is from Quince, and I absolutely love it. It goes with everything I wear, and it's just like a classic that makes me feel sophisticated and grown up. And everything at Quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands because they work directly with ethical factories, cutting out the middlemen, so you're paying for quality and not brand markup.
32:52 Dana Schwartz? Find the fall pieces you will reach for most at quince.com. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns, now available in Canada and the UK too. And when Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Noble Blood. It is the best way to support this show, honestly, because I just want the Quince sponsorship to continue so I can keep buying Quince clothes and products over and over again. Cleopatra was one of the most famous rulers in history, and somehow, her tomb has never been found.
33:36 Dana Schwartz? Not the tomb, not the body. If you love the strange and unsolved moments from history, you need to meet Dr. Harini Bat. She's a clinical pharmacist turned history detective. And on her podcast, Hidden History, she treats the world's greatest mysteries like open case files. Not myths, not superstition, just incomplete explanations waiting for a closer look. Every episode, she reopens the cases history never closed. The Mary Celeste, a ship found sailing the Atlantic with no one aboard. The Voynich Manuscript, a book no one on earth has been able to read.
34:21 Dana Schwartz? The Loch Ness Monster, the science, the hoax, and why the legend won't die. She digs into the evidence and tells you what she thinks really happened. Listen to Hidden History with Dr. Harini Bhatt every Monday. Follow on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss an episode. That's Hidden History with Dr. Harini Bhatt. 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" Fitzgerald, was the former mayor of Boston who fiercely
35:07 Dana Schwartz? 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 1913, 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,
35:51 Dana Schwartz? 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 immorally, 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
36:32 Dana Schwartz? 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, an attorney general, a senator, and one rebellious, short-lived daughter who chose a life of love and excitement over family approval.
37:06 Dana Schwartz? Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke. Noble Blood is hosted by me, Dana Schwartz, with additional writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zwick, Courtney Sender, Amy Height, and Julia Maloney. The show is edited and produced by Jesse Funk with supervising producer, Reema Ilkayali, and executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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