Dear Mrs. Kennedy

**Dear Mrs. Kennedy** is the eighth episode in the second season of *The Crown*.

## Synopsis

. S2 E8 "Dear Mrs Kennedy" of the Netflix series The Crown focuses on the relationship between two influential female figures of the 20th century , Queen Elizabeth II and Jacqueline Kennedy renowned as the iconic First Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963.

The episode starts in Accra, Ghana: President Kwame Nkrumah is becoming increasingly hostile to the West, to the point of receiving Soviet official Leonid Brezhnev, an act that greatly worries Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

Meanwhile, the Queen is impressed by Jackie Kennedy, First Lady of the United States admired by foreign dignitaries for her style, intelligence and work as a cultural ambassador of the United States . Particularly, the Queen was surprised by her popularity when Prime Minister Harold Macmillan told her about Jacqueline Kennedy's language skills and cultural knowledge, and how she was highly respected by the French people during her visit to France with President Kennedy in 1961. She was awarded the French Legion of Honor, the highest civilian award given by the French Government placing her as an influential figure in U.S foreign relations and cultural diplomacy.

The Kennedys arrive in London and are greeted with much fanfare and excitement. The Queen and Prince Philip host a dinner for the Kennedys at Buckingham Palace, during which there are several tense moments and misunderstandings due to cultural differences and protocol. Jackie Kennedy is portrayed as being equally unsure and nervous of how to interact with the Queen. However, they eventually bond over their shared experiences as wives of public figures, with Jackie revealing that she often feels like a "show pony" who is trotted out for events as well as struggling to deal with her husband’s extramarital affairs.

The episode also touches on tensions that arose during the visit, particularly over President John F Kennedy's decision to withdraw American support for the proposed Dam project in Ghana. This decision was a major blow to the British government, which had been counting on American support for the project. The Queen is shown to be frustrated and angry with the Kennedys over the decision, which she sees as a betrayal of the close relationship between the two countries.

Later, Elizabeth discovers the First Lady had insulted her and the Palace at a party. Angered by Mrs Kennedy's arrogance, the Queen decides to get to Ghana, in order to convince Nkrumah to remain close to the Commonwealth. Elizabeth's humility and her decision to dance with Nkrumah, something totally unprecedented, succeed to win Ghana back to its allegiance to the UK.

When the Queen is back to London, she finds out that Mrs Kennedy is also back in London and wants to meet with her; during the meeting, she apologizes to Elizabeth, explaining that she had been under the influence of " Dr Feelgood" as she was suffering from depression due to the death of her baby boy Patrick. The Queen accepts Mrs Kennedy's apologies, but refrains to comment any further on the issue. The Kennedys eventually depart London, leaving the Queen to reflect on the challenges of being a public figure and the importance of maintaining relationships with other world leaders.

In 1963, while working in the gardens, the Queen is urgently recalled to the Palace, where she and Prince Philip are horrified to learn from radio that President Kennedy has been assassinated in Dallas. Elizabeth arranges for a week of mourning within the household, and for the bells at Westminster Abbey to be rung, before writing a letter to the First Lady.

## Episode Notes

### Historical Events

* **June 5, 1961:** Kennedy visit.
* **November 9–20, 1961:** The Queen's visit to Ghana.
* **March 28, 1962:** Jackie Kennedy visits Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.
* **November 22, 1963:** JFK is assassinated. Please note that this is after the events of Paterfamilias and would have taken place in during the time period of Mystery Man.

### Historical Figures

* **John F. Kennedy** was the 35th President of the United States at the time of his private visit to London on June 4 and 5, 1961. During his stay, he met with the Queen and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Kennedy returned to England in June 1963 to meet with Macmillan once more, five months before he was assassinated.
* **Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy** was the First Lady of the United States from  1961 to 1963  during the presidency of her husband President John F Kennedy. She  is renowned for her style, intelligence and cultural contributions to American society and was one of the most admired and influential women in the world during the 1960s. **.** She was three years younger than the Queen.
* **Robert F. Kennedy** was John's younger brother, close advisor and the Attorney General of the United States from January 1961 to September 1964.
* **Kwame Nkrumah** was the president of Ghana following its independence in 1957.

## Trivia

* Jackie Kennedy's blue dress is strapless in the series, as opposed to sleeveless in real life.
* Queen Elizabeth's bracelet is made out of mostly diamonds in real life, as opposed to the sapphire bracelet that she wore in this episode.