Town & Country revealed that Christie's is hosting a sale with Caroline Lee Radziwill’s belongings this October, including her books, jewelry, photos, art and more. Expect the mementos to be incredible - she was famously friends with the Rolling Stones.
“The contents of the collection offer a glimpse into Ms. Radziwill’s fascinating life, spanning her years as a prominent socialite, princess, designer, and witness to a momentous era in American history,” Christie’s said about the auction. A listing of the options in full will be released closer to the date in September.
Radziwill, the sister of former First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis, passed away at 85 on February 15, 2019. WWD broke the news, reporting that Radziwill died at home in New York.
An American socialite, successful PR executive and interior designer, Lee led a colorful life. She married into European royalty, partied with Truman Capote and Andy Warhol, and once had a love affair with the man her sister would go on to marry - Aristotle Onassis.
Lee and Jackie: Sisters and 'frenemies'
Lee was born Caroline Lee Bouvier, one of four siblings born to stockbroker John Vernou Bouvier III and socialite Janet Lee Bouvier - the Lee came from Janet's father and Caroline's grandfather, real estate mogul James Lee.
Lee had a complex relationship with her older sister (they were born three years apart), which has been detailed extensively by Vanity Fair.
After attending New York's Sarah Lawrence College, Lee dropped out to work as Diana Vreeland’s assistant at Harper’s Bazaar. Over the course of her life, Lee worked as an actress, public relations executive, writer, editor and interior decorator.
Lee Radziwill's suitors
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Lee's first marriage was in 1953, to her childhood sweetheart Michael Temple Canfield, who was widely rumored to be the illegitimate son of Kiki Preston and the Duke of Kent.
Though it was considered to be quite the society match, her older sister Jackie famously upstaged Lee by getting engaged to John F. Kennedy only two months later.
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The marriage between Michael and Lee ended when Lee embarked on an affair with Polish-Lithuanian aristocrat Prince Stanislaw “Stas” Radziwill. After she married Stas they set up house in London, very near Buckingham Palace.
“We had this divine house on Buckingham Place behind the Palace, and the prettiest country place in Oxfordshire, Turville Grange, that Mongiardino decorated. It was enchanting,” Lee later told T Magazine
While they were married Lee started an affair with Aristotle Onassis, the Greek shipping magnate who would go on to marry her sister Jackie.
Lee and Stas had two children together, but after her affair with the artist Peter Beard, they finally divorced in 1974.
Following her divorce, Lee dated Peter Tufo, architect Richard Meier, and hotelier Newton Cope. In 1998, Lee married Footloose filmmaker Herbert Ross, with a celebration at her Fifth Avenue apartment - but that marriage was short-lived, ending in divorce in 2001.
Lee’s style influence
Lee is said to have advised Jackie on her fashion choices, encouraging her to wear Givenchy as First Lady even though JFK wanted Jackie to exclusively wear American designers.
“She edits herself. She edits her wardrobe. She edits her life,” Vogue editor at large André Leon Talley told Vanity Fair. Lee was a writer and editor herself, penning articles for Ladies’ Home Journal and befriending Truman Capote - Lee was one of the "Swans", the nickname Capote had for his favorite socialites.
Lee also tried her hand at acting. When she starred in an off-Broadway version of The Philadelphia Story, Yves Saint Laurent was brought in to design all of the costumes.
Inside Lee's celebrity circle
Lee had a wide circle of celebrity friends throughout her life, including Carolina Herrera, Mick Jagger and Marc Jacobs. Her friend, the director Sofia Coppola, shot Lee in 2013 for T Magazine and said, "She always looks chic, whether just out of the ocean, hair back in a sleek one-piece or at dinner on vacation in white trousers." She was also part of artist Andy Warhol’s scene, even making an appearance on the cover of his Interview magazine.
Lee’s legacy
Radziwill had two children, Anthony and Anna Christina, or Tina.
Her daughter Anna Christina is a producer. Her son Anthony married Carole in 1994. She went on to become a Real Housewives of New York City star and co-producer on the JFK Jr. documentary 'Biography: JFK Jr. The Final Year.' Anthony tragically died from cancer in 1999 and Carole wrote What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love about their life together.
