Lee Radziwill

Princess Caroline Lee Radziwill (née Bouvier; March 3, 1933 – February 15, 2019) was an American socialite, public relations executive, and interior designer. She was born in Doctors Hospital in Yorkville, Manhattan, to John Vernou Bouvier III, a stockbroker, and Janet Norton Lee, a socialite. Radziwill was the younger sister of Jacqueline Kennedy, who served as the First Lady of the United States, and consequently the sister-in-law of President John F. Kennedy.

For her education, Radziwill attended the Chapin School in New York City, the Potomac School in Washington, D.C., Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut, and pursued undergraduate studies at Sarah Lawrence College. From her early years, she was known by her middle name "Lee" rather than "Caroline."

Radziwill was considered a prominent debutante in New York society, with her debut party taking place in 1950. A photograph of her in her debutante gown was published in the December 25, 1950, issue of Life magazine.

In the 1960s, Radziwill pursued a career in acting. She appeared in a stage production of "The Philadelphia Story" in 1967, playing Tracy Lord at the Ivanhoe Theatre in Chicago; her performance received criticism. In 1968, she participated in a television adaptation of the film "Laura," which was also met with unfavorable reviews.

Radziwill owned and decorated a London townhouse and Turville Grange, a manor she shared with her second husband. The interiors of these residences were designed by Lorenzo Mongiardino, an Italian stage designer, and were frequently photographed by noted photographers Cecil Beaton and Horst P. Horst. She initially worked as an interior decorator influencing her style, with a clientele comprising wealthy individuals. She was known to decorate homes for short-term residency.

She was involved in the arts and culture scene, traveling with The Rolling Stones during their North American tour in 1972 and associating with figures such as Truman Capote. Radziwill was inducted into the Vanity Fair International Best Dressed Hall of Fame in 1996. Her apartments in Paris and Manhattan were featured in Elle Decor magazine in April 2009. In 2013, she was interviewed by Sofia Coppola for The New York Times Style Magazine about her life, privacy challenges, and her experiences in fashion. The Guardian listed her as one of the 50 best-dressed individuals over age 50 in March 2013.

In 1972, Radziwill hired documentary filmmakers Albert and David Maysles to create a film about the Bouvier family. Initially, they filmed her aunt Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale ("Big Edie") and cousin Edith Bouvier Beale ("Little Edie") living in East Hampton. Her original project was suspended, but the filmmakers later returned, resulting in the 1975 documentary "Grey Gardens." This film gained recognition as a notable work in documentary cinema and was later adapted into a 2006 musical and a 2009 HBO film. Footage of Radziwill’s visit with the Beales was also included in the 2017 film "That Summer."

Radziwill was married three times. Her first marriage, to Michael Temple Canfield, took place in April 1953; they divorced in 1958, with the marriage later declared null by the Sacred Rota in 1962. An account from Loelia, Duchess of Westminster, suggested that Canfield was believed to be the biological son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Kiki Preston, though these claims remain unverified.

Her second marriage was to Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł in 1959. He was a member of the Polish nobility and previously married Grace Maria Kolin; they divorced in 1974. Radziwill retained the title of "Her Serene Highness Princess Caroline Lee Radziwiłł" during this period, although the Polish constitution had abolished legal recognition of noble titles. They had two children: Anthony (1959–1999) and Anna Christina (born 1960).

Her third marriage was to Herbert Ross, an American film director and choreographer, in 1988. They divorced in 2001. Herbert Ross died later that year. Radziwill subsequently used the surname Radziwiłł, reflecting her children’s family name.

Radziwill died on February 15, 2019, at the age of 85, in her apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

In popular culture, Radziwill was portrayed by Calista Flockhart in the 2024 production "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans."

She authored two books: "Happy Times" (2001) and "Lee" (2015), published by Assouline, with contributions including a foreword by Peter Beard and an introduction by Richard David Story.