Thursday 9 July 2009

Christine Onassis, Jackie Kennedy,....not a marriage made in heaven

Christine Onassis resented her father's plans to marry Jackie Bouvier Kennedy. Christine herself was ferociously loyal to her family and probably was saddened by the fact that her father was basically making a fool of himself. Jackie Kennedy, the sleek and polished socialite, stood in strong contrast to the somewhat ordinary looking Christine and she made Christine feel this.

When Aristotle Onassis was dying and was moved to the American Clinic in Paris, home of his beloved Maria Callas, Jackie jetted off to continue her social engagements in New York leaving Christine at her father's bedside. Indeed, Jackie had always made it clear her only interest was in spending her husband's money. She even had him cancel flights on his airline, Olympic Airways, so she could jet over alone to New York. Upon Aristotle's death Jackie settled out of court for $20 million plus taxes. Christine took over the family empire and proved a shrewd business woman earning $ one million a week in private income - a lot of money in the seventies.

But Christine's life was a tragic one. Her failed affairs, her failed marriages, the death of her father and her brother Alexandros when his aircraft crashed on take off at Athens airport left her scared. If you are interested in reading a great book about her life, it is written by William Wright and entitled "All the pain that money can buy". I find it a truly fascinating and well researched story of Christine's life. Even into the minute detail that Christine Onassis was addicted to Coca Cola and on the island of Scorpios she had refrigerators stocked with Coca Cola on the many walks and paths around the island. The greates happiness for Christina was the birth of her daughter Athena after her marriage to a Swiss aristocrat. Sadly when Athena was aged three, Christine was found dead in the bathroom of her hotel suite in Buenos Aires.

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