New York - Bringing a girlfriend home for the first time can be a tricky moment for any son.
But John F Kennedy Jr had an especially hard time of it – because his new flame happened to be Madonna.
His mother Jackie Kennedy disapproved instantly because of the singer’s lack of respect for the Catholic faith, a new biography claims.
While Jackie’s Catholic faith had helped her cope after her husband’s assassination, Madonna’s use of religious imagery – including giving herself stigmata with a knife in the video for her hit Like A Prayer – had been condemned by the Vatican and sparked protests around the world.
Matters took a turn for the worse when the former First Lady picked up a copy of Life magazine, only to see Madonna on the front dressed as Marilyn Monroe. Her late husband John F Kennedy had had an affair with the actress.
JFK Jr – a playboy whose long list of lovers was matched only by that of his father – met Madonna after she gave a concert in New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1985, according to The Good Son: JFK Jr And The Mother He Loved.
The pair had the same personal trainer and went running together in Central Park, facts he hid from his other girlfriend at the time. He soon invited Madonna to meet his mother at her 15-room apartment on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan – but it did not go well.
Author Christopher Andersen writes: “There were many things about Madonna that rubbed Jackie the wrong way, not the least of which was her habit of thumbing her nose at Roman Catholic rituals.
“Across the globe she was being condemned as a heretic.”
Madonna was still married to actor Sean Penn, though estranged, and she signed herself in at Mrs Kennedy’s apartment as “Mrs Sean Penn”.
Mr Andersen adds that JFK Jr later tried to introduce himself to Penn, who replied simply: “I know who you are. You owe me an apology.” Madonna responded to the incident by sending her boyfriend a funeral wreath of white roses and a card which read: “Johnny. I heard about last night. m.”
JFK Jr eventually married Calvin Klein publicist Carolyn Bessette in what was reportedly the “ultimate compliment” to his mother, who approved of her.
The couple died when the plane Kennedy Jr was flying crashed en route to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts in 1999. - Daily Mail