The duo eventually announced their engagement on June 24, 1953.
Published on June 17, 2025 11:43AM
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Key Takeaways
- Before getting engaged to JFK in June 1953, Jackie Kennedy embarked on one last reporting trip.
- The writer went to London to see the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.
- Shortly after returning to the US, JFK proposed to Jackie with a toi et moi ring.
When they first crossed paths in 1952, John F. Kennedy was a young senator from Massachusetts, and Jacqueline Bouvier was a reporter for the Washington Times-Herald. According to his brother, Ted, JFK was "smitten with her" from the first moment they met. That soon appeared to be the case: The following year, on June 25, 1953, the duo announced their engagement. However, just a few weeks before the politician popped the question, the journalist headed across the pond for one final job: reporting on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The reporting trip was actually pitched to Jackie by her friend Aileen Bowdoin's mother, according to Vogue. Bowdoin thought that the voyage would be beneficial for Aileen, who had recently gotten divorced. The vacation coincided with Elizabeth's coronation, giving Jackie the chance to report on the event. On May 22, 1953, just a few days after JFK broached the top of marriage with her, she boarded the SS United States—and headed to the UK. However, this wasn't the first time that the writer had covered the monarch. In 1951, when then-Princess Elizabeth visit DC on a royal tour, Jackie snuck her way into an invitation-only press conference, Vogue said. Her reporting from that event is what ultimately convinced her boss to give her her first column. Two years later, when she arrived in London for Elizabeth's coronation, the columnist asked spectators one key question: "Do you think Elizabeth with be England's last queen?"
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Rather than spend her days at a hotel, Jackie opted to stay the apartment of Lady Abel Smith, one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting. By doing so, she was able to garner a number of scoops, including the reason behind the early bedtime of some of the bride's closest friends. "They have to be in Westminster Abbey by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, and their hairdressers arrive at the Palace to fix their hair at 3 a.m.," Jackie wrote, according to Vogue. While she was overseas, JFK made sure to check in with his future bride, sending her a telegram that read: "Articles Excellent—But You Are Missed."
When Jackie finally did return to the US that same month, JFK quickly proposed with a diamond and emerald toi et moi ring from Van Cleef & Arpels. However, while there's no question over the sparkler the Massachusetts senator presented her with, the spot where the politician popped the question is remains contentious debate. Some claim that the duo got engaged at Martin's, a tavern in DC, while others are certain that the event occurred at Parker's, a restaurant in the Omni Hotel in Boston.
