New Memoir Reveals Secret Affair Between Jacqueline Kennedy and Architect John Carl Warnecke

A new memoir titled 'Camelot's Architect' reveals explosive details about a secret two-year affair between former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and architect John Carl Warnecke, who designed President John F. Kennedy's gravesite. According to the book, the romance began in 1964, roughly a year after the assassination, with the couple even discussing marriage.

The memoir highlights a Hawaiian vacation in 1966, where Jackie rented a home in Honolulu while Warnecke was working nearby. In excerpts published by PEOPLE magazine, Warnecke described arriving at the beachfront property to find her sunbathing completely naked on a large beach towel. He recalled that she was startled at first, but quickly relieved to see him. Later during the same trip, he was stunned to find her sitting entirely nude in the back of his convertible as they prepared to leave for dinner.

Warnecke wrote that his primary goal at the time was to help Jackie return to a normal life after her immense grief. However, the romance ultimately ended as Warnecke faced mounting financial debts, and Jackie went on to marry Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1968. Despite her subsequent marriage, the book claims the connection endured, with Jackie reportedly telling him years later in Paris that marrying Onassis was the biggest mistake of her life.

Even after marrying Onassis and Warnecke's eventual divorce in 1978, the pair maintained a close friendship that intensified following Onassis's death in 1975. Warnecke passed away in 2010 at the age of 91, and the publication of his memoir was spearheaded by his daughter, who manages his architectural archive and views the release as fulfilling her father's final wishes.