In a sea of hotels in New York City, there was one that Princess Diana returned to on more than one occasion. The late royal would stay at the iconic Carlyle, located on the Upper East Side. Her son Prince William and his wife, Catherine followed in her footsteps years later, checking into the same hotel during their 2014 visit to New York.
"They definitely stayed here at The Carlyle because Princess Diana used to stay here, and she was very fond of this hotel, and I know they had heard about it," the hotel's former director of communications, Jennifer Cooke, said in the 2018 documentary Always at The Carlyle. "I heard him [William] say that in the lobby that he heard so much about this hotel through the years and they were really happy to be here."
HELLO! swung by the hotel while in town to film an episode of A Right Royal Podcast. Watch the video below for a peek inside The Carlyle from one of Alex's previous visits.
The hotel, known for its discretion and attracting A-list guests, was the site of Diana's secret meeting with John F. Kennedy Jr. The son of the late President John F. Kennedy had wanted to get Diana, who was staying at The Carlyle, for the cover of his magazine George. RoseMarie Terenzio, JFK Jr.'s former chief of staff, opened up about how she helped pull off "the biggest caper in New York City" at the hotel during an episode of HELLO's A Right Royal Podcast recorded live in Manhattan.
"I remember we had come up with so many scenarios. We were going to dress him in costume to go into The Carlyle in disguise and all of these things. And I remember we decided, no, we're just going to walk in like, it wouldn't be that strange to see John at the Carlyle, but Princess Diana was staying there," RoseMarie recalled in the episode. "John in a wig would not have been a good look. Not at all!"
JFK Jr. ended up walking right in and RoseMarie waited in the lobby. "They didn't want a rumour started that they were having an affair, or there was something tawdry going on at The Carlyle. And so John said, 'Well, if you come with me, if I'm walking in with you and I do get spotted, it'll look more professional,'" RoseMarie shared.
Ultimately, it all "went off without a hitch." RoseMarie admitted: "We were literally bracing ourselves every day, running to get the paper to see if somebody had spotted him or gotten a photo. And nope. It went off without a hitch. It was incredible."
The Carlyle is also where Diana had an encounter with Steve Jobs and Michael Jackson. "The most famous elevator ride in history took place in The Carlyle. Because one of the guys that operates the elevator said to me, 'You know, we once had Princess Diana, Michael Jackson and Steve Jobs all at the same time.' Now, that is a power elevator," Piers Morgan shared in Always at The Carlyle. "It was completely silent until Diana began singing Beat It."
![Diana, pictured in January 1995, would stay at The Carlyle. Discussing Prince William and Princess Kate's 2014 stay at the iconic hotel, located on the Upper East Side, Jennifer Cooke, the hotel's former director of communications, said in the documentary Always at The Carlyle that she thinks they "definitely stayed here at The Carlyle because Princess Diana used to stay here, and she was very fond of this hotel, and I know they had heard about it. I heard him [William] say that in the lobby that he heard so much about this hotel through the years and they were really happy to be here."](https://images.hellomagazine.com/horizon/portrait/002c39a73ab2-gettyimages-106743507.jpg)
© Ron Galella Collection via Getty
© Getty Images
One hotel employee revealed in the 2018 documentary that Diana's old room was going, at the time, for $10,000 per night. Asked if it was worth it, the staffer said: "It is," explaining: "Because of who stayed there."
Diana visited The Carlyle multiple times in the '90s, including just two months before her death. "Everybody at that hotel absolutely loved when Diana would come to town," Martin Nolan from Julien's Auctions, who has worked with many of Diana's close friends and designers, told HELLO!. "She was the most sweetest, nicest person they could have. She had her own suite there."
According to Martin, New York "represented freedom" to the late Princess.
"It was where she felt the love," Martin said. "She was non-judged, and she could have fun, and Diana loved to have fun, and for a few years there was no fun for her, and suddenly she was starting to embrace life again and enjoy the freedom and enjoy all the great things that New York City has to offer"… like the timeless Carlyle hotel.
HELLO!'s podcast recording from New York:
A Right Royal Podcast recorded its first episode live from New York this summer. Our hosts and royal experts, Emily Nash, Andrea Caamano, and Emmy Griffiths, explored the royal family's love affair with the city that never sleeps and chatted to RoseMarie Terenzio, JFK Jr.'s former chief of staff, about his and Diana's secret meeting at The Carlyle.
© Mike McGregorIf you'd like to watch the full podcast episode from New York, sign up to become a HELLO! VIP member.
To whet your appetite, here's a teaser from the podcast:
