Had he lived, John F. Kennedy Jr. would have turned 65 today—a milestone that feels impossible for a man the world still remembers in motion: sailing across Nantucket Sound, jogging through Central Park, laughing with reporters outside the offices of George magazine. What many don’t know is how deeply he wrestled with the weight of history while quietly shaping a life that was entirely his own. Born three months after his father’s assassination, John Jr. grew up protected but never untouched by

Today we honor John F. Kennedy Jr. — the young American “prince,” born November 25, 1960 — whose 65th birthday falls on this day. Born just two weeks after his father’s election and raised in the iconic White House, John-Jr. captured the hearts of a nation. On his third birthday he saluted his father’s flag-draped casket — a moment so raw, innocent and heartbreaking that it came to define a tragic chapter forever linked to the public’s memory. As he grew, he steered away from the relentless glar