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The Kennedy dynasty’s unity has reached a breaking point, with recent events highlighting the deepening divisions within America’s most famous political family. A gathering of more than 50 Kennedy family members at Ethel Kennedy’s 96th birthday celebration last April may have been the final display of family cohesion before internal conflicts erupted into public view.

The deterioration of the family’s legendary solidarity became starkly apparent during Robert F. “Bobby” Kennedy Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearings. The proceedings, which took place months after Ethel’s passing in October, marked a definitive end to the mythical Camelot era that had defined the Kennedy legacy for generations.

The idealized image of Camelot, which emerged during John F. Kennedy’s presidency in the 1960s, has been steadily eroding. Family tensions reached a boiling point when six of Ethel’s children publicly denounced Bobby Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign in the previous year, describing it as “dangerous” and throwing their support behind President Joe Biden.

The confirmation hearings for Secretary of Health and Human Services revealed even deeper family rifts. Bobby’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, submitted a damning letter to U.S. Senators, portraying him as a “predator” and claiming he promoted substance abuse within the family.Her son, Jack Schlossberg, reinforced these accusations through social media posts, further exposing the family’s internal strife.

Experts on Kennedy family dynamics, including Laurence Leamer and Jerry Oppenheimer, indicate that these conflicts aren’t entirely new. What once remained behind closed doors has evolved into public confrontations, particularly as political ideologies have split along generational lines. Robert Kennedy Jr.’s controversial positions on vaccination and his unexpected support for Donald Trump have created significant tension with his siblings.

Scholars note that Ethel Kennedy’s influence in maintaining the family’s public image had diminished in recent years, and her death marked the end of any pretense of Kennedy family unity. The dynasty that once earned the moniker of America’s “royal family” now presents a more complex and divided image.

Family chroniclers and close associates suggest that while the Kennedy name retains some influence, its former grandeur has significantly diminished. The family’s current narrative, dominated by discord and disappointment, stands in stark contrast to the unified, successful image that once defined the Camelot mythology.