Politics Violet Bonham Carter, Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury was a British politician and diarist. She was the daughter of H. H. Asquith, Prime Minister from 1908–1916, and later became active in Liberal politics herself, being a leading opponent of appeasement, standing for Parliament and being made a life peer. She was also involved in arts and literature. She was Sir Winston Churchill's closest female friend, apart from his wife, and her grandchildren include the actress Helena Bonham Carter.
Here is a photograph of the Requiem Mass she attended but what's of most interest is that she offers an opinion of that night's programmes. The Kennedy documentary isn't listed on the BBC Genome's schedule so either it was broadcast on the other side or the schedule was changed. This Independent article from 2003 is ambiguous on the point. Please do let me know if you have any information. This is the listing for the episode of That Was The Week That Was she's referring to.
Diary - Saturday 23 November - 21 Hyde Park Square, W.2
I went with Raymond & Elena to the Requiem Mass in Westminster Cathedral at 12.30. It was most moving - the vast Cathedral packed with people - mostly poor & humble bringing their children with them. As Elena said to me 'C'est la base du peuple.' They had a Communion Service with unaccompanied singing - no organ music until the end when the organ suddenly peeled out the 'Star-Spangled Banner' .... 'God Save the Queen' followed - rather flatly - then Beethoven's Funeral March. Ray & Elena came back at 7.30 & we watched a Kennedy T.V. programme - not as good as yesterday's - & a late 'News-Extra' with rather touching man-in-the-street remarks. Then, as I was about to switch off, a half-hour of T.W.T.W. which I did not feel in the mood for, but which was surprisingly good & had no single lapse of taste (the only flaw a sentimental poem about Jackie recited by Sybil Thorndike). One good point made was that Death does not make all men equal. On the news we had heard of the death of 60 poor old people burnt in an Old People's Home, which they were too crippled to get out of. I was aware how stonily I took this tragedy compared with Kennedy's death.
[Source: POTTLE, Dr Mark. 2000. Daring to Hope - The Diaries and Letters of Violet Bonham Carter - 1946-1969. Orion; 1st Edition edition.]
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