Kennedy Family 'in Tatters' amid 'Unprecedented' Public Battle Between Cousins Caroline Kennedy and RFK Jr. (Exclusive Source)

The Kennedy family is navigating an "unprecedented" public conflict.

Following Caroline Kennedy's scathing letter against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. less than 24 hours before his first confirmation hearing to become the secretary of health, a Kennedy family insider tells PEOPLE that the hostility is deeply shocking considering how rarely Caroline speaks out about family.

"We just don't hear from her," the source tells PEOPLE. "I think it's unprecedented because both she and her mother were known for just not speaking to the press, ever."

The source adds that Caroline shared a "never complain, never explain" attitude with her mother, former first lady Jackie Kennedy.

Related: Caroline Kennedy Alleges Her Cousin RFK Jr. Put Mice in Blenders and Worse: All the Claims in Her Shocking Takedown Video

While it's uncharacteristic for Caroline — a two-time U.S. ambassador — to weigh in so boldly on family matters, the insider notes that there's always been a touchy dynamic between the children of President John F. Kennedy and the many kids of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

"I think Caroline and [John F. Kennedy Jr.] were always first among unequals," the source says, "and the RFK kids were always tagging at their heels."

Related: All About JFK and Jackie Kennedy's Children, Caroline and JFK Jr.

The source adds that, with the modern Kennedy family "in tatters," Caroline, 67, and Bobby, 71, have found themselves the two remaining figureheads of their generation.

"Bobby Jr. basically wanted to be Caroline, but he never had the discipline, the gravitas or the intelligence or the discretion to do any of that," the source claims.

While Caroline — a U.S. diplomat who has served as the ambassador to both Japan and Australia — has largely remained reserved in the public eye, Bobby has frequently weighed in on controversial topics and walked himself into a corner at times (such as during his first confirmation hearing, when he was questioned about his flip-flopping stances on some issues).

Related: Cheryl Hines Supports Husband RFK Jr. at Confirmation Hearing amid Kennedy Family Drama

Asked how the Kennedy patriarch, Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., would feel about the path that his grandson has been on, the family source suspects that Bobby would have been cut off financially "50 years ago."

The insider says that Bobby has been using the name of his uncle, President Kennedy, to burnish his own "as a campaign ploy."

The source also notes that the health secretary nominee gets away with being called RFK instead of RFK Jr. — "a pretty good branding opportunity," the source says, for someone with a much less prominent political career than his namesake father.

Related: Maria Shriver Sends Love to Cousin Caroline Kennedy After She Says RFK 'Would Be Disgusted' by His Son RFK Jr.

After seeing Caroline break a pattern of silence to keep her cousin out of government, the source believes that the Kennedy family is no longer what many Americans remember.

"I tend to think the pages turn," the insider says. "[Caroline] has never spoken publicly about anything in her 60 years, and she comes out with this. The only time Jackie spoke out was the preservation of Grand Central. that's how rarely these people speak up."

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